3 Tennessee basketball players that won't be back for 2025

It was a special season for the Tennessee Volunteers. Rick Barnes' team won the regular season SEC title and advanced to just the second Elite Eight in school history before coming up just short in a 72-66 thriller against Zach Edey and Purdue.

Now that the dust has settled and the Vols are out of the tournament, it's time to look ahead to next season. Assuming Zakai Zeigler, Jonas Aidoo, Jahmai Mashack, and Jordan Gainey all stay (which is of course no guarantee in this crazy transfer portal world), Tennessee has a strong core to help them compete in 2025. Four-star combo guard Bishop Boswell has signed a letter of intent, but without Barnes once again striking gold in the portal, it will be difficult to replicate this season's success, as three major components from this year's team will no longer be in Knoxville.

Let's take a look at the three players who have played their final game for Tennessee, as well as what the Vols need to do to replace them. It only makes sense to begin with the First Team All-American.

3. Dalton Knecht

If teams hung banners for transfer portal performance, then the Thompson-Boling Arena rafters would be a little more crowded after what Dalton Knecht accomplished this year. Even though he averaged over 20 points per game last year, few could have predicted that the Northern Colorado transfer would light the college basketball world on fire after joining the SEC, but ignite it he did, establishing himself as not only the best player on Tennessee but the best player in the conference, right from the outset of the season.

Knecht was phenomenal all year, and any list of the best single-game performances from this season will surely include multiple Knecht games. There was the Dean Dome-record 37 points he dropped on North Carolina in November, the 39 he scored to beat Auburn in late February, the 40 he stuck on Kentucky in the regular season finale, and the 37 (more than 56 percent of Tennessee's total points) he just scored on Purdue to nearly lead the Vols to their first-ever Final Four.

It's not like Knecht just had random blow-up games, either. He averaged 21.7 points per game on the year, and during one six-game stretch in the middle of conference play, he averaged more than 31 per game, even though other teams knew by that point that Knecht was Tennessee's most dangerous weapon.

Knecht reminded me all season of Jimmy Chitwood, the legendary fictional player from Hoosiers, but honestly, he was even better than Hickory High's sharpshooter. He had the outside shot and would have shot 40 percent from 3 on the year with just one more make from deep. He could score from anywhere on the court, though, often driving to the basket in transition or the half-court to finish through contact with either hand or working his way to the elbow for a deadly mid-range jumper.

There's nobody on the current Tennessee roster that can fill Knecht's shoes, and it's really not reasonable to expect to find someone this good in the portal again. Knecht is going to be on an NBA roster next season, and with his 6-foot-6 frame, natural shooting ability, and the wherewithal to get points from every spot on the court, there will be teams lining up to draft him early.

2. Josiah-Jordan James

The Memphis Grizzlies might have Jaren Jackson Jr., but on the eastern end of the state, the Tennessee Volunteers have had a JJJ of their own in Josiah-Jordan James. James has been the kind of player that every winning program needs: someone who can score when called upon, but more importantly, a player who can step up defensively and do all the little things that help teams win.

James' stats won't wow anyone, but they do show what a well-rounded player he is. This year he was fourth on the Volunteers in scoring, second in rebounding, second in steals, and third in assists. His defense is a big reason why Tennessee ranked third in the country in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.

James often answered the call when Tennessee needed him most. He knocked down three big threes on his way to 15 points against Creighton in the Sweet 16. He torched Kentucky earlier in the year for 26 and also hung 23 on Final Four-bound NC State when the two teams met in December.

Unlike Knecht, who only spent one year in Knoxville, James has been a five-year starter for Tennessee, averaging at least 25 minutes per game since he first came to campus. In his place, expect Gainey and Mashack to step into larger roles.

1. Santiago Vescovi

Like James, Santiago Vescovi has started all five years he's been at Tennessee. He's been an important part of Rick Barnes' program, but the arrival of Knecht forced him into a reduced role this season.

Vescovi actually led the Vols in scoring last year with 12.5 points per game, and he led his team to a No. 5 seed and a Sweet 16 berth. His output was cut in half this year, and he played over seven minutes fewer per game as Knecht took over.

At his best, Vescovi was Tennessee's best shooter and its most reliable ball-handler and passer behind Zakai Zeigler. He's always spent most of his time outside the arc, taking around 2.5 times more threes than twos during his career.

Next year, Tennessee will be hoping for a leap from rising sophomores Cameron Carr and Cade Phillips, both of whom had limited roles this year. The Volunteers should also be able to look to the transfer portal to replace Vescovi's production. It's unclear yet who Rick Barnes will be targeting, but recent years have shown that guards who can pass and shoot are readily available, and after seeing how Knecht flourished, it could make Tennessee one of the preferred landing spots for some of the nation's top transfers.