Data study · every season we hold
Where Tennessee High School Basketball Players Go to College
Of the 491 players from Tennessee high schools on a college roster in our data, 32% played their college basketball in Tennessee.
Computed from 491 players · 2020–21 to 2026–27 · updated Sep 29, 2026
32% stay in-state.
Tennessee is below the 42% all-state baseline.
Tennessee skews away from D3.
25% of Tennessee players in the dataset reached D3, against 42% nationally.
Alabama and Georgia are the first destinations out.
Among players leaving Tennessee, 10% went to Alabama and 8% to Georgia.
Tennessee's college players skew heavily away from D3
Tennessee
n = 491
All states
n = 32,800
| TN | All states | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 45% | 35% | +10 pts |
| D2 | 29% | 23% | +6 pts |
| D3 | 25% | 42% | −17 pts |
Where Tennessee players land
Destination states| Destination state | Players | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 158 | 32% |
| Alabama | 33 | 7% |
| Georgia | 26 | 5% |
| Kentucky | 22 | 4% |
| North Carolina | 20 | 4% |
| Texas | 19 | 4% |
| Missouri | 18 | 4% |
| Arkansas | 17 | 3% |
Which programs take Tennessee players
Historical landings| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryville | D3 | Tennessee | 21 |
| Lee | D2 | Tennessee | 14 |
| Trevecca Nazarene | D2 | Tennessee | 14 |
| Union (TN) | D2 | Tennessee | 13 |
| Rhodes | D3 | Tennessee | 9 |
| Middle Tennessee | D1 | Tennessee | 8 |
| Alabama Huntsville | D2 | Alabama | 8 |
| Belmont | D1 | Tennessee | 7 |
| Lipscomb | D1 | Tennessee | 7 |
| Alabama State | D1 | Alabama | 6 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | D1 | Tennessee | 8 |
| Belmont | D1 | Tennessee | 7 |
| Lipscomb | D1 | Tennessee | 7 |
| Alabama State | D1 | Alabama | 6 |
| Murray State | D1 | Kentucky | 6 |
| Chattanooga | D1 | Tennessee | 6 |
| Furman | D1 | South Carolina | 5 |
| Tennessee State | D1 | Tennessee | 5 |
| Tennessee | D1 | Tennessee | 5 |
| Memphis | D1 | Tennessee | 5 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee | D2 | Tennessee | 14 |
| Trevecca Nazarene | D2 | Tennessee | 14 |
| Union (TN) | D2 | Tennessee | 13 |
| Alabama Huntsville | D2 | Alabama | 8 |
| Christian Brothers | D2 | Tennessee | 6 |
| LeMoyne-Owen | D2 | Tennessee | 6 |
| AUM | D2 | Alabama | 4 |
| Carson-Newman | D2 | Tennessee | 4 |
| Tusculum | D2 | Tennessee | 4 |
| King | D2 | Tennessee | 3 |
| Program | Division | State | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryville | D3 | Tennessee | 21 |
| Rhodes | D3 | Tennessee | 9 |
| Berry | D3 | Georgia | 5 |
| Covenant | D3 | Georgia | 5 |
| Centre | D3 | Kentucky | 4 |
| Sewanee | D3 | Tennessee | 4 |
| Berea | D3 | Kentucky | 3 |
| Bethany | D3 | West Virginia | 3 |
| Hampden-Sydney | D3 | Virginia | 3 |
| Washington and Lee | D3 | Virginia | 3 |
What this means for a Tennessee recruit
How to read itStart local, but don't stop local.
32% of Tennessee players in the dataset stayed in-state — the programs most likely to see you play repeatedly are the ones nearby.
Your realistic level matters more than geography alone.
Tennessee's historical landings skew away from D3 (25% vs 42% nationally).
Past recruiting is a signal, not a guarantee.
A program that repeatedly rosters players from your state has demonstrated a pathway; it does not mean it will recruit you.
Those are the historical patterns for Tennessee. Where does your profile fit?
Depth Chart scores your size, position, level and recruiting profile against all 1,060 programs.
Methodology
Source · sample · scope491 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2026–27
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
- Home state
- The state of the high school on the player's record — the same definition the state tool uses, so the two read the same data the same way.
- Level
- Each player counts once, at the highest level they reached across the seasons we hold (D1 over D2 over D3).
- Sample
- 491 players from Tennessee high schools, across every season we hold; roster coverage runs 2020–21 to 2026–27. A state with fewer than 200 players in our data is not published, because it would describe a coincidence rather than a pattern.
- Computed
- Sep 29, 2026 · methodology state-landing-pages-1
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