Ralph Scott committed to Tennessee basketball on Sept. 30, giving the Vols and coach Rick Barnes their first commitment of the 2026 class.
Scott is the No. 38 prospect in the nation and a four-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite after bursting onto the scene in June. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward picked Tennessee over Houston, Purdue and Texas A&M. He visited all four, including a mid-September visit to UT.
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Barnes and assistant coach Gregg Polinsky flew to Bermuda to meet with Scott’s family on Sept. 25.
Scott, who plays at IMG Academy in Florida, was unranked as a recruit entering the summer.
He was named the MVP of the Basketball Without Borders Americas camp in El Salvador in June. In July, he was a standout at the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta and picked up a rush of scholarship offers following his performance.
Tennessee signed five recruits in the 2025 class.
AMENT: Inside Nate Ament’s final visit with Tennessee basketball, Rick Barnes, mustard seed gift
Five-star prospect Nate Ament is the highest-ranked recruit in program history as the No. 4 recruit nationally. Tennessee signed four-star forward DeWayne Brown II and four-star guard Amari Evans in November. Three-star guard Troy Henderson signed in April. Henderson and Ament played AAU basketball together with Team Loaded 17U.
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French guard Clarence Massmaba signed with UT in late April. Israeli guard Ethan Burg signed in July.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ralph Scott commits as first Tennessee basketball recruit in 2026 class
