“After a lot of thought and prayer, I’m blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Tennessee!” Yes, it’s official–Nate Ament is a Volunteer. After months of being chased by college basketball powerhouses–including Jon Scheyer and Duke–the 18-year-old wing has made his decision. He’s heading to Rocky Top. Duke, already boasting the number 1 recruiting class in the country with three Top 25 players, hoped Ament would be their fourth. But it wasn’t meant to be.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Nate Ament and his fantastic family to Rocky Top,” Rick Barnes said in the official announcement. “While everyone is aware of just how special a player Nate is, what really drew us to him throughout the recruiting process was the type of person he is.” According to On3, Nate Ament is the number 3 player in the entire country. That’s right! Tennessee just landed one of the best in the class. The five-star forward also becomes the 13th McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Vols, and get this! He is their highest-ranked commit ever. A massive coup for Rick Barnes and Tennessee.

But not many saw it coming! Back in February, Nate Ament canceled an official visit with Bill Self and Kansas just to go meet with Duke. The Blue Devils gave him the full VIP treatment. Ament even posted pics on Instagram rocking the Duke blue. Naturally, everyone thought Jon Scheyer had sealed the deal. So, how did Tennessee swoop in and land him? How did they pull off the upset over college basketball royalty? Well, the analysts over at the Field of 68: After Dark podcast have answers.

Jeff Goodman says that Duke were priced out of the deal. In the podcast, he says, “Yeah Duke was priced out. Scared a little bit. You know again, Duke’s not used to dealing with this right? I mean, when they dealt with the Boozers, you were dealing more with the families than the agents. And in this one, you’re dealing more with an agent.”

Many called it embarrassing. How could Duke get priced out of a deal despite reportedly having a $10 million NIL budget–$2 million more than Tennessee? But if you look closely, it’s not all that shocking. The Vols lost starters like Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack, and Igor Milicic. Key role players like Justin Gainey and Darlinstone Dubar are also gone. Naturally, they had the room and motivation to go big in the portal and on recruits. Meanwhile, Duke’s bringing in a star-studded class that includes Cameron Boozer, Nikolas Khamenia, and Cayden Boozer. Three elite talents. That alone would eat up a huge chunk of the Blue Devils’ NIL budget.

But here’s the twist. According to Nate Ament, money wasn’t the deciding factor. “Coach [Rick] Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that kind of guy for his program.” That’s high praise. Durant won National Player of the Year in his freshman year at Texas. If Ament can even come close to replicating that in Knoxville, it would be massive for the Vols.

Nate Ament’s decision to pick Tennessee was a tough pill to swallow. But that’s not the only hit Jon Scheyer is taking. In a shocking twist, a 5-star recruit has now decommitted from Duke. Yep, another big name is walking away from the Blue Devils.

Jon Scheyer loses out on another 5-star player

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Jon Scheyer. Losing in the Final Four. On top of that, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and Khaman Maluach have all decided to turn pro. No surprises there–most around the program saw it coming. That’s why Duke went all in on the 2025 class, locking in four top-25 recruits. But now, the plan has taken a hit. One of those prized recruits has pulled the plug and decommitted.

According to Joe Tipton, five-star Shelton Henderson has officially decommitted from Duke. And he’s headed to the Miami Hurricanes. Why the flip? Simple. The Hurricanes now have Jai Lucas on staff—Duke’s former associate head coach. He was the one who originally brought Henderson to Durham. So when Lucas left, Henderson followed. A massive blow for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

It remains to be seen how Jon Scheyer bounces back after losing both Nate Ament and Shelton Henderson. But let’s not forget–this is Duke. They are basketball royalty! And with that status comes serious pull. You’d expect the Blue Devils to have no trouble finding the replacements they need to reload and chase another deep March Madness run.