While the AP voters have Tennessee just inside the Top 20 to begin the 2025-2026 season, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas gives the Vols a far higher landing spot in his early-season power rankings.
Bilas has Tennessee as his No. 9 team in the power rankings, which is good for third in the SEC behind No. 3 Florida and No. 8 Kentucky.
“For what feels like the first time since Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld played in Knoxville, Zakai Zeigler will not be in a Vols uniform,” Bilas wrote about the Vols. “Zeigler was the embodiment of the Vols program under coach Rick Barnes, and the heart and soul of the program for years. Also gone are Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr. and Jahmai Mashack, so the Vols need to establish an identity with a new crop of players. Few are better than Barnes in accomplishing that task.”
Tennessee’s team will appear far different for those who aren’t in the weeds on offseason movement, but the Vols still pack a punch when it comes to talent on the roster. The first two names to know about are five-star freshman Nate Ament and Maryland transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Ament was one of the top-ranked players from the previous recruiting class and has been widely considered in the Top 10 range for next year’s NBA Draft. Gillespie, meanwhile, brings a load of point guard talent and a keen three-point shooting ability to Rocky Top.
Tennessee’s newcomers will combine with returning players such as Felix Okpara, JP Estrella, and Cade Phillips to round out the bunch.
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“Felix Okpara, the lengthy rim-protecting and rebounding big man who made good strides offensively, will blend in with transfers Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Jaylen Carey and Amaree Abram, but the straw that stirs it all will be Nate Ament, a 6-9 freshman who is as talented as any in the country,” Bilas continued on to write. “Ament is not Kevin Durant, but he conjures the image of KD, especially when one considers Barnes coached the NBA star at Texas. Expect Ament to be Barnes’ queen on the Vols’ chess board.”
Other notable SEC teams in Bilas’s power rankings include No. 14 Alabama, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 27 Auburn, No. 31 Vanderbilt, No. 32 Mississippi State, No. 33 Texas A&M, No. 34 Texas, No. 35 Missouri, No. 37 Georgia, and No. 63 Oklahoma.
The 18th-ranked Vols began the season with a 76-61 win over Mercer in the season-opener on Monday night in Knoxville. Ament tallied a game-high 18 points in the game, while nearly racking up a double-double with nine rebounds. Tennessee will be back in action this Saturday afternoon for a matchup with Northern Kentucky from the Food City Center.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live coverage of the game this weekend.
