Where ESPN ranks Tennessee Basketball's 2025 class after adding five-star Nate Ament
Five-star Nate Ament not only was the biggest commitment of the spring in college basketball recruiting, but it moved Tennessee Basketball up to No. 7 overall in the ESPN team recruiting rankings.
“The Volunteers emerged as the favorite down the stretch,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote of the Ament recruitment, “beating out a long list of programs that pursued Ament. The 6-foot-9 wing could be the best long-term prospect in the class.”
Tennessee’s class is ranked No. 9 in the On3 ratings, moving up from 40th before the addition of Ament. The Vols are No. 4 in the SEC and have a class score of 94.97.
Nate Ament is ‘a legitimate contender for the No. 1 pick’ in NBA Draft
Ament, a consensus top-five prospect, headlined the class, joining four-star guard Amari Evans, four-star center Dewayne Brown, three-star point guard Troy Henderson and French prospect Clarence Massamba.
“Ament is one of three ESPN 100 prospects from this class to sign with Tennessee,” Borzello wrote, “along with DeWayne Brown (No. 70) and Amari Evans (No. 76). The Vols are loaded up front, but Evans could have a role to play early given the lack of proven bodies on the perimeter.”
Ament moved up to No. 2 overall in the On3 Top 150 for the 2025 class, the highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Vols in the history of the Tennessee Basketball program.
“With Rick Barnes losing six key players from this past season,” Borzello wrote, “the Volunteers needed an impactful recruiting class — and they signed the best player left on the board entering the spring. Ament had a long, drawn-out recruitment with a slew of programs perceived to be at the top of the pecking order at different points in time.
“But with Tennessee able to sell its string of winning seasons and a huge role from the start, Ament is headed to Knoxville. He has one of the highest ceilings of any recruit in the 2025 class and is a legitimate contender for the No. 1 pick in next June’s NBA Draft.”
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A closer look at Tennessee Basketball’s 2025 class
The 6-foot-5 Massamba was the final addition to the class, committing on April 30. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game during the 2024-25 international season, playing mostly for Espies Monaco, AS Monaco’s U21 team. He shot 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from the 3-point line.
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Brown, out of Hoover, Ala., was the first commitment in the class. He’s ranked No. 100 overall. He’s the No. 10 center in the class and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Alabama.
Evans, the 6-foot-5, 204-pound prospect out of Pittsburgh, is ranked No. 68 nationally, No. 20 at shooting guard and No. 7 in the state of Georgia, where he played in the Overtime Elite League in Atlanta.
Henderson, who committed to Tennessee in March and signed last week, is ranked No. 248 overall. He’s the No. 34 point guard in the class and the No. 13 player in the state of Virginia.
Tennessee has added three players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, signing Louisiana Tech transfer guard Amaree Abram, Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Vanderbilt power forward Jaylen Carey.
