4-star forward chooses Tennessee over Auburn, Villanova

Tennessee basketball faces the possibility of star forward Nate Ament leaving for the NBA Draft. But the Volunteers secured a hugely needed College Basketball Recruiting win Thursday. One that witnesses Tennessee beating Auburn and Villanova for this four-star.

Class of 2026 talent Chris Washington will play for Rick Barnes and the Vols, with Jamie Shaw of On3/Rivals confirming the recruiting move. Washington was down to five schools including Ole Miss and USC.

However, signs pointed toward Tennessee gaining steam per Shaw.

“Washington is originally from Florida. He played his final two seasons of high school ball at Providence (TN) Christian Academy,” Shaw revealed. “He played his summer ball with the BMaze travel program (from Knoxville) on the Under Armour NEXT Circuit. The BMaze program is run by Bobby Maze, a former point guard who started 64 games over his two seasons at Tennessee.”

Washington’s Knoxville and Maze connection clearly helped persuade this move.

Tennessee, meanwhile, continues its reload phase after the Elite Eight loss to Michigan. Barnes and the Vols have hit the College Basketball Transfer Portal hard too.

Ex-Notre Dame star Jalen Haralson joined the Volunteers Wednesday. The Fighting Irish lose their leading scorer to Tennessee in the process. Haralson also turned down North Carolina (now led by former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone) and Ohio State.

The Southeastern Conference power boosted the frontcourt too by landing Miles Rubin from Loyola (Chicago). Rubin adds a stout 6-foot-10 presence down low for the 2026-27 season.

Ament very much can return for his sophomore season too despite the NBA rumors. The freshman may not like his pre-draft evaluation and pivot back to Barnes.

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