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Division II transfer wing Elyjah Freeman commits to Auburn over Tennessee, Indiana

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•04/19/25•

GrantRamey

Elyjah Freeman
Elyjah Freeman (Photo: Lincoln Memorial Athletics)

Lincoln Memorial wing Elyjah Freeman, the 6-foot-8 Division II freshman and Tennessee Basketball transfer portal target has committed to Auburn, picking the Tigers over the Vols and Indiana. Freeman announced the decision Saturday afternoon.

Freeman averaged 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in Division II basketball this season. He visited Auburn over the weekend and was at Indiana two weeks ago. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes and members of his staff visited Freeman last Friday, before his Auburn visit.

He shot 46.3% from the 3-point line, scored 20 or more points in 14 games and 30 or more points in four games. Kentucky and Dayton are other Division I programs that have shown interest in Freeman, a Florida native.

Vols have signed two players from NCAA Transfer Portal

Tennessee so far has signed two players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, adding Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Vanderbilt power forward Jaylen Carey.

Gillespie started all 36 games at Maryland this season, averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 assists in 31.6 minutes per game while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 40.7% from the 3-point line, where he made 87 of 214 attempts. 

He’s a Greeneville, Tenn. native, who started his college basketball career at Belmont, averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals in 31.4 minutes per game as a sophomore at Belmont in 2023-24.

Carey, the 6-foot-8, 245-pound sophomore, averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game at Vanderbilt this season. 

Tennessee rebuilding its backcourt for 2025-26 season

Tennessee is in the process of completely rebuilding its backcourt over the offseason, with Zakai Zeigler, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack, Chaz Lanier and Darlinstone Dubar departing as seniors or fifth-year seniors. 

The only scholarship players scheduled to return are junior forward Felix Okpara, sophomore forwards Cade Phillips and JP Estrella and freshman guard Bishop Boswell.

The Vols have signed three prep prospects in the 2025 class: four-star guard Amari Evans, four-star center Dewayne Brown and three-star point guard Troy Henderson.

Tennessee continues to recruit five-star small forward Nate Ament, a consensus top-five player in the 2025 class, and Maryland transfer guard Rodney Rice.

Ament, the 6-foot-9, 185-pound product of Manassas, Va., is ranked No. 3 overall in the On3 rankings. He’s the No. 2 small forward in the class and No. 1 overall prospect in the state of Virginia. Barnes visited Ament in person on Monday.

Rice, a 6-foot-4, 198-pound shooting guard who visited Tennessee over the weekend, averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 36 games this season, shooting 43.4% from the field and 37.4% from the 3-point line. 

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