Ahead of a Sweet Sixteen matchup on March 28, Tennessee basketball hasn't let up on the recruiting or transfer portal trail for next season.

One of the nation's best guards in Jalen Jackson has reportedly been in contact with Tennessee thus far in his search for a 2025-26 landing spot, per Sam Kayser on X, formerly Twitter. Purdue Fort Wayne's leading scorer (19.2 points per game) earned First Team All-Horizon League honors in the 2024-25 campaign.

“Purdue Fort Wayne guard Jalen Jackson has heard from these schools since entering the portal, he told

@LeagueRDY

: Michigan Nebraska Butler TCU Vanderbilt Virginia Tech Tennessee Missouri LSU Virginia Jackson averaged 19.2PPG, 4.4RPG, 3.1APG and 1.6SPG this season.”

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Purdue Fort Wayne finished the season 19-13 (12-8 in the Horizon), with the Mastodons falling 72-67 to Youngstown State in their quarterfinal clash on March 6. Jackson put the wraps on a strong season with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double in the loss. The junior will be heading into his fourth college season.

Tennessee basketball's outlook for the 2025-26 season

The program is in a decent place for the future, sitting with the No. 39 recruiting class for 2025, per 247 Sports.

As the Volunteers look for a physical guard who can help on the scoring front, Jackson fits the mold. He's capable of running effective pick-and-rolls, and has shown that he can consistently take his opponent off the dribble in most games.

His three-point shooting could stand to see some improvement. He shot an abysmal 26.4 percent from behind the arc last season.