The biggest commitment in program history.
Tennessee’s late push to land five-star small forward Nate Ament worked — the Volunteers just picked up their highest ranked commitment of all time. The nation’s highest ranked uncommitted player chose Tennessee on Sunday evening over the likes of Duke, Louisville, Arkansas, Kentucky and several others.
NEWS: Nate Ament, a projected top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, has committed to Tennessee, he told ESPN.
“Coach Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that kind of guy.” pic.twitter.com/uDmrnER1pT
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 20, 2025
Ament checks in 6-9, 185 pounds. He’s the fourth ranked player in the class of 2025, coming out of Warrenton, Virginia. He’s the seventh five-star to commit to Rick Barnes during his time at Tennessee, the first since Julian Phillips back in 2022.
Tennessee was in big need of guards and wings to round out the roster following the loss of Chaz Lanier, Jordan Gainey, Darlinstone Dubar, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic and Zakai Zeigler. Ament will go a long way towards fixing that issue, bringing a 6-11 wingspan and ball-handling capabilities to the table.
The projected 2026 lottery pick is going to give Rick Barnes a ton of versatility, slotting in to either the three or four spot on the floor.
Ament joins four-star guard Amari Evans, four-star big man DeWayne Brown and three-star guard Troy Henderson in the class of 2025. Ament and Henderson were AAU teammates for what it’s worth. Tennessee has also added former Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and former Vanderbilt big man Jaylen Carey to the roster.
Barnes is still in needs of guards, mainly shooters, with the final roster spots left available. Expect those positions to be filled pretty quickly with Ament’s decision now made.