Tennessee basketball signee Nate Ament was already the highest rated commit in the modern era of Vol hoops. That was before he climbed even further up the rankings in On3’s final rankings update of the 2025 cycle on Monday.
Ament, who On3 previously ranked as the No. 4 player, in the country climbed to the No. 2 spot in the rankings behind only BYU wing AJ Dybantsa.
“Nate Ament has a basketball player’s frame,” On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote of Ament. “While thin, he has good length and excellent positional size. It is that positional size that allows for his versatility on the floor. Ament is comfortable on the ball at each level. In fact, his passing and processing might be his most intriguing attribute on the court. Ament is an excellent passer with both hands, from multiple levels, off a live dribble or set.
“The jump shot release can get a little long, but he can knock down a three when given time and his size helps get into his shot motion. Ament plays with a good pace, while lacking true blow by speed, he has a good pace and is typically either bigger or more mobile than his defender at this point to help him get to various spots on the floor.”
Ament is a consensus five-star recruit with 247sports, ESPN and Rivals all ranking him as the No. 4 player nationally.
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The 6-foot-9 wing committed to Tennessee earlier this month over a top group that included Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville. The Vols had faded a bit in Ament’s recruitment late in the winter but propelled late to land the five-star over Duke and Louisville.
Ament will immediately step in as Tennessee’s starting small forward as a true freshman and the Vols will need him to make a major contribution if they’re going to be a top 10 team like they’ve been in recent seasons.
“Standing out with next-level positional size, he possesses the rare combination of the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with confidence and precision,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said of Ament.. “Nate has a strong basketball IQ to go along with an excellent pairing of skill and toughness. He’s the kind of versatile talent who can impact the game in a variety of ways and, in our eyes, he was the No. 1 player in the class. We are thrilled to have him in orange.”
The Vols have signed four high school signees in their 2025 class including Ament, four-star wing Amari Evans, four-star center DeWayne Brown and three-star point guard Troy Henderson. Tennessee has landed two transfers at this point in Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey.
Barnes and his staff currently have three scholarships to work with as they look to fill out their roster for the 2025-26 season.
