No one had a better offseason than Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols.

Barnes entered the offseason knowing that he needed to upgrade Tennessee’s offense.

And that’s exactly what the Vols did.

Tennessee landed eight transfer players, including Wake Forest transfer guard Juke Harris, the Vols’ top portal addition.

Where the Tennessee Vols are ranked in On3’s updated Top 25 rankings

The one big question about Tennessee in 2026–27 that can’t be answered just yet is how this team will gel. There are a lot of new faces, some of whom will be playing in new roles. There will inevitably be some growing pains.

Despite that looming question, On3 believes the Vols, at this point in the offseason, are a top 15 college basketball team.

The Vols come in at No. 13 in On3’s post NBA Draft withdrawal deadline Top 25 rankings.

“Juke Harris was the crown jewel as the No. 1 player in the Transfer Portal,” wrote On3’s Jamie Shaw. “Rick Barnes rotated four bigs last season, who combined to have an average weight of 239 pounds. Only 6-foot-8 Dewayne Brown returns from the group. He will be joined by 215-pound Loyola-Chicago transfer Miles Rubin, who finished second in the A10 in blocks last season, 225-pound Braeden Lue, and 6-foot-7 Jalen Haralson. Can Dai-Dai Ames or Terrence Hill run the show or get stops along the perimeter? This team has a lot of individual talent.”

That ranking indicates that Tennessee isn’t viewed nationally as a top championship contender.

But regardless of where the Vols are ranked, their mission in 2026-27 is clear: Get Tennessee to its first Final Four.

“We’ve got a chance to do something really special,” said Vols transfer addition Tyler Lundblade earlier this month. “Kind of the elephant in the room, I guess, is we’ve been to three Elite Eights in a row, but [Tennessee] can’t get over the hump. I think that this year, Tennessee’s making a real push to get over that hump.”

The Final Four journey for the Vols starts this summer.