Five-star recruit Nate Ament has committed to Tennessee for the 2025-26 season, he told ESPN on Sunday. He chose the Volunteers over top programs like Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisville, On3’s Joe Tipton reported.

Ament, who finished up his senior season in Manassas, Va. this year, admitted his college decision wasn’t an easy one, crediting Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, who’s been with the Volunteers since 2015.

“Coach Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant [at Texas]. He sees me as that kind of guy for his program. I built a great relationship with the coaching staff. I trust them a lot, and they have big goals for me. I think they’ll do a great job of developing me as a player and a young man. I trust the coaches to help me get to the next level.”

Ament had a stellar senior season. He helped lead Highland High School to a 42-8 record and a VISAA Division I Championship title. He was also named a McDonald’s All-American and won Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year award in boys basketball.

He sounds excited to join the Volunteers and coach Barnes in Tennessee. He has big plans for the program, too.

“I feel like we’ll be a national championship team,” Ament said. “We’re going to go on that kind of run. The coaches told me they plan to use me as an offensive weapon and then develop my defensive side. They don’t assign me a position. They joke about it, but they see me as just a player. I can do everything on both ends of the floor.”

The Volunteers’ season came to an end in the Elite Eight when they lost to Houston in the NCAA tournament. We’ll see what Ament and the team’s other incoming key players can do during the 2025-26 season.

Tennessee Gains Momentum After Massive Commitment From 5-Star Forward

Rick Barnes just added a massive piece to Tennessee’s future. Five-star small forward Nate Ament, one of the top prospects in the 2025 class, committed to the Vols on Sunday afternoon, according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham. The 6-foot-9 standout from Virginia chose Tennessee over a stacked list of finalists that included Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisville. Ament is ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 class by On3, the No. 2 small forward nationally, and the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia. His decision gives Barnes the highest-rated commit of his entire tenure in Knoxville-an impressive milestone for a coach who’s built a reputation on player development and gritty defensive squads.

The Vols were a surprising but steady presence in Ament’s recruitment, holding firm through the final cut alongside more traditional blue bloods.

In the end, Barnes and his staff won him over. Back in February, Ament announced he was down to five programs. Among them were Tennessee, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, and Arkansas. The Vols stayed consistent and eventually sealed the deal. According to ESPN, Ament was the highest-rated uncommitted player remaining in the 2025 cycle. Only Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and A.J. Dybantsa are ranked ahead of him overall. Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler (left) hugs head coach Rick Barnes. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Tennessee is coming off an Elite Eight run in this year’s NCAA Tournament, where it ultimately fell to top-seeded Houston.

Adding a high-impact wing like Ament-who can stretch the floor, defend multiple positions, and create his own shot-only raises expectations for what’s to come in Knoxville.