Tennessee basketball has to laugh to keep from crying these days.
It’s the only way the Vols don’t lose their mind while trying to figure out whether Vanderbilt transfer Jalen Washington will be eligible for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
“We laugh and joke about it, like who would have thought that we would be reading up on all these legal different questions, answers, and trying to become experts and just all the different court systems,” Vols assistant coach Amorrow Morgan told the media Aug. 27. “It’s definitely strange for everyone. Right now we’re just operating with patience and just knowing that eventually the dust will settle and some of these questions will be answered.”
Tennessee announced Aug. 5 that it had signed Washington, who was eligible for a fifth year of college basketball after a federal court in Tennessee ruled July 31 that the center, along with 16 other players who sued the NCAA over its new “five-for-five” eligibility rules, would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm” if they were not granted another season.
Washington is now ineligible a month later after Tennessee’s Court of Appeals issued an order on Aug. 26 staying the temporary injunction that granted him an extra year of eligibility.
“There’s a lot of working parts and moving parts,” Morgan said. “Right now we’re just going to support Jalen the best we can just throughout this process and just be there for him just the same as we told him we would when he decided to commit here. He’s an unbelievable kid, an unbelievable person, so we’re just going to support him.”
Washington is still on Tennessee’s campus and participating in team activities despite the change in eligibility. His lawsuit is still pending after the Court of Appeals stated that it granted the stay after it considered all relevant factors, “in particular, the NCAA’s likelihood of success on the merits based on the legal issues presented.”
“He’s been a breath of fresh air,” Morgan said. “He fits everything our program’s about. We do a very detailed and thorough background check, intel check. We call and ask strength and conditioning coaches, people on campus. We try to be as detailed as we possibly can, not only just from a basketball perspective and aspect.
“We just want to make sure we’re bringing in the right people into our program, and he’s actually uplifted our program with just his character, approach, and just him being in school for as long as he has been, he’s just kind of been great for our younger guys.”
Washington averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds, both of which were career highs, across 36 games last season at Vanderbilt. He started nine games in his lone campaign with the Commodores. The center shot 56.3% overall, 74.1% at the free-throw line and 29.4% from three (10-of-34). He led the team in blocks (46) and was second in offensive rebounds (72).
Eight of Washington’s nine starts happened in SEC play. He averaged 8.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 22.1 minutes over the course of 18 conference games, while averaging just over a block per contest.
“We are ecstatic to have Jalen join Tennessee basketball,” Rick Barnes said in a UT press release on Aug. 5. “He is a first-class young man who embodies the character, humility and work ethic that define our program. Jalen is the type of person who elevates everyone around him, on and off the court.
“He gives us another experienced low-post presence whom we can play through on the block. He has proven he can score inside, stretch the floor and make winning plays. Jalen wants to be challenged, develop as a player and compete for a national title. We love Jalen’s selfless approach, as he is all about winning and embracing his role.”
Washington played against Tennessee three times last season. He had eight points, a season-high 10 rebounds and a season-high six blocks in the first matchup when UT won 69-65 inside Memorial Gymnasium. Washington followed up with seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks when Vanderbilt won 86-82 in Knoxville two weeks later on senior day. He had seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks nearly a week later when the Commodores won 75-68 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
In the three rivalry games against Tennessee that were decided by seven points or less, he averaged 7.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
Washington transferred to Vanderbilt last offseason after three seasons at North Carolina. The Gary, Ind., native signed with the Tar Heels out of West Side Leadership Academy in the Class of 2022. He was ranked by 247Sports as a four-star prospect, the No. 68 overall player, the No. 13 center and the No. 2 player in Indiana.
When Washington transferred from North Carolina to Vanderbilt, he was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 165 overall transfer and the No. 29 power forward.