Former Maryland standout point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie has committed to Tennessee, per his announcement on Instagram.
"I'm coming home," Gillespie, a Greeneville, Tennessee, native, shared on social media. He's returning to his roots after playing an essential role in Maryland's best year in nearly a decade. It's a massive addition for head coach Rick Barnes and a Volunteers program losing several key contributors, namely four-year floor general Zakai Zeigler.
Ex-Maryland star Ja'Kobi Gillespie transfers to Tennessee for exciting homecoming
Landing Gillespie is a massive development for Tennessee. They weren't the only ones vying for his services, though the school's organic ties to him gave them unique leverage.
InsideMDSports' Jeff Ermann ($) revealed that ex-Maryland coach Kevin Willard reportedly offered Gillespie "around $3 million to go to Villanova." However, representing his native state ostensibly outweighed the lucrative NIL deal.
Gillespie is sixth on 247Sports' 2025 transfer portal rankings and is listed as the No. 3 point guard. With that in mind, he'll presumably fill the void left by Zeigler, one of the most beloved Tennessee basketball players ever. The latter set a very high standard before exhausting his college eligibility, though the former's résumé makes him an ideal replacement.
In Maryland's Sweet 16 loss to the eventual West Region champions, Florida, Gillespie did everything he could to keep the Terrapins in the mix. He drilled three consecutive triples and single-handedly went on an 11-4 run during a roughly two-minute stretch in the first half. But alas, the No. 1 seed Gators were too much to overcome.
The head of the snake for this year's star-studded group of starters at Maryland, AKA the "Crab Five," Gillespie's a marquee addition for Barnes. Despite scoring regression upon arriving at Maryland, he took noteworthy strides as a playmaker and three-point shooter en route to earning 2024-25 All-Big Ten honors.
Across 36 contests with the Terps, Gillespie averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. The dimes tally marks a career-best, as does a 40.7 percent clip from beyond the arc on his highest nightly attempt rate across three collegiate seasons. His ascending skill set is what Barnes and the Vols need.