In a major coup for the Volunteers, former North Florida guard Chaz Lanier, one of the top talents in the transfer portal, has committed to Tennessee, he revealed to ESPN on Friday.
“I’m going back home,” Lanier shared. “I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back to my home state and represent my city and family. My whole family will be at every game next year, lord willing.”
Lanier, a first-team All-Atlantic Sun player, lit up the scoreboard last season with an impressive average of 19.7 points per game. He cemented his status as one of college basketball’s elite shooters by sinking 106 three-pointers in 31 games, boasting a 44% success rate from beyond the arc.
The decision to join Tennessee came after Lanier took official visits to Kentucky and BYU, ultimately deciding the Vols offered the best fit.
“UT was the best because of the fit and the play style,” Lanier explained. “I’ll be able to showcase my scoring ability at the highest level of college basketball, and also develop my defense under a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Barnes, who has a track record of sending players to the NBA. Our goals are aligned. I know that winning is everything. The culture he created is special. I felt it during my official visit.”
After gathering valuable feedback at the NBA G League’s Elite Camp in Chicago last week, Lanier plans to withdraw his name from the NBA draft by the May 29 NCAA deadline.
Lanier joins a formidable Tennessee squad that recently clinched the SEC regular-season championship and made an Elite Eight appearance. The team is headlined by SEC Player of the Year and All-American Dalton Knecht, a projected top-10 NBA draft pick.
An elite shooter and scorer like Knecht, Lanier is aware of the parallels in their journeys. Knecht’s path from Northern Colorado to Tennessee was a notable point in Lanier’s recruitment.
“Tennessee never compared me to Dalton in terms of our play style or game, but we did talk about the route he took, which is a very similar path,” Lanier said. “It’s possible I can do the same thing.”
With Lanier now in the fold, the Vols have added another potent weapon to their already impressive arsenal as they look to build on last season’s success.
