Five-star wing Nate Ament committed to Tennessee basketball on Sunday night over a top group that included Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville.
Ament is the top ranked uncommitted player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, ranking as a five-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. A Warrenton native, Ament ranks as the top player in the state of Virginia and the No. 1 power forward in the 2025 cycle.
While the recruiting services rank Ament as a power forward, expect the 6-foot-9, 185-pound prospect to start at small forward for Tennessee. The blue-chip recruit is capable of sliding to the four-spot as a small-ball option but his frame and skillset makes him a more natural perimeter player.
Ament was also the AAU teammate of Tennessee prep point guard signee Troy Henderson. Rick Barnes first discovered Henderson while watching Ament play.
Tennessee twice hosted Ament on visits during his recruitment. He first came to Knoxville for an official visit in October, the same weekend that the Volunteer football team faced Alabama. Ament returned to Knoxville in January for an unofficial visit when Vol hoops faced Kentucky.
More From RTI: Lincoln Memorial Transfer Wing Commits To Auburn Basketball Over Tennessee
The Vols seemingly fell out of the picture in Ament’s recruitment late in the winter and early in spring when Duke and Louisville emerged as the top contenders to land the five-star. But Tennessee upped its effort and financial commitment to land Ament after its season ended in the Elite Eight for the second straight season. In the end, Barnes and his staff were able to beat out Duke and other suitors to land the top five recruit.
Ament is the seventh five-star commit that Barnes has signed in his 10-plus seasons as Tennessee’s head coach. The highly talented forward isn’t just the highest rated high school signee of Barnes’ tenure but is Tennessee basketball’s highest rated signee of all time.
He barely beat out Tobias Harris who was the No. 6 player in the 2010 recruiting class. Recruiting rankings weren’t a thing when Allan Houston signed with Tennessee in 1989 but he was a high school First Team All-American.
With Ament in the fold, Tennessee now has three scholarships to work with as they put together its roster for its 2025-26 season. The Vols have landed four prep players with Henderson as well as four-star Amari Evans and four-star DeWayne Brown already signing with Tennessee.
Tennessee has also landed Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Vanderbilt power forward Jaylen Carey out of the transfer portal. They’ve also hosted Maryland shooting guard Rodney Rice on a visit. Finding a shooting guard or two is now the most important area for the Vols as they look to round out their roster.
