What, you thought Josh Heupel and the football team were the only ones in Knoxville making 5-star splashes with recruits? Not a chance. Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes is fresh off of signing Nate Ament in 2025 and now he's got his eyes on another elite target for 2026.
Out of St. John Bosco in California, Christian Collins is one of the top players in the country and he's got countless teams chasing his signature. The list includes Tennessee, who will reportedly be bringing him in for an official visit in late October. The timing sure is perfect, as the Vols will be hosting Duke for an exhibition game in Knoxville:
The weekend of the Duke exhibition game is shaping up to be a behemoth recruiting weekend for Tennessee.
— Ryan Schumpert (@rschump00) September 3, 2025
Five-star power forward Christian Collins is the latest to schedule a visit for the weekend, joining a bounty of blue-chip recruits.https://t.co/4Au4aazvmf
5-star PF Christian Collins will visit Tennessee in October for the Duke game
So, you're saying there's a chance? That weekend is going to be loaded for the Vols and it only makes sense for that to be the case. Even though it's only an exhibition game vs. the Blue Devils, you already know the stadium is going to be packed for that tilt with the ACC powerhouse.
Collins is going to get a first-hand look at just how strong the support is for the Vols. The only bummer here is that the football team is going to be on the road that day in Lexington taking on Kentucky - imagine how much more electric campus would have been had Heupel and Co. been in town.
Regardless of that, you better believe that Barnes and his staff are going to roll out the red carpet for the big-time talent. According to the 247Sports Composite, Collins is ranked five stars, the No. 1 power forward in the country, No. 3 player from California and No. 6 prospect overall for 2026.
With Barnes signing his lifetime contract with Tennessee this summer, he's all-in on making magic happen with the program before he ultimately hangs up his whistle. This team is dreaming of reaching the Final Four sooner rather than later. Having Ament on board is one thing, but adding Collins to the team for next season too? It'd be a dream get for UT, but Kentucky, Oregon and USC are also in the mix to potentially land him as well.