Mar 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Jaylen Carey (23) grabs a rebound in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during an Elite Eight game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

It’s your first surprise of the portal season! Much of the noise around Missouri and the transfer portal has been around Bryson Tiller and Jamier Jones, but sometimes Dennis Gates likes to sneak in a surprise addition, and this time he kept the Tigers pursuit of a former Tennessee Volunteer under wraps.

Tonight Jaylen Carey, a former Vol and Vanderbilt Commodore, announced his commitment to the Tigers via social media.

Carey is the son of a former All Pro Offensive Tackle Vernon Carey, and one of the nations best rebounders. At 267 pounds, he’s a cement block around the rim, and one of the tougher post players to move off his spot. At 6’8 he isn’t the tallest guy, but he has a 7’1”+ wingspan and a standing reach of 8.9 1/4’ which makes his actual height less of an issue when defending.

Let’s Meet Jaylen Carey

• From: Southwest Ranches, Florida
• Previous School: Tennessee
• Position: Post
• Ht/Wt: 6-8/267
• 247Composite Ranking: 0.8900 (No. 171)
• On3 Sports Ranking: 92.13 (No. 159)
• EvanMiya Forecasted BPR: 3.30 (No. 67)

There’s little wonder about Carey’s game. He attempted 223 shots this past season at Tennessee, per Synergy, and 186 of those came at the rim. That’s basically 83% of this shots. He’s not a great finisher, but not a bad one either. This is a move that will immediately up your toughness and rebounding at the outset.

He’s one of the nations best offensive rebounders, and has a positive impact on the defensive end of the floor, and doesn’t foul very often.

We will have a full scout on Carey in the coming days. And once some more dust has settled we will have a roster math post ready to go as well.