Tennessee makes the first big splash in the Transfer Portal

We’re still a few days away from the Final Four and even further from the official beginning of the transfer portal, but there’s still plenty of news floating around in this sport. The mass offseason movement that we’ve seen in recent years is expected to continue again and we’ve already had something of a big splash, with grad transfer Tyler Lundblade heading to the SEC and Tennessee.

A 6-6 guard originally from Dallas, Lundblade began his collegiate career at TCU but was a minor piece across three seasons in Fort Worth. He redshirted as a freshman and only played 15 games across the next two seasons, becoming a minor fact for the Horned Frogs. His 2024 decision to transfer to Belmont is what really changed the trajectory of his career.

Tennessee lands Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade

As a junior with the Bruins, Lundblade developed into one of the most shooters in the nation, actually leading the entire country with his 48% from beyond the arc. He blossomed into an even more complete offensive player this last season despite a small downtick from those shooting figures. Regardless, Lundblade is coming off a season where he put up 15.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, making 40% of his 3-pointers and 93.4% from the free throw line.

Thanks to this fantastic season, one in which he helmed Belmont to a regular season championship, Lundblade became the first Bruin to be named MVC Player of the Year. He led the entire nation in free throw shooting percentage and clearly showcased his talent as one of the best pure shooters in the country from every level. While Belmont fell short in the MVC Tournament, he clearly put his talents on full display.

Shortly after the season ended, Belmont head coach Casey Alexander left the program and accepted the head coaching opening at Kansas State. Many quickly expected that Lundblade would follow him to Manhattan, something that has happened with several mid-major stars in recent years. Lundblade did in fact enter the transfer portal not long after Alexander’s decision, but it’s not Kansas State where he’ll be suiting up next season.

Instead Lundblade heads to Tennessee, hoping to become the latest mid-major star to develop into a major role for the Volunteers. In recent years we’ve seen Dalton Knecht transform from underrated to an NBA presence, while this year’s phenom was another former Belmont guard in Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Lundblade helps replace Gillespie and brings a shooting touch to Tennessee’s offense next season, though it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of this rotation comes together around him. Either way, Rick Barnes and his staff have scored one of the first major wins of the offseason.