Tennessee basketball landed guard Dai Dai Ames from California as its first transfer portal addition for the 2026-27 season on April 11. The 20-year-old, 6-foot-2 guard averaged 16.9 points per game in a breakout junior year with the Golden Bears. Ames joins a Vols roster rebuilding after several departures.
Tennessee's roster now features seven confirmed players, including Ames, Belmont graduate transfer Tyler Lundblade, freshmen Troy Henderson and DeWayne Brown II, and high school recruits Ralph Scott, Manny Green, and Marquis Clark. Sophomore Ethan Burg has yet to announce his plans. The team faces a lineup overhaul with freshman Nate Ament expected to enter the 2026 NBA Draft, J.P. Estrella transferring to Michigan, Bishop Boswell in the portal, and Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Felix Okpara out of eligibility due to exhausted eligibility. Dai Dai Ames, whose full name is Darrin Ames Jr. and was born June 2, 2005, began at Kansas State, starting 16 of 31 freshman games. He moved to Virginia for his sophomore year, averaging 8.7 points across 31 games with 26 starts. At Cal in 2025-26, he boosted to 16.9 points on 46.4% field goal shooting, nearing 40% from three on 4.4 attempts per game, aiding a 22-12 record and 9-9 ACC mark before a second-round tournament loss to Florida State on March 11. A Chicago native from Kenwood Academy class of 2023, Ames was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 13 point guard nationally and No. 2 in Illinois by 247Sports Composite. He chose Kansas State over offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.