Coach Rick Barnes has brought high-level stability to Tennessee basketball and has the program in national conversations each season. But after a third consecutive exit in the Elite Eight and just shy of the Final Four, the Vols (25-12) are once in roster-building mode.
Michigan not only handed Tennessee its worst loss of the season, but it also demonstrated the gap between a good team and a national championship contender. The Wolverines ran up and down the United Center floor throughout the 95-62 win in Chicago on March 29, while the Vols fought to lift the lid off their own basket. Their 31.6% shooting performance against Michigan echoed last season’s 29% output in the 69-50 Elite Eight loss to Houston.
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Here’s what you need to know about Tennessee’s roster as Barnes attempts again to assemble the program’s first Final Four team.
Will Nate Ament return or declare for the NBA draft?
Standout freshman Nate Ament refused to look far into the future after the loss to Michigan. Ament said his freshman season was “one of the greatest years” of his life, but the 2026 NBA Draft awaits.
“Talking to my coaches and my circle and see what the next step’s going to be,” he said about his draft plans.
Should Ament declare, he would likely be a lottery pick. The 6-foot-10 forward battled an ankle injury in both the SEC and NCAA tournaments, but Ament was clearly one of the best players in the country in the regular season.
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Ament and Barnes often credit the Florida game as the moment he put everything together, and for good reason. From Jan. 10 to Feb. 28, when he left the Alabama game with injury, Ament averaged 21.6 points on 43% shooting and 39% from 3-point range, along with 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 8.5 free throw attempts per game.
Who did Tennessee lose to graduation?
Tennessee had four seniors on its roster: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Amaree Abram and Grant Hurst.
Barnes will be hard-pressed to find replacements for Gillespie and Okpara. Gillespie was an ironman for the Vols, starting in all 37 games and averaging 37 minutes a game in March Madness. Gillespie was more than just the leading scorer, though, as almost all of Tennessee’s offense flowed through him.
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On the other end, Okpara had a two-year audition as one of the best rim protectors in college basketball for Tennessee. The 6-11 center was the defensive linchpin that anchored the Vols’ SEC-best defense this season. He also presented a consistent lob threat for Gillespie.
Abram was a transfer after stints at Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and Louisiana Tech. He played in 25 games for Tennessee, but stopped getting significant minutes after the win at Alabama on Jan. 24.
Hurst, a Cleveland, Tennessee native, started at East Tennessee State before becoming a walk-on for the Vols as a redshirt sophomore. Hurst only appeared in one game against Gardner-Webb but was a staple on the scout team.
Who’s coming back for Tennessee?
The transfer portal opens on April 7, but so far, none of the Vols have entered their names. In the frontcourt, that leaves redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella, junior Jaylen Carey, freshman DeWayne Brown II, and junior Cade Phillips, who missed most of the season with a shoulder injury.
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On the wing, sophomore Bishop Boswell, freshman Amari Evans and freshman Clarence Massamba will likely return.
Freshman Troy Henderson and sophomore Ethan Burg comprise the returning backcourt.
Who is in the Vols’ 2027 recruiting class?
Tennessee has three incoming recruits in the 2027 class. It’s headlined by 6-8 forward Ralph Scott, a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 53 overall player in the 247Sports Composite. He signed with Tennessee over offers from Houston, Purdue, Texas and Texas A&M.
Joining Scott is another four-star recruit, Manny Green, a 6-6 guard. Marquis Clark, a 6-1 three-star guard, also signed with Tennessee.
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“Marquis is a well-built, cerebral point guard with elite creativity who can make plays for himself and for others,” Barnes said about Clark when he signed on No. 12. “He is a gym rat who is craft off the bounce and has always been able to score, but has worked hard on his jump shot the past two years.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What to know about Tennessee basketball 2026-27 roster, including Marquis Clark
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