Tennessee Vols head basketball coach Rick Barnes dropped an incredible quote on Wednesday night about UT senior guard Zakai Zeigler.

Zeigler scored 16 points to go along with seven assists, six steals, two rebounds, and a block in the Vols’ 74-56 win against the Georgia Bulldogs in Knoxville on Wednesday night.

After the game, Barnes told reporters that Zeigler is like a “comfort blanket” while calling the New York native one of the greatest Volunteers ever.

“You know, Zakai has been an incredible blessing for me, personally,” said Barnes. “I remember I saw him play one time in high school, the last week of the summer. I’m sure his story is well documented…but, I mean, what he does, what you guys see him do, you guys that come to practice, he does it every day. It’s just who he is. It’s in his DNA. And it’s really a blessing as a coach to have a guy like that. Sometimes he gets so competitive and he’s so hard on himself. But I tell you what, I don’t know what I would I do without him. I mean, he’s my comfort blanket. He really is.”

“I’ve always believed a point guard is like a quarterback, you got to let them get a feel while they’re out there and very few guys can do what he does, the way he impacts the game on both ends of the court,” added Barnes. “His defense and how hard he [plays]. But again, it’s a blessing to have had him with us. And it’s fitting that he’s done what he’s done when you think about his steals, you think about all of those type of things. He has been really, truly one of the great Volunteers. I’m telling you, it’s just amazing what he does and the way he goes about it every single day.”

Zeigler, as most Vols fans know, was an afterthought when he signed with Tennessee as a three-star recruit in 2021.

Over the last few years, though, Zeigler has been the heart and soul of the Tennessee basketball program. Not only will he go down as one of the biggest fan favorites in Vols basketball history, but he’ll go down as one of the most important players in Tennessee basketball history, too.

Zeigler is in the same Vols stratosphere as former Tennessee players like Jauan Jennings and Josh Dobbs — all-time UT greats that no one ever expected to be all-time greats.