Ralph Scott announced his commitment to Tennessee basketball on Sept. 30, giving the Vols and coach Rick Barnes their first member 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.
“The coaching staff and the environment there are really good,” Scott told GoVols247. “I felt welcomed and wanted there, and what they had to offer me was great.”
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.
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.
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 mi************@******ws.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.
