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Tennessee Basketball hosts 2026 point guard on unofficial visit

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey06/10/25GrantRamey

Tennessee Basketball on Monday hosted Sam ‘Deuce’ Simmons Jr. on an unofficial visit. The Vols offered Simmons, a point guard in the 2026 class, on May 21. Simmons posted photos from the visit on social media on Tuesday while also planning another visit to Knoxville.

“Amazing unofficial visit to (Tennessee),” Simmons wrote. “Can’t wait to get back for an official visit this fall.”

Other schools are also recruiting Simmons as a wide receiver. 

Vols hosted four-star in-state forward Trey Thompson on visit

Tennessee does not yet have any commitments in the 2026 class. The Vols over the weekend hosted four-star power forward Trey Thompson. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound prospect out of Greeneville is the No. 55 overall player in the 2026 class according to the On3 ratings. He recapped his official visit with Volquest here.

Thompson’s list of offers includes Tennessee, Purdue, Connecticut, Indiana, Providence, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Stanford, among others. 

He was one of the biggest risers in the 2026 class when On3 updated its rankings on Tuesday, jumping up 60 spots. Along with being ranked No. 55 overall in the class, he’s the No. 8 power forward in the class and the No. 3 in-state prospect. 

Rick Barnes and his coaching staff signed five prep prospects in 2025, headlined by five-star small forward Nate Ament, the No. 2 overall player in the class. 

The 6-foot-9 Ament is a consensus five-star prospect, ranked no lower than No. 4 in any of the ranking systems.

His commitment moved Tennessee’s 2026 class up to No. 14 nationally in the class rankings. The Vols are No. 4 in the SEC and have an average class score of 92.29.

Tennessee has added eight new players to 2025-26 roster

Amari Evans, the 6-foot-5, 204-pound shooting guard, is ranked No. 69 overall in the On3 Industry Rating. Dewayne Brown II, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound big man and the first commitment in the class, is ranked No. 96 overall.

The Vols this spring added three-star point guard Troy Henderson and three-star shooting guard Clarence Massamba, a French prospect from AS Monaco.

Tennessee’s offseason roster overhaul also included the addition of three players from the NCAA Transfer Portal: Point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, power forward Jaylen Carey and combo guard Amaree Abram. 

Gillespie, another Greeneville native, spent last season at Maryland after playing two seasons at Belmont. Carey transferred from Vanderbilt and Abram was the last transfer addition, coming to the Vols from Louisiana Tech.