Jaylen Carey committed to Tennessee basketball on Sunday, giving the Vols a two-transfer start to the portal season.
The Vanderbilt transfer averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 33 games, including one start. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in SEC play. He announced his commitment on social media.
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Carey’s role fluctuated throughout the season with the Commodores, but he had his best games against Tennessee. Carey had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on Jan. 18. He scored 18 points at UT on Feb. 15 to match his season high.
Carey joins Ja’Kobi Gillespie as incoming Tennessee transfers. Gillespie averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists at Maryland last season while shooting 40.7% on 3-pointers, making 87. The Greenville, Tennessee, native committed to Tennessee Friday as the first portal addition of the offseason for coach Rick Barnes.
The 6-foot-8, 265-pound Carey began his career at James Madison University under coach Mark Byington, whom he followed to Vanderbilt. Carey played in all 36 games off the bench as a freshman, averaging 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes. He shot 66.9% from the field and 30% from 3-point range.
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Carey has two years of eligibility remaining.
UPDATES: Tennessee basketball transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for Rick Barnes’ roster
Tennessee has used the transfer portal as well as any team in college basketball the past two offseasons. Dalton Knecht and Chaz Lanier are among the biggest portal success stories in college basketball. Jordan Gainey, Igor Milicic Jr. and Okpara have been key players for Tennessee as well out of the portal.
The Vols have four returning scholarship players in guard Bishop Boswell and forwards J.P. Estrella, Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips. They have three incoming freshmen in four-star forward DeWayne Brown II, four-star guard Amari Evans and three-star guard Troy Henderson.
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Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jaylen Carey: Tennessee basketball gets Vanderbilt transfer forward
