Eyes on 6’10 Tennessee forward JP Estrella, who just

Tennessee Volunteers 6’11, 240lb forward JP Estrella is entering the Transfer Portal.

The redshirt sophomore had a career-best season last year, emerging as a reliable starter and big contributor for a Tennesee team that reached the Elite Eight.

This is a guy who averaged 10 points and 5 boards in just 18 minutes per game last year. He’s a guy that Gainey is familiar with at a premium position that NC State needs to fill.

Estrella has a big personality and a high motor. He’s a willing rebounder, he’s athletic, and he’s offensive-minded. This is a guy who would slot in at the 5 for NC State in the past, but someone I think Gainey might want at the 4 to complete the massive front line, I believe he’ll desire.

Yes, you read that right. I believe NC State will target Estrella immediately, and I believe they’ll pitch him a role as a 4, allowing him to showcase his versatility in a system that will allow a lot of freedom.

Landing JP early would be big because it would allow NC State to take some swings. I believe they’d look to pair him with a rim-protecting true center. Landing one of those is not guaranteed, and they’re almost all asking $3M+.

If NC State struggled to find one, Estretlla could easily slot into the center role and NC State could get a little more bouncy and athletic at the 4.

Note that Estrella played the 4 for Tennessee this past season.

If this name sounds familiar, it’s becasue we mentioned him last week when talking about Bishop Boswell. We finished off the article with this nugget 😉…

Here is Estrella’s background.

J.P. Estrella is from Scarborough, Maine. A late bloomer who grew about 8 inches in high school, he started at Scarborough High, then played junior year at South Portland High School, where he averaged 20.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks while leading the team to the Class AA state championship. For his senior year, he transferred to the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, helping them post a 35-2 record and a top-10 national ranking.

He emerged as a unanimous four-star recruit and the highest-rated prospect ever from Maine. Rankings placed him in the national top 80 (No. 51 on 247Sports Top247, No. 57 on Rivals, around No. 54–61 across services). He held offers from programs like UConn, Duke, Kansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Estrella committed to the University of Tennessee and signed with the Vols.

At Tennessee (2023–2026), Estrella’s first two seasons were limited: as a freshman (2023-24) he played 25 games off the bench (1.6 PPG, 5.0 MPG); his sophomore year (2024-25) was mostly wiped out by a foot injury (3 games). He broke out as a redshirt sophomore in 2025-26, appearing in 33 games with 13 starts and averaging 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds on 59.6% shooting. He delivered double-doubles in the NCAA Tournament and became a reliable interior scorer and rebounder for a Volunteers team that reached the Elite Eight.

This would be a HUGE pickup for Justin Gainey and NC State.