Tyler Lundblade had plenty of reasons to wonder whether his opportunity would ever come.
He earned a scholarship at SMU, only to lose it following a coaching change. He went through a similar experience at TCU. Then came Belmont, another opportunity to prove what he believed about himself.
He never stopped believing.
“There’s really two things,” Lundblade said on Live Ball. “One, it was like an unwavering, delusional at times self-confidence. Like, I knew I was good enough.”
That confidence eventually proved justified.
Lundblade developed into one of the nation’s most efficient shooters at Belmont before transferring to Tennessee for his sixth and final college season.
The journey to Knoxville was rarely straightforward.
Lundblade said he knew what he could do because he had seen it against high-level players long before he had the statistics or role to prove it publicly.
“I played against these guys every day in practice and played well and held my own and thrived at times,” Lundblade said. “I had proved it to myself that I could go and do it. I just hadn’t had an opportunity to go and show it.”
His confidence kept him working. His faith helped him handle the uncertainty.
“My faith has been the most important thing in my life,” Lundblade said.
It gave him what he described as an “open-handed mindset” about where basketball might take him.
“I can put in all the effort, but I can live with whatever the Lord wants for my life is ultimately best,” Lundblade said. “I think my faith was definitely a steady, calming force through that whole thing.”
The path eventually took Lundblade somewhere he could not have anticipated during those earlier setbacks.
At Belmont, he went on to lead the NCAA in 3-point percentage during the 2024-25 season. He followed that by leading the country in free-throw percentage before entering the transfer portal and landing at Tennessee.
For Lundblade, choosing the Vols was about what he still had left to prove.
He wanted to test himself against SEC competition, contribute to a team with postseason expectations and develop the defensive part of his game.
“The knock on me is that I need to prove that I can guard,” Lundblade said. “Well, there’s no better coach to learn under than Rick Barnes. There’s no better league to prove that in than the SEC.”
There was another reason Barnes appealed to him.
Lundblade wants his final college season to prepare him for what comes after basketball, and he viewed Barnes as someone who could become a mentor beyond the court.
That connection developed quickly.
Lundblade still remembers his first hour-long phone conversation with Barnes. He estimated the first five minutes were spent getting to know each other. The next 25 centered on Tennessee basketball, Lundblade’s potential role, and how the program could help his professional aspirations.
The final 30 minutes had little to do with basketball.
They talked about faith.
“He’s been incredible,” Lundblade said.
Lundblade said Barnes has encouraged him to start a Bible study with his Tennessee teammates. During his official visit, Barnes asked what he had been reading and returned the following morning with devotionals related to their conversation.
That relationship helped convince Lundblade that Knoxville was the right place to finish a college career that has required him to continually start over.
Basketball still mattered.
Tennessee had also established a track record with experienced transfers, and Lundblade believes his ability as a movement shooter fits naturally within Barnes’ offense.
But the work required to play for Barnes became apparent quickly.
Former Tennessee guard and Belmont transfer Jacoby Gillespie helped prepare Lundblade for that adjustment.
“We’re trying to win a Final Four in June,” Lundblade said of Tennessee’s offseason approach.
That demand is part of what attracted him.
Lundblade has already experienced the other side of Barnes, too. He described a coach who can relentlessly stop practice to correct details and then become a completely different personality once the work is over.
“The big bad wolf coach is only between the lines,” Lundblade said.
Now Lundblade is waiting for his opportunity to get between those lines himself.
An injury has limited him during the preseason, forcing him to watch more than participate. But even that has provided another perspective. Lundblade has used the time to study practice, watch film and learn what Barnes expects from all five players rather than focusing only on his own responsibilities.
It is another unexpected turn in a career filled with them.
Scholarships came and disappeared. Opportunities took longer than expected. Lundblade kept believing he belonged.
Now his final opportunity is at Tennessee, playing for a coach whose expectations on the court drew him to Knoxville, and whose faith helped convince him it was where he belonged.
