University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Add All-ACC Honorable Mention Jalen Haralson
April 24, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men's basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Friday the signing of Jalen Haralson.
An All-ACC Honorable Mention as a freshman at Notre Dame, Haralson heads to Tennessee as a sophomore guard with three years of collegiate eligibility.
"We are delighted to have Jalen joining the Tennessee basketball family and feel he is a superb fit here. Jalen has tremendous positional versatility on both sides of the floor, which is a valuable asset," Barnes said. "He is an aggressive, downhill driver who does an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the line. Jalen can grab a rebound and get the break going, as he possesses a good handle, stellar passing ability and a high basketball IQ. He is well-suited for the pick-and-roll game and is also great at cutting to the rim. Jalen is looking forward to being part of our program and helping us win."
Haralson averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game last year for the Fighting Irish. He appeared in 27 contests, missing four due to injury, and made 23 starts, while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pounder finished seventh in the ACC in field-goal percentage and No. 12 in scoring, with the former figure No. 97 nationally. He paced Notre Dame in scoring (min. 15 GP), assists, made field goals (155), made free throws (122) and free-throw attempts (181), plus ranked second in rebounding and field-goal percentage.
Haralson's 16.2 scoring average marked the fourth-best all-time by a freshman in program history, trailing only Troy Murphy (1998-99), Adrian Dantley (1973-74) and Markus Burton (2023-24).
Just eight freshmen in the country averaged at least 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2025-26. Haralson joined Toledo's Leroy Blyden Jr., Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU's A.J. Dybantsa, Houston's Kingston Flemings, Merrimack's Kevair Kennedy, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson on the list.
Haralson scored double-digit points 24 times on the year, reaching 15-plus in 17 contests, 20-plus in eight and 25-plus in two. The Anderson, Ind., native notched a season-best 26 points in a Jan. 31 contest at Syracuse in which he went 9-of-12 from the floor and 8-of-11 at the line. He also had four-plus assists seven times, with seven-plus twice, and five-plus assists eight times, with seven-plus thrice.
Haralson played his best down the stretch, as he averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over his final nine outings. In just the last four affairs, he put up 22.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, scoring 19-plus in each and 23-plus in two.
Across all of ACC play, Haralson averaged 17.4 points per game, the ninth-best mark in the conference. He shot 53.6 percent from the field in league action to rank fifth in the league.
A consensus top-20 recruit out of La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., Haralson finished as a five-star prospect in in the 247Sports Composite, coming in at No. 17 overall and third among small forwards. He was unanimously considered the second-best prospect in the Hoosier State.
Haralson was a 2025 McDonald's All-American and will be the 14th player in Tennessee history who played in the prestigious all-star game, including the first to arrive as a transfer and the sixth in Barnes' tenure.
A member of Team USA at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, Haralson helped his nation win the gold medal. He averaged 11.1 points, co-fifth-best among Americans, and 4.0 rebounds per game across the seven contests, all of which the team won, including six by margins of at least 40.
Haralson also represented the United States at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit on April 12, 2025, at the Moda Center in Portland. He aided the team to a 124-114 overtime victory over the World Select roster. He played for Spiece Indy Heat in AAU competition, averaging 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in spring 2024 Nike EYBL action.
Tennessee has 12 prior letter winners from Indiana, but Haralson will be the first since Chris Brand in 1992-93. The list also includes a trio of two-time First Team All-SEC picks: Mike Edwards (1971-72, 1972-73), Dalen Showalter (1958-59, 1959-60) and Gilbert Huffman (1938-39, 1940-41).
A consensus top-40 player in the transfer portal, Harlason is ranked as high as No. 25 by 247Sports, which labels him third among combo guards. He is also No. 30 on The Athletic's list, which slots hm fifth at the wing position.
