Vols Land Wake Forest Scoring Threat Juke Harris in Transfer Portal

(utsports.com) – University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Monday the addition of Juke Harris.

A 2025-26 Second Team All-ACC designee at Wake Forest, Harris joins the Volunteers as a junior guard with, based off current rules, two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“We are thrilled Juke made the decision to join our program at Tennessee. Juke is not only an explosive talent, but also a humble young man from a great family,” Barnes said. “One of the premier scorers nationally, he possesses the ability to put the ball in the basket in numerous ways, from all over the floor. Juke can take over a game and impose his will at any time. He is a versatile player who can handle the ball in transition and has the length to make an impact defensively. As someone we were familiar with from his high school recruitment, Juke was a primary target for us as soon as the portal opened and he fits well with the roster we have assembled.”

Harris was one of the best players in the country as a sophomore last year, putting up 21.4 points per game to rank No. 14 in the country. The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder was one of just nine Power Six players to average over 21.0 points per contest and his 750 total points placed sixth in Division I.

Additionally, Harris ranked co-No. 15 nationally in made free throws (195), No. 18 in free-throw attempts (249), No. 22 in total minutes (1,230 to set a Wake Forest record), co-No. 26 in made field goals (234), co-No. 75 in made 3-pointers (87) and No. 102 in defensive rebounding (5.29). He garnered the seventh-most points in the All-ACC balloting and won ACC Most Improved Player, as well as claimed NABC First Team All-South Atlantic District status.

Overall, Harris averaged 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 35.1 minutes per game, while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and starting all 35 games. He finished first in the ACC in total minutes, second in total points, made free throws and free-throw attempts, plus third in scoring average and co-third in made field goals, as well as sixth in defensive rebounding average and co-sixth in total 3-point makes.

Harris was one of four Division I players to average at least 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year, alongside Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa and Texas Tech’s J.T. Toppin. He is one of just three ACC players this century to add 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game to that line, joining Boozer and Duke’s Zion Williamson (2018-19), both of whom were consensus national player of the year honorees.

The NABC First Team All-South Atlantic District choice had the largest scoring increase, 15.3 points per game, of any player in the country from 2024-25 to 2025-26. His 35 consecutive double-digit scoring games to open the season set a Wake Forest record, while his 750 points placed second.

The Salisbury, N.C., native was at his best in league play as a sophomore, producing 22.9 points per game to rank second in the conference. That figure gave him the second-best ACC-only mark ever by a Demon Deacon, behind only Charlie Davis in 1970-71.

Along with scoring in double figures in all 35 games (co-third in DI), Harris had 15-plus 31 times (fourth in DI), 20-plus 20 times (co-No. 11 in DI), 25-plus 12 times (co-No. 11 in DI) and 31-plus thrice (co-second in ACC). He dropped a career-best 38 points—the most by a Demon Deacon in over 20 years—in a Feb. 25 game at Boston College in which he went 12-of-19 from the floor, one of six occasions on which he made double-digit field goals.

Harris also had five double-doubles, including posting 31 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a March 7 victory over Cal, making him the fifth Wake Forest player in the last 55 years (1971-2026) with a 30-15 game.

As a freshman in 2024-25, Harris tallied 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. He appeared in 31 of 32 games and made one start.

Harris notched double-figure points five times in his opening collegiate campaign, with a high of 17 in a Jan. 4, 2025, victory against NC State.

Across his two seasons thus far, Harris owns career averages of 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals in 27.5 minutes per game. He already possesses 940 points, just 60 shy of 1,000.

Coming out of Salisbury High School, Harris was a consensus four-star, top-100 recruit and a top-10 player in the Tar Heel State. He placed No. 88 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, including No. 15 among shooting guards.

Harris amassed 2,601 points in high school—82 came while playing up as a middle schooler—to set the Rowan County all-time scoring record. As both a junior and senior, he was the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year, the Rowan County Player of the Year, the NCBCA District 11 Player of the Year and an NCBCA First Team All-State pick.

During his senior season, Harris helped his team to a 27-4 record and a regional final berth. He averaged 31.6 points per game and set the county single-season scoring record with 981 points, the latter mark breaking his own tally of 818 from the prior year in which he put up 29.2 points per game. On the AAU circuit, the Carolinas Classic All-Star Game selection competed for Team CP3.

Tennessee has 25 prior letter winners from North Carolina, dating to 1924-25 team captain Earl Keister. The list includes players such as 2020-21 SEC All-Freshman Team choice Jaden Springer, 1986-87 SEC Player of the Year Tony White and two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams, all of whom were top-35 NBA Draft choices.

Widely regarded as one of the finest players in the transfer portal, Harris is ranked first overall by On3. He slots in at second nationally according to both Field of 68 and The Athletic, as well as eighth by 247Sports. Harris finished fourth in the On3 Industry Ranking, as well.

Harris is the seventh transfer to sign with Tennessee this offseason, following MVC Player of the Year Tyler Lundblade, two-time All-A-10 Defensive Team honoree Miles Rubin, Third Team All-ACC designee Dai Dai Ames, First Team All-A-10 selection Terrence Hill Jr., All-ACC Honorable Mention Jalen Haralson and CUSA Defensive Team pick Braedan Lue. Barnes’ program is also bringing in four prep recruits: Marquis Clark, Manny Green, Ralph Scott and Chris Washington Jr.