Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Suffers Major Blow to Rick Barnes' Coaching Staff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 10:44 PM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team has widely been considered one of the top programs over the past several years under head coach Rick Barnes.

Tennessee is coming off another solid year, having reached the Elite Eight. They ultimately suffered a loss to Houston, the college basketball national championship runners-up.

Before losing to the Cougars, Barnes' team defeated Wofford, UCLA and Kentucky.

After the season, it was rebuilding time for Barnes. The longtime Tennessee coach was tasked with revamping the roster. While doing so, Barnes suffered a loss from the coaching staff.

According to Grant Ramey at On3, Tennessee Volunteers assistant coach Rod Clark is departing the program and accepting a role on the staff of Darian DeVries at Indiana.

Indiana coach Darian DeVries is hiring Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark.

A tough blow for the #Vols. Clark played huge roles in Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, JP Estrella, Tobe Awaka etc

https://t.co/T3pSnwbsBW pic.twitter.com/Szur62aRt7
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) April 30, 2025

As Ramey explained, the loss of Clark weighs heavy on the Tennessee staff. He explained that Clark played a major role in the recruitment of some of the top players on the Volunteers' roster the past several years, such as Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, JP Estrella and Tobe Awake.

Clark had previously began his career at Tennessee in 2021. The 32-year-old is widely known as one of the best recruiting leaders in the nation.

Clark is joining the Indiana Hoosiers staff under first-year head coach Darian DeVries.

DeVries made the move to Indiana after helping build a successful basketball program at Drake and serving a short stint at West Virginia. He coached the Bulldogs from 2018 to 2024.

He also worked as the head coach of the Mountaineers from 2024 to 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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