Tennessee lands commitment from Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade

Rick Barnes and Tennessee have struck quickly in the NCAA Transfer Portal, landing a commitment from former Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

The 6-foot-5 scorer officially entered the portal on March 16 after Bruins head coach Casey Alexander left for the open head coaching job at Kansas State. While many considered it likely that Lundblade would follow his coach, the Volunteers pounced on the chance to keep him in the state.

Lundblade was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2025-26, leading the Bruins in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He also shot 43% from the field and knocked down a conference-leading 115 3-pointers while making 40% from beyond the arc.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Lundblade spent the first three seasons of his career as a walk-on at TCU. He played in only nine games across that span before deciding to hit the portal. He found a home at Belmont and immediately became one of their top scorers last season.

As a junior, he averaged 12.4 points per game while leading the country in 3-point shooting at 48.1%. Lundblade followed that up with an even better season in 2025-26, catching the attention of high-major programs as soon as he hit the portal.

He is expected to be a key piece for a Tennessee team that will likely return the majority of its rotation for next season. Seniors Ja’Kobi Gillespie — another former Belmont guard — and Felix Okpara are out of eligibility. And it’s expected that star freshman wing Nate Ament will declare for the NBA Draft.

Eligible to return are junior forwards JP Estrella (10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and Jaylen Carey (7.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG), sophomore guard Bishop Boswell (6.3 PPG, 3.2 APG), and promising freshmen DeWayne Brown and Amari Evans.

The Vols, who fell to No. 1 seed Michigan 95-62 on Sunday, will be looking to reinforce their backcourt and wing depth, to go along with the addition of Lundblade.