Tennessee Volunteers predicted to beat Duke, Kentucky for elite five-star 2025 recruit

The Tennessee Volunteers are putting together one of the strongest transfer portal classes in college basketball this year. Now, Tennessee could be on the verge of greatly improving its high school recruiting class by coming out on top of a battle against the Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats.

247 Sports‘ five-star recruit Nate Ament is rated as the fourth-best player in the nation. The power forward out of Virginia is fielding strong interest from the likes of Duke, Kentucky and the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, a new front-runner has emerged.

Related: Tennessee Volunteers predicted to land top SG in college basketball transfer portal

Nearing his big decision, 247 Sports has flipped its prediction with Tennessee projected to emerge victorious in the recruiting battle for Ament. It would be a massive coup for a 2025 recruiting class that enters the weekend ranked 41st in 247 Sports team rankings, with a pair of four-star signees in guard Amari Evans and center DeWayne Brown.

• Nate Ament stats (junior): 19.3 PPG< 7.9 RPG, 4.0 BPG, 3.7 APG

The 6-foot-9 power forward could be shying away from Duke with the Blue Devils already having landed a signed letter of intent from Cameron Boozer, the highest-ranked power forward in the 2025 recruiting class. Of note, AMent would be more of a long-term play for a Volunteers’ basketball program that has relied on veteran players it develops and mult-year starters from the transfer portal.

Related: Duke Blue Devils NIL budget for 2025-’26 roster revealed

Ament named his top-five programs in February, with Arkansas believed to be leading the field at the time. He also visited the program in March and many thought he was trending toward joining John Calipari’s program until this week.

The Highland High School star would be one of the highest-rated recruits to ever commit to the Volunteers basketball program, joining the likes of Tobias Harris, Kennedy Chandler and Scotty Hopson. While it’s rare for Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes to go heavily after five-star talents, the program seems all-in on trying to bring Ament to Knoxville.

Former Alabama and Kansas Transfer to Visit Kentucky

As Mark Pope continues to reshape the Kentucky Wildcats in his first year as head coach, another intriguing name has emerged on the transfer radar. According to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton, Kansas transfer guard Rylan Griffen will be visiting Lexington on Tuesday – a development that could have major implications for the final makeup of Kentucky’s roster heading into the 2025-26 season.

Griffen, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound wing from Dallas, Texas, brings SEC and Big 12 experience along with a proven ability to shoot the basketball – something Kentucky is still looking to add more of this offseason. Originally a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Griffen began his career at Alabama, where he made a name for himself as a reliable perimeter option in Nate Oats’ fast-paced, three-point heavy offense. As a sophomore during the 2023-24

season, Griffen enjoyed a breakout year with the Crimson Tide. He averaged 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc, helping Alabama reach the Final Four and cementing himself as a key contributor. Following that strong campaign, he transferred to Kansas with hopes of continuing that momentum. However, in a season full of ups and downs for the Jayhawks, Griffen’s production dipped – he averaged just 4.3 points in limited minutes and never quite carved out a consistent role. Still, Griffen’s sophomore season at Alabama remains a clear indication of what he’s capable of in the right system. That’s exactly what Kentucky’s coaching staff is banking on. In Mark Pope’s offense – which thrives on spacing, shooting, and ball movement –

Griffen’s skillset is a natural fit. His length and athleticism would also bolster Kentucky’s perimeter defense, giving the Wildcats another versatile weapon in the backcourt. As Kentucky sits with 12 scholarship players currently on the roster, there’s room for one more impactful addition. Pope and his staff have methodically built a balanced squad featuring high-upside freshmen, experienced returners, and savvy transfers. Players like Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, and Otega Oweh already give the team depth, but another proven scorer like Griffen could raise the group’s ceiling even higher.