Tennessee Basketball drops four spots in ESPN's updated Way-Too-Early Top 25
Tennessee Basketball dropped four spots to No. 20 in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2025-26 season. The Vols made their debut at No. 23 a month ago, moved up to No. 16 after adding five-star wing Nate Ament, then dropped to No. 20 on Tuesday.
ESPN’s projected starting five for Tennessee is Ament surrounded by transfer point guard Ja’Kaboi Gillespie, transfer guard Amaree Abram, transfer power forward Jaylen Carey and center Felix Okpara.
“Tennessee has been busy reloading the roster over the past month,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote, “with top-five recruit Nate Ament and Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie representing two of the most impactful newcomers for any team in the country. Ament has incredible long-term upside, while Gillespie was among the best point guards in college basketball this past season.”
Purdue is ESPN’s offseason No. 1 team, followed by UConn, St. John’s, Houston and BYU. From there it’s Duke, Louisville, Texas Tech, Michigan and Arkansas in the top 10. Other teams ranked ahead of Tennessee are No. 11 Kentucky, No. 12 Arizona, No. 13 Iowa State, No. 14 UCLA, No. 15 Auburn and No. 16 Wisconsin.
‘Rick Barnes has front court depth … the Vols need more, though’
“Rick Barnes has strong frontcourt depth,” Borzello wrote, “with Jaylen Carey (Vanderbilt) joining starter Felix Okpara and reserves Cade Phillips and JP Estrella. The Vols need more, though, with starters Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack and Igor Milicic Jr. and reserves Jordan Gainey and Darlinstone Dubar all gone.”
Ament committed to Tennessee on April 20 and signed with the Vols a day later. He finished as the No. 2 overall player in the On3 ratings and is the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Tennessee during the recruiting rankings era.
Ament became the fourth prep signee in Tennessee’s 2025 class, joining four-star shooting guard Amari Evans, four-star center Dewayne Brown and three-star point guard Troy Henderson.
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The Vols added three players from the NCAA Transfer Portal, with Abram, the former Louisiana Tech guard, following Gillespie and Carey.
Nate Ament signs with Tennessee as consensus top-five player
Ament is a consensus top-five prospect, ranked No. 3 overall by On3 and No. 4 in the On3 Industry Ranking, which combines rankings from On3, 247, ESPN and Rivals. He’s the No. 2 small forward in the class, ranked only behind AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall player in the country.
“(Ament) brings a dynamic skill set to the hardwood, embodying the attributes of a modern basketball player,” Barnes said in a press release announcing Ament’s signing. “Standing out with next-level positional size, he possesses the rare combination of the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with confidence and precision.
“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.”