Haralson is the fifth transfer to ink with the Volunteers this offseason, alongside 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 and First Team All-A-10 selection Terrence Hill Jr. Barnes' program is also adding four prep recruits: Marquis Clark, Manny Green, Ralph Scott and Chris Washington Jr.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
An All-ACC Honorable Mention as a freshman at Notre Dame, Haralson heads to Tennessee as a sophomore guard with three years of collegiate eligibility.
"We are delighted to have Jalen joining the Tennessee basketball family and feel he is a superb fit here. Jalen has tremendous positional versatility on both sides of the floor, which is a valuable asset," Barnes said. "He is an aggressive, downhill driver who does an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the line. Jalen can grab a rebound and get the break going, as he possesses a good handle, stellar passing ability and a high basketball IQ. He is well-suited for the pick-and-roll game and is also great at cutting to the rim. Jalen is looking forward to being part of our program and helping us win."
Haralson averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game last year for the Fighting Irish. He appeared in 27 contests, missing four due to injury, and made 23 starts, while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pounder finished seventh in the ACC in field-goal percentage and No. 12 in scoring, with the former figure No. 97 nationally. He paced Notre Dame in scoring (min. 15 GP), assists, made field goals (155), made free throws (122) and free-throw attempts (181), plus ranked second in rebounding and field-goal percentage.
Haralson's 16.2 scoring average marked the fourth-best all-time by a freshman in program history, trailing only Troy Murphy (1998-99), Adrian Dantley (1973-74) and Markus Burton (2023-24).
Just eight freshmen in the country averaged at least 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2025-26. Haralson joined Toledo's Leroy Blyden Jr., Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU's A.J. Dybantsa, Houston's Kingston Flemings, Merrimack's Kevair Kennedy, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson on the list.
Haralson scored double-digit points 24 times on the year, reaching 15-plus in 17 contests, 20-plus in eight and 25-plus in two. The Anderson, Ind., native notched a season-best 26 points in a Jan. 31 contest at Syracuse in which he went 9-of-12 from the floor and 8-of-11 at the line. He also had four-plus assists seven times, with seven-plus twice, and five-plus assists eight times, with seven-plus thrice.
Haralson played his best down the stretch, as he averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over his final nine outings. In just the last four affairs, he put up 22.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, scoring 19-plus in each and 23-plus in two.
Across all of ACC play, Haralson averaged 17.4 points per game, the ninth-best mark in the conference. He shot 53.6 percent from the field in league action to rank fifth in the league.
A consensus top-20 recruit out of La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., Haralson finished as a five-star prospect in in the 247Sports Composite, coming in at No. 17 overall and third among small forwards. He was unanimously considered the second-best prospect in the Hoosier State.
Haralson was a 2025 McDonald's All-American and will be the 14th player in Tennessee history who played in the prestigious all-star game, including the first to arrive as a transfer and the sixth in Barnes' tenure.
A member of Team USA at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, Haralson helped his nation win the gold medal. He averaged 11.1 points, co-fifth-best among Americans, and 4.0 rebounds per game across the seven contests, all of which the team won, including six by margins of at least 40.
Haralson also represented the United States at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit on April 12, 2025, at the Moda Center in Portland. He aided the team to a 124-114 overtime victory over the World Select roster. He played for Spiece Indy Heat in AAU competition, averaging 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in spring 2024 Nike EYBL action.
Tennessee has 12 prior letter winners from Indiana, but Haralson will be the first since Chris Brand in 1992-93. The list also includes a trio of two-time First Team All-SEC picks: Mike Edwards (1971-72, 1972-73), Dalen Showalter (1958-59, 1959-60) and Gilbert Huffman (1938-39, 1940-41).
A consensus top-40 player in the transfer portal, Harlason is ranked as high as No. 25 by 247Sports, which labels him third among combo guards. He is also No. 30 on The Athletic's list, which slots hm fifth at the wing position.
Haralson is the fifth transfer to ink with the Volunteers this offseason, alongside 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 and First Team All-A-10 selection Terrence Hill Jr. Barnes' program is also adding four prep recruits: Marquis Clark, Manny Green, Ralph Scott and Chris Washington Jr.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
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