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After months of waiting, five-star small forward Nate Ament has decided to commit. The No. 4-ranked overall prospect in the Class of 2025 was the highest-ranked uncommitted from his class, but he committed to the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday. He is now the top-ranked recruit to ever commit to the program.
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Ament chose Tennessee over Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Arkansas. He posted on social media and spoke with ESPN soon after, admitting Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was one of the biggest factors in his decision.
Ament said Barnes already sees him as a "one-and-done type player" before talking about Kevin Durant, who used to play for Barnes when he was still coaching the Texas Longhorns.
"He has done it before with Kevin Durant (at Texas)," Ament said. "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.
"Having the confidence to truly believe I'm one of the best players in the country was the most important part," he added. "It wasn't about height or strength, it was about putting the training I've been given to use."
Before Ament chose Tennessee, Duke was the heavy favorite, with Arkansas and Louisville not far behind. The Vols were largely seen as the dark horses in the race for Ament before the commitment.
Nate Ament committing to Tennessee solves Vols' forward problem
Before Nate Ament committed to Tennessee, the Volunteers were having difficulties determining who would fill the small forward position. This happened after the Vols lost some of their most key seniors, including Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic Jr., and Darlinstone Dubar, all of whom helped lead the team to the Elite Eight.
Tennessee has several guards from the Class of 2025, such as Troy Henderson, along with Amari Evans and DeWayne Brown II, but lacks in the No. 3 spot, and this is where Ament comes along.
The five-star, who will still have to work on bulking up and getting stronger, is known to be an excellent scorer and may be the spark Tennessee needs offensively.
