Ian CasselberryContributing writerFri, April 24, 2026 at 12:19 AM UTC·3 min readTennessee freshman forward Nate Ament will forgo his final three years of college basketball eligibility and declare for the 2026 NBA Draft. He made the announcement in a post to his Instagram account on Thursday, one day before the deadline to declare.
Ament, 6-foot-10, was the Volunteers’ second-leading scorer this past season, averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He also shot 33% on 3-point attempts.
“I want to dedicate this post to my Vol family,” Ament wrote for his Instagram post. “Your guys love and support is a huge reason I have this opportunity. It’s because of you guys that I was able to grow. Y’all stuck with me through the bad games and the good.”
“I promise to always represent the Vols with the utmost pride,” he added. “This University means more to me than just basketball — to me it’s a place I call home. I might’ve only been here a year but I’ll remember this year for the rest of my life.”
The draft projections on Ament vary, with him possibly being among the top 14 lottery selections or falling outside that range but still being a first-round pick.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Conner has Ament being picked with the No. 18 overall selection in his mock draft, which would have him going to the Charlotte Hornets. Yet O’Connor also acknowledged that Ament may have benefited from returning to Knoxville for another season.
“Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble and stand at 6-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively. But over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. Then he dealt with an ankle injury that ruined his momentum entering March.”
Ament came to Knoxville as a five-star recruit out of Highland School in Manassas, Virginia. He was rated as the No. 4 player nationally by Rivals and the No. 2 small forward.
Rick Barnes: "Nate is so special. It's amazing what he did in one year here, so much of it off of the court."Ament is one-and-done after announcing he's declaring for the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/edubNQcVNv
In his lone season at Tennessee, the Vols finished 25-12 overall and fourth in the SEC with an 11-7 mark.
“He’s the kind of guy that any franchise, certainly the University of Tennessee, that you’d want to be the face of the program and every franchise will see that too,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. “It's amazing what he did in one year here, so much of it off of the court."
Ament twice scored a season-high 29 points, both within a four-game span. The first was in a 74-71 loss to Kentucky, the other during an 89-66 blowout win over Oklahoma.
However, he also had some of his worst performances in Tennessee’s biggest games. In the Vols’ regular-season finale versus Alabama, he scored two points. He went scoreless in a first-round NCAA tournament matchup with Miami (Ohio). And in the Elite Eight, Ament scored eight points in a 95-62 defeat to eventual national champion Michigan.