VCU forward Christian Fermin commits to Tennessee out of NCAA transfer portal

Tennessee has added an intriguing player from the NCAA transfer portal. Former VCU forward Christian Fermin has committed to the program, On3 has learned.

Fermin played in only four games this season for the Rams before taking a leave of absence due to a personal matter. Not much was reported on his time off beyond that.

But he was a productive contributor when fully healthy. He started 38 games as a sophomore in 2023-24, when he logged 21.4 minutes per contest. During that time, he contributed in a number of ways.

Christian Fermin logged career highs in points and rebounds that season. He finished the year averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He also notched 1.4 blocks per contest, something he did consistently throughout his career.

Fermin isn’t much a threat to stretch the floor with his shooting, though. He has attempted only one 3-point shot in college. Meanwhile, his free-throw shooting could also use work. Fermin is a career 58.5% shooter from the charity stripe.

As for standout performances, Christian Fermin scored 15 points in a game against St. Bonaventure during his sophomore season. He also posted a 14-rebound game against George Washington that year.

As a recruit, Christian Fermin was a four-star prospect, rated as the No. 120 overall player in the nation in 2022. He was the No. 16 rated player at his position and the No. 4 overall player from the state of Pennsylvania, hailing from Pocono Summit (PA) Pocono Mountain West.

Juke Harris withdraws from NBA Draft

Along with the Christian Fermin news, Tennessee also got good news on Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris earlier this month. The talented guard officially withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft.

Harris played his first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Wake Forest, under head coach Steve Forbes. In 66 games (36 starts), Harris compiled career averages of 14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. His strong play didn’t quite contribute to massive success for the Demon Deacons, however. Over the past two seasons, Wake Forest went 39-28 and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Salisbury, NC native scored 20-plus points in 20 games this season. He scored a season-high 38 points in Wake Forest‘s 68-67 loss to Boston College on Feb. 25. He serves as a massive addition to Tennessee‘s 2026-27 roster, which has been labeled as one of the best in all of college basketball.

On3’s Daniel Hager also contributed to this report.