Tennessee's Rick Barnes all-in on Nate Ament, boldly declares him No. 1 player in 2025 class

The Tennessee Volunteers hoops programme has been a accordant unit successful the NCAA nether caput manager Rick Barnes for respective years. While immoderate judge Barnes whitethorn beryllium nearing retirement, that thought hasn't entered his mind. For the 3rd twelvemonth successful a row, Barnes took afloat vantage of the transportation portal, landing important upgrades for his team.

Perhaps the astir impactful summation this offseason wasn't from the portal, but alternatively from the precocious schoolhouse ranks. Freshman perpetrate Nate Ament, 1 of the biggest names successful the 2026 recruiting class, chose Tennessee precocious successful the process aft Barnes and his unit made a beardown last push. Ament already has large dreams for his clip successful Knoxville.

“I consciousness similar we'll beryllium a nationalist title team," Ament said. "We're going to spell connected that benignant of run. The coaches told maine they program to usage maine arsenic an violative limb and past make my antiaircraft side. They don't delegate maine a position. They gag astir it, but they spot maine arsenic conscionable a player. I tin bash everything connected some ends of the floor."

Ament is wide considered a imaginable No. 1 wide prime successful the 2026 NBA Draft, contempt being a precocious bloomer. His operation of size, skill, and versatility has scouts and analysts buzzing.

“What they said astir Ament: A precocious bloomer, Ament has grown importantly successful the past year, filling retired his framework astatine 6-11. He’s a tremendous shotmaker; helium has improved his passing and antiaircraft versatility; and his quality to get a changeable disconnected astir astatine volition gives him possibly the highest upside of immoderate imaginable successful this class,” Rocky Top Insider’s Ryan Schumpert wrote.

Barnes has bought into the Ament hype, stating intelligibly that the freshman was, successful his eyes, the champion subordinate successful his recruiting cycle.

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“He's the benignant of versatile endowment who tin interaction the crippled successful a assortment of ways and, successful our eyes, helium was the No. 1 subordinate successful the class,” Barnes said.

The Vols are shaping up to person different beardown squad this season. While overmuch of the roster was rebuilt done the transportation portal, the coaching unit besides assembled a high-quality recruiting class. With Ament poised to beryllium a unit alongside 1 of the nation's apical constituent guards, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Barnes looks to person each the pieces successful spot for different heavy postseason run.