Nate Ament commitment: Top recruiting insider points at SEC school as five-star prospect's next destination

A Southeastern Conference school has emerged as the new leader in Nate Ament's recruitment as the five-star forward nears his commitment decision. 247Sports' Travis Branham made a Crystal Ball prediction on Thursday, putting Tennessee in the lead in the race to sign Ament.

The Highland (Manassas, Virginia) forward is down to five schools in his college options. Kentucky, Louisville, Duke and Arkansas make up Ament's final five schools in addition to Tennessee.

Ament is the No. 4 prospect in the 2025 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Standing at 6-foot-9, he is the highest-ranked prospect in the 2025 class who is still uncommitted. However, having had visits in all five of his final schools, he doesn't seem to lack the information he needs to make his decision.

On the contrary, he has set and defaulted on multiple timelines for his decision. However, the decision can now come anytime, with Branham adding that it could come as early as this weekend. The urgency of his decision adds to the drama, especially for Tennessee fans who hope he decides in their team's favor.

Ament had disclosed to analyst Krysten Peek a week ago that his decision would be announced in a week or two. Going by that, if his decision does not come out before the end of the weekend, it will be out by the end of the new week.

However, it's hard to predict anything about Nate Ament's recruitment with a great degree of certainty. The five-star prospect doesn't let on much about his process. As such, all of his final five programs have been touted as the favorite at different points in the past months.

Notwithstanding, it's about the first time a reputable recruiting outfit is logging a major prediction in Ament's recruitment.

What a potential Nate Ament commitment could mean for Tennessee

Nate Ament's commitment will boost the Vols’ roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Ricky Barnes will be looking to build on his team's impressive outing this season. The Vols reached the Elite Eight, falling to a 69-50 defeat at the hands of the Houston Cougars. Barnes is not depending solely on recruitments out of high school, as he’s had players commit to him from the spring transfer portal.

Ament led Highland to a 42-7 record and a state championship as a senior. He averaged 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Edited by Ribin Peter