Donedeal: Vols have signed a five star player from North Florida.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Chaz Lanier, a transfer guard from North Florida, has been signed by Rick Barnes, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee, as of Saturday.

Lanier, who was named to the First Team All-ASUN and First Team All-District 3 by the NABC in 2023–24, will play his last year of college eligibility with the Volunteers in 2024–25.

“Chaz and his family are cordially welcomed to Rocky Top. We knew Chaz was someone we would love to bring home to Volunteer State as soon as he stepped through the transfer portal,” stated Barnes. “His work ethic, character, humility, and high basketball IQ will be much appreciated by our fan base. He has already established himself as one of the most productive scorers in college basketball, and we believe the SEC will benefit greatly from his ability to put the ball in the hoop from anywhere on the floor. Chaz wants to help us compete for a national championship and win another SEC championship. His objectives are evident, andmentality meshes really well with the other boys in our program, making this a perfect fit. We could see that Chaz was thrilled at the chance to go back to the state he adores, and we know Vol Nation would welcome him right away.”

Lanier, a 199-pound 6-foot-4 player, joins Rocky Top following four seasons at North Florida. With the Ospreys, he participated in 104 games (49 starts) and averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per contest.

One of the best shooters in the country, Lanier has a career field goal percentage of 48.1 percent, which includes a 40.7 percent 3-point percentage and an 86.4 percent line. With 37 double-figure scoring totals, he has scored 15 or more times, 20 or more times, 25 or more times, and 30 or more times.

The 2023–24 season was amazing for the Nashville, Tennessee, native, who averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. His impressive shooting stats included 51.0 percent overall, 44.0 percent on 3-pointers (on 7.5 tries a game), and 88.0 percent at the free-throw line. He played in all 32 of North Florida’s games, starting 31 of them. With a 53.2 percent clip from the field, a 45.2 percent deep ball game, and a 90.5 percent line drive, he reached the elite 50/40/90 mark in league play.

As a senior, Lanier scored ten or more points in all but one of his games, finishing with at least fifteen points in 23 games. He scored 20 points in all 15 of his college games in 2023–2024, including a career-high 35 points against North Alabama on February 8, 2024. That performance was a part of an 11-game run (January 12-February 16) in which he averaged 25.9 points on 54.9 percent shooting per game.

Lanier made at least three 3-pointers 23 times in 2023–24, which is tied for fourth most in the nation behind only Tyler Thomas of Hofstra, the CAA Player of the Year (27 in 33 GP), R.J. Davis of North Carolina, the ACC Player of the Year (24 in 37 GP), and Jack Gohlke, the Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year (24 in 36 GP). On November 17, 2023, against Northwestern State, he got a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. His 15 games with four or more made 3-pointers ranked him seventh nationally.

Lanier scored at least 16 points in three of his five games (2023–24) against Power Five teams, all of which were away from home. He scored 22 points on December 19, 2023, against Florida State; 16 points on December 22, 2023, against Georgia; and 16 points on November 29, 2023, on a 7-of-9 clip against Iowa.

In addition to being second in scoring and free-throw percentage, Lanier led the ASUN in field goal percentage and 3-point makes per game (3.31), and he also finished sixth in minutes per game (33.3) and scoring percentage. He was seventh in 3-point %, eighth in 3-point makes per game, 33rd in free-throw percentage, and 42nd in scoring among all Division I players nationally.

In addition, Lanier played the second-fewest games (32) of any player in the top 25 and was ranked co-No. 19 in total made 3-pointers (106). Lanier tied for 20th place in the nation in 30-point performances and for 32nd place in 25-point performances, despite his total number of appearances.

When it came to 2023–24, Lanier was the only player in the nation to have a 50/43/87 shooting line with at least 1.5 attempts per game in each category. Just five players—Matt Alloco of Princeton, Javon Cooley of Marist, Sean East II of Missouri, Antonio Reeves of Kentucky, and Mark Sears of Alabama—even had a 50/40/85 line on 1.5 attempts per game overall.

Not only did Lanier shoot at least 43.0 percent from outside the arc with 3.3 makes per game (minimum of two GP), but he was also the only player to post that clip on more than 7.0 attempts per game, with only Koby Brea of Dayton doing so at even 3.0 makes per game. Lanier is one of three players who have shot 43.0 percent from beyond the arc on at least 7.5 attempts a game during the last four seasons (2020–24). The other two players are Nijel Pack (2021–22) of Kansas State and Kyle Foster (2021–22) of Howard.

In addition, Lanier joins Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield (2015–16) and Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2012–13) as the only three Division I players in the last 16 seasons (2008–24) to average at least 19.0 points per game on a 50/43/87 shooting line in a campaign. Both players were unanimous First Team All-Americans.

Lanier was the nation’s most productive offensive player (minimum 15 possessions per game) in 2023–24, according to Synergy Sports. Darlinstone Dubar, a guard who transferred from Hofstra to Tennessee, came in fourth on that list. Lanier finished the season rated No. 26 in effective field goal % (62.9) and No. 13 in true shooting percentage (66.3) in the nation, according to KenPom.