Analyzing Jaylen Carey's Fit With Mizzou Basketball

Missouri lands former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey, a key transfer portal addition for the Tigers' 2026-27 season.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 5:05pm

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes in the colors of the Missouri Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers, capturing the dynamic movement and energy of a basketball game or match.Carey's addition to the Missouri roster could reshape the Tigers' frontcourt, but his shooting limitations may require creative lineup solutions.Knoxville Today

Missouri men's basketball has landed the commitment of former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey, per Joe Tipton. Carey is the first transfer portal addition of the Tigers' 2026 offseason. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward brings three seasons of experience, the last two of which were split between Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC. He holds career averages of 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 assist while playing just 17.8 minutes per game.

Why it matters

Missouri averaged the fourth-least rebounds per game in the SEC last season, and Carey's rebounding and interior presence can help elevate the Tigers into the top half of rebounding teams in the conference. However, his lack of perimeter offense could present a spacing issue for a Missouri team that already struggled with 3-point shooting.

The details

Carey was ranked as the 35th best power forward and a three-star transfer in the 2026 transfer portal class, per 247Sports. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates reached out to Carey in last season's portal cycle, and has now circled back around to get his guy. Carey's width and rebounding ability are seen as key advantages, but his poor free-throw shooting and lack of 3-point shooting could be limitations that Missouri has to work around.

  • Carey tied a season-high with 10 rebounds against Missouri in February 2026.
  • Carey missed all five of his 3-point attempts last season and shot 9-for-39 from beyond the arc in 2024-25.

The players

Jaylen Carey

A 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward who spent the last two seasons split between Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC, averaging 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 assist per game.

Dennis Gates

The head coach of the Missouri men's basketball team, who first reached out to Carey during last season's transfer portal cycle and has now landed him as the Tigers' first offseason addition.

Trent Pierce

A Missouri player who was one of only two Tigers to make one or more 3-pointers per game in conference play last season.

Jayden Stone

A Missouri player who exhausted his final season of eligibility and will not be with the Tigers next season.

Jason Crowe

An incoming five-star freshman for Missouri who can shoot from distance and help address the team's perimeter shooting struggles.

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What they’re saying

“If you look at the size of Jaylen Carey, his width is more important than his height. There is not one big man, no matter how tall they are, that stops him from doing what he does, because his width is an advantage.”

— Dennis Gates, Missouri Head Coach

What’s next

Missouri will need to work around Carey's shooting woes to implement him into the rotation, and his addition shouldn't prevent the Tigers from pursuing other key transfer portal targets like former Kansas big Bryson Tiller and former Providence wing Jamier Jones.

The takeaway

Carey's rebounding and interior presence can help address one of Missouri's biggest weaknesses from last season, but his lack of perimeter offense could create spacing issues for a Tigers team that already struggled with 3-point shooting. Integrating Carey into the rotation while also adding more shooting will be a key challenge for Dennis Gates and his staff this offseason.