Former Vanderbilt Forward Jaylen Carey Knows What he's Doing With "That Place" Comment. As a Result, Buckle Up.

Jaylen Carey sure is embracing that villain role.

The guy that stood in front of the Tennessee media on Monday had the same voice, ball of muscle and endearing smile as the guy that sat on the podium in the basement of Memorial Gymnasium and talked about how he and his teammates didn’t do orange, but everything else about him appeared to be different. To a neutral observer he’s the same funny, personable college junior that likes to lay low and seek counsel from his parents, but in this scenario there aren’t many neutral observers anymore. You’re either on Carey’s side, or you’re against him.

He doesn’t seem to mind that.

Carey walked in the room after seemingly picking up a haircut between Vanderbilt’s last NCAA Tournament game and Tennessee’s summer practice session and had a different energy about him. The former Vanderbilt forward has never been afraid to ruffle feathers, but the fanbase that used to love that–and his supposed willingness to die on the floor–about him now has every reason to let him have it when he takes the floor at Memorial Gymnasium in 2026. Perhaps he’d welcome that.

Vanderbilt’s 2025 trip to Knoxville gave Tennessee’s fanbase a reason to villanize Carey like the Vanderbilt fanbase has, but that’s all forgotten and forgiven. The guy who put up 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting while letting Tennessee fans know about every one of them is theirs now. The guy who approached Tennessee big man Felix Okpara with what he says is an uncharacteristic shoulder check is now praising Okpara and acting as if he and his former school just suffered an ugly breakup.

“It was a great experience playing here last year,” Carey said. “Just like the fans and the atmosphere. Especially when y’all had, or we [Tennessee], had went on that run last year against that other school.”

That other school was home to Carey for a season in which he averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and being its sparkplug of sorts.

Carey struggled with consistency throughout his Vanderbilt career and had just four points combined in its NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Mary’s and Texas. He was on in Vanderbilt’s two matchups with Tennessee–the first of which he scored 14 points in and the second he went for 18 in–though.

Those two games were Tennessee coach Rick Barnes’ only in-person look at Carey throughout his sophomore season. Sources told Vandy on SI this offseason that those games left a positive impression on Barnes when Carey reached out to Tennessee this offseason, Carey all but confirmed that on Monday. That’s not what grabbed everyone in the room’s attention, though.

Carey’s comments–again–appeared to indicate an open wound of sorts between he and his former program.

“Even the one at Vanderbilt or excuse me, that place [was an attention grabber,]” Carey said. “I don’t like that place, but that place. Like I said, it was a great experience [playing against Tennessee]. I love this place and can’t wait to do big things in the big orange.”

The current Tennessee forward appears to be in position for ample opportunity in east Tennessee and is getting pushed by Barnes in a way that reminds him of his “kind of crazy” dad.

If Carey is going to succeed for Barnes, he’ll have to embrace that. Perhaps that hasn’t been the case for him at his previous stops. He certainly doesn’t think so.

“Just getting that hard coaching,” Carey said of his experience playing for Barnes. “[It’s] my first year really, ever getting it. So he’s been really, really the best thing that’s ever been for me. He’s been excelling me a lot, really on and off the floor. So I just love it.”

There’s no going back from that hard coaching now for Carey. In a similar way, he can’t back down from his attitude towards Vanderbilt or Tennessee’s rivalry with it now. When you dismiss the coach that flew to Florida and waded through a hurricane to see you play, that’s what happens. When you act as if you want to be the villain, you become the villain.

Carey isn't a pompous idiot, in fact he's the opposite. Unless something has changed since his time at Vanderbilt, he's mellow and to himself when he's not in team settings. Say he's immature for how he's handling his transition to Tennessee if you may, but know he's smart enough to know what he's doing. He's not naive.

Jaylen Carey does orange now. Buckle up.