Rick Barnes continues to enjoy sustained success with Tennessee basketball in Knoxville, and he’s reportedly making a key addition to his coaching staff ahead of the 2025-26 season.
As reported by Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, Barnes is expected to hire seasoned assistant coach Steve McClain. McClain previously worked in the SEC as an assistant at Texas under Rodney Terry and was also part of Tom Crean’s staff at Georgia.
McClain brings decades of experience, having started his college coaching career in the early 1980s. He holds a career head coaching record of 324-224, with his latest head coaching role at UIC from 2015 to 2020. He also led programs at Wyoming and Hutchinson Community College.
With a new addition to his coaching staff, Rick Barnes is aiming to finally push Tennessee basketball past the barrier that’s kept the program from reaching its first-ever Final Four. Despite coming close in recent years, the Vols have fallen just short—making it to the Sweet 16 in each of their last three NCAA Tournament appearances and advancing to the Elite Eight in the last two. Their latest run ended in a lopsided loss to Houston in the regional final.
Looking to reload for another deep postseason push, Barnes brought in the nation’s 12th-ranked high school recruiting class, highlighted by 5-star forward Nate Ament, the No. 4 overall prospect in the country. He also bolstered the roster through the transfer portal, landing three key players, including former Vanderbilt big man Jaylen Carey.