Three-star point guard Marquis Clark committed to Tennessee basketball on Wednesday night following a weekend official visit to Knoxville.
Tennessee offered Clark over the weekend and the 6-foot-2 point guard committed to Rick Barnes and his staff on the visit before announcing publicly Wednesday evening. Clark had a relationship with Tennessee assistant coach Amorrow Morgan dating back to Clark’s freshman year when Morgan was at Loyola Chicago. That relationship paid dividends as the Vols turned up the heat in the last few weeks.
Clark ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 252 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. A Chicago native, Clark also ranks as the No. 38 point guard and the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
As a young recruit, Clark boasted interest and offers from a number of high level programs including instate Illinois. But in the last months, it proved to be more of a mid major battle with Clark officially visiting Iona, Southern Illinois, Western Michigan and Purdue-Fort Wayne.
While Tennessee targeting an under the radar prep point guard is nothing new for Barnes and his program, Clark is a different type of player. While Zakai Zeigler and Troy Henderson were undersized point guards, Clark is a bigger point guard. He’s not just 6-foot-2, 195 pounds but also has a 6-foot-7 wing span— something Barnes and the Vols’ staff like about him.
Clark was also effective on the EYBL circuit this summer, averaging 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and three assists on 48% shooting from the field according to ZagsBlog.
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With the House Settlement expanding the scholarship limit to 15 in men’s college basketball, recruits like Clark have become all the more valuable. They are not expensive and are potential multi-year players who can develop into high level contributors.
Clark is Tennessee basketball’s third commit in the 2026 recruiting cycle, joining four-star wings Ralph Scott and Manny Green. All three players committed to Tennessee in the last two weeks as the Vols’ recruiting class starts to come into clarity.
Still, Tennessee’s class is not done. The Vols are preparing for a major recruiting weekend later this month and will continue to recruit point guards even after landing Clark. Tennessee hosted five-star point guard Miles Sadler on an official visit in September and are hosting five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr on an official visit later this month.
Rippey is visiting Tennessee the same weekend that the Vols host Duke in a primetime exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Four-star shooting guard Jasiah Jervis and five-star power forward Christian Charles are also officially visiting Tennessee basketball that weekend.
Clark’s commitment bumps Tennessee’s recruiting class from No. 16 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC to No. 8 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
