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Where ESPN ranks Tennessee's Nate Ament, Ja'Kobi Gillespie in top 100 player ranking

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey14 hours agoGrantRamey
Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) with the ball while guarded by Duke guard/forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) during a college basketball exhibition game on October 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) with the ball while guarded by Duke guard/forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) during a college basketball exhibition game on October 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee has two of the best 100 players in college basketball this season, according to ESPN. Point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie checked in at No. 31 in ESPN’s ranking of the top 100 players and five-star freshman wing Nate Ament is ranked No. 18 overall.

The 6-foot-10, 207-pound Ament was the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2025 Rivals Industry Ranking, becoming the highest-ranked recruit to commit to and sign with the Vols. 

He picked Tennessee last April over Duke, Louisville, Arkansas and Kentucky, among others.

 “Rick Barnes praised Ament, a five-star recruit and projected first-round draft pick, telling reporters at SEC media day that the freshman is ‘”‘learning to do things at a level that he’s never had to,'” ESPN’s Myron Medcalf wrote.

“The 6-9 forward will be a perimeter presence for Barnes and an impossible matchup for most opponents Tennessee faces this season. The biggest question will be about Ament’s ability to handle stronger players at this level.”

‘How (Gillespie) adapts defensively in the SEC will be key’

Gillespie, the Greeneville, Tenn., native, spent his first two seasons at Belmont before starring at Maryland last season, averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game while helping lead the Terps to the Sweet 16.

“With Zakai Zeigler exhausting his eligibility,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote, “Rick Barnes had to go into the transfer portal for an elite point guard, and landed one of the best available.

“Gillespie was remarkably efficient during his time at Belmont, but it was hard to envision him earning third-team All-Big Ten honors and averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 assists during his lone season at Maryland. How he adapts defensively in the SEC will be key.”

Top-100 players the Vols will face this season

Tennessee will face 28 players ranked in ESPN’s Top 100:

No. 99 Latrell Wrightsell (Alabama) … No. 98 Nait George (Syracuse) … No. 93 Anthony Robinson II (Missouri) … No. 90 Malik Dia (Ole Miss) … No. 89 Pop Issacs (Texas A&M) … No. 87 Karter Knox (Arkansas) … No. 84 Keyshawn Hall (Auburn) … No. 81 Xaivian Lee (Florida) … No. 80 Isaac McKneely (Louisville) … No. 76 Dedan Thomas Jr. (LSU) … No. 74 Aden Holloway (Alabama) … No. 71 Kylan Boswel (Illinois) … No. 67 Andrej Stojakovic (Illinois) … No. 54 Devin McGlockton (Vanderbilt) … No. 49 Mark Mitchell (Missouri) … No. 43 Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) … No. 42 Jaland Lowe (Kentucky) … No. 34 Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State) … No. 33 Ryan Conwell (Louisville) … No. 30 Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois) … No. 29 Boogie Fland (Florida) … No. 28 Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky) … No. 24 Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) … No. 22 Labaron Philon Jr. (Alabama) … No. 20 Thomas Haugh (Florida) … No. 16 Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn) … No. 14 Alex Condon (Florida) … No. 12 Otega Oweh (Kentucky)