Tennessee Basketball Lands Second Commitment in the Transfer Portal

Tennessee has landed a commitment from California transfer Dai Dai Ames

Mar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes during a press conference ahead of the midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal has been crazy the last few days. Almost every major university has lost a large number of players to the portal. Tennessee has been no different, with players like Jaylen Carey, Amari Evans, and JP Estrella hitting the portal.

Now, Rick Barnes has to replace those players. The Volunteers already landed one commitment from Tyler Lundblade, and now they have landed their second commitment of the portal cycle.

Dai Dai Ames Commits to Tennessee

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes talks to referee regarding a play against Michigan during the first half of NCAA Tournament Elite 8 round at United Center in Chicago on Sunday, March 29, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dai Dai Ames is a 6-foot-2 guard who played at California last season. He recently hit the portal and was reportedly pursued by schools like Tennessee, Kansas, Xavier, and Ole Miss.

According to On3 Sports, he has committed to Tennessee.

Last season, Ames averaged 16.9 points per game and earned All-ACC Third Team honors. He hit a viral game-winning three-point-and-one shot to beat Notre Dame. He also shot 37.6% from three.

He has played two prior seasons with Kansas State and Virginia, where he was a rotation player for both. He averaged 5.2 points per game in his freshman season with Kansas State and 8.7 points per game in his lone season at Virginia.

Ames had another viral moment last season in a game against Providence when a Friars player punched Ames square in the face (Ames poked the player in the eye right before that, although it was likely an accident by Ames).

Out of high school, Ames was a Jordan Brand All-American and graduated from Kenwood Academy in Chicago, Illinois. He was rated as a top-20 point guard nationally and the number two-ranked prospect in the state of Illinois by 247Sports and On3. He even dropped 65 points in a game against Southland Prep in high school.

Currently, Tennessee is very thin at the guard position, so landing Ames was crucial, and now the Volunteers can look towards other players.

He could very well be the Volunteers' leading scorer next season if he is developed right. Filling the shoes of Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee’s leading scorer last season) will be difficult, but Ames could do it.

His former California backcourt teammate, Justin Pippen, recently committed to Ohio State, and both will be tough to replace next season at California. The two guards paired very well together, and only time will tell if Ames can replicate that backcourt partner's success at Tennessee with Tyler Lundblade or any other players that the Volunteers land in the portal.