Tennessee has scored two huge four-star pledges in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Plus, more could be on the way soon, as the Volunteers eye other top-flight high school seniors. Manny Green, a four-star small forward/power forward, verbally committed to Tennessee this weekend. And late last month, four-star small forward Ralph Scott pledged to this Southeastern Conference school. That was a big-time win for head coach Rick Barnes and his assistants.
Tennessee Scores Huge 4-Star Pledges, with More Likely Coming
The 6-foot-6 Green picked the Vols over Auburn, California, Georgia Tech and South Florida. The senior at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Ga., took an official visit to Tennessee in late September of this year. He had also unofficially visited the Volunteers in early February during the last college basketball season.
Most recruiting services, within the 2026 class, place Green around the top 100 nationally. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite has him at No. 101 overall, No. 18 at power forward and No. 5 in Georgia. Over at the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking, Green is No. 104 nationwide, No. 37 at small forward and No. 5 in Georgia.
In late September, Scott got the Volunteers on the board in the 2026 cycle. One of the fastest risers in this class, Scott had a top four of Tennessee, Houston, Purdue and Texas A&M. He took official visits to all four schools. The Vols ended up prevailing for Scott, a senior at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
At the time this article was published, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Scott at No. 38 overall, No. 18 at small forward and No. 7 in Florida within the 2026 class.
Tennessee Eyes More Top 2026 Prospects
With Green and Scott in the Vols’ 2026 class, this Tennessee cycle is currently No. 13 around the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. For the Volunteers to land a top-10 or even a top-five class among seniors, Barnes will have to secure at least two more 2026 pledges.
Tennessee fans will want to monitor four 2026 recruiting targets. They are four-star shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, four-star power forward Latrell Allmond, five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and five-star power forward Christian Collins. The 6-foot-4 Jervis is a top-40 national prospect out of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y. He has Tennessee in his top eight. Jervis is expected to officially visit the Volunteers later this month.
The 6-foot-8 Allmond, a top-30 national prospect out of Petersburg High School in Petersburg, Va., is announcing his college decision on October 13. His finalists are Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Virginia.
The 6-foot-2 Rippey is the nation’s No. 1 point guard and a top-15 national prospect in the 2026 class. He has the Volunteers in his top nine. Rippey will officially visit the program in late October. Once the standout at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., wraps up his official visits, Rippey is expected to cut his list to around five schools.
Collins, a 6-foot-8 prospect who stars for St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif., will take an official visit to Tennessee later this month, per 247Sports. He is in the top 10 nationally of the 2026 cycle.
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