Amaree Abram reveals why he transferred to Tennessee

Amaree Abram will play for a fourth program in four years following his transfer this offseason to Tennessee. He did so with a hope to win at as high a level as he can to end his collegiate career.

Abram explained why he chose the Volunteers in the NCAA Transfer Portal during a media availability this week. First of all, coming off of his visit towards the end of April, Abram said they made Rocky Top feel like home sweet home to him.

“On my visit, just made me feel like home,” Abram said.

That’s the personal side. Then, on the basketball side, Abram wants to win more than anything else in his senior season, even taking a step back in his role as a player if that’s what it takes.

With that in mind, Abram felt there was no better place to be than playing for Rick Barnes with the Vols having a .680 win percentage under him with seven straight berths in March Madness. That includes three straight appearances in the Sweet 16 and consecutive trips to the Elite Eight to end two of the best seasons in program history at 27-9 in ’23-’24 and 30-8 in ’24-’25.

“I also wanted to win and I know this program holds a high standard,” Abram said. “That was my main goal that I wanted to focus on and what other way than to play for Coach Barnes?

“I did (weight winning versus opportunity). And, also, it’s my last year. I wanted to make it special and I’ve never been to an NCAA Tournament. So, it’s one of my main focuses.”

Abram has played at three schools in three college seasons, appearing in 75 total games for Ole Miss as a freshman, Georgia Tech as a sophomore, and then Louisiana Tech as a junior. He has, over that time, averaged 9.3 points (40.4% FG, 35.9% 3PT on 1.5 makes), 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game for the Rebels, Yellow Jackets, and Bulldogs. That includes a career-best stat line last season at 12.3 points (42.2% FG, 37.3% 3PT on 2.1 makes), 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals for Louisiana Tech.

Now, back where he started in the SEC, Abram is a Top 300 transfer from this year’s portal cycle. He was rated as the No. 255 overall name and a Top 20 combo guard per the latest update to On3’s 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players. That makes him the lowest-rated of an incoming trio, who make up a Top 10 portal class, along with Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland) and Jaylen Carey (Vanderbilt).

They’ll now join another team that should again be competitive for Tennessee under Barnes. That’s with those three pairing with a Top 15 recruiting class, with five signees led by a Five-Star+ prospect in Nate Ament, and one key returner, at least for now, in Felix Okpara.

Abram played for his first winning team last season, despite still not making the postseason, after playing for a pair of losing teams at the power level as an underclassman. He wants to win at the highest level of his career now in his final year, which he’ll be spending in Knoxville.