Nate Ament commits to Tennessee basketball as highest-ranked recruit in Vols history
Nate Ament committed to Tennessee basketball and Rick Barnes on April 20 as the highest-rated prospect in Vols history.
The 6-foot-9, 185-pound forward is a five-star recruit and the No. 4 prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He picked Tennessee over Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville.
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"After a lot of thought and prayer, I'm blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Tennessee!" Ament wrote on Instagram. "I'm incredibly grateful to all the coaches and programs who took the time to recruit me. Huge thanks to everyone who's helped me get to this point — my family, coaches, teammates, and most importantly, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Ament, who plays at Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, visited Tennessee on Jan. 28 for its game against Kentucky at Food City Center. He took an official visit to UT for the Alabama football game on Oct. 19. Barnes visited Ament on April 14 as the Vols coach worked to close the recruitment.
Ament is the fourth player to commit to the Vols in the 2025 class.
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Tennessee signed four-star forward DeWayne Brown II and four-star guard Amari Evans in November. Three-star guard Troy Henderson signed in April. Henderson played AAU basketball with Ament in summer 2024 for Team Loaded 17U.
Ament is the seventh five-star prospect to commit to Tennessee under Barnes and the first since the 2022 class.
Josiah-Jordan James was the first five-star prospect for Barnes in Knoxville when he signed in the 2019 class. Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer signed in the 2020 class.
THE WORD: What Nate Ament brings to Tennessee basketball as five-star commit: 'He's a pro'
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Kennedy Chandler and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield signed as five-star recruits in the 2021 class. Julian Phillips was the sixth in the 2022 class.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament: Tennessee basketball lands as five-star forward
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