Tennessee basketball announced the signings of commits Amari Evans and DeWayne Brown on Wednesday afternoon. The pair of four-star recruits are Vol basketball’s only commits in their 2025 recruiting at the moment and they both signed on the first day of the early signing period.
Brown was Tennessee’s first commit in its 2025 recruiting class, committing to the Vols over Mississippi State in April. A Hoover native, Brown also took visits to home state Alabama and Auburn as well as LSU before cutting his list down to the Vols and Bulldogs.
“We are quite pleased to officially welcome DeWayne and his family to Knoxville,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a statement. “DeWayne is a skilled forward with the ability to score in the paint. However, he is also adept at both shooting and facilitating on the perimeter. He is a hard worker who is receptive to coaching and we feel he will be an excellent fit for the culture of our program.”
A 6-foot-8, 255-pound center, Brown ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 87 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. He also ranks as the No. 10 center in the country and the top player in the state of Alabama.
Brown is an extremely physical center who is a strong low post scorer and an elite rebounder. He helped lead Hoover High School to Alabama state championships each of the last two seasons.
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Evans committed to Tennessee basketball earlier this month over a top group that included Xavier and home state Pitt.
“We are excited to bring Amari and his family into our program,” Barnes said. “Stylistically, he was one of the better fits in the country for us. Amari comes from an AAU program, the New York Lightning, that we have had a lot of success with in our time here. He possesses toughness, shooting ability, skill and a superb basketball IQ. Amari hangs his hat on being a high-level defender, which is something that stood out right away to us. More than anything, though, he is a winner.”
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound wing ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 74 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. A Pittsburgh native who plays his prep basketball at Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Evans ranks as the No. 14 small forward in his call and the No. 11 player in the state of Georgia.
A physical wing, Evans is a strong defender that has a strong basketball IQ and has good instincts on the court. On the offensive side, the blue-chip recruit has most of his success as a spot-up shooter or as a cutter in the half court. His frame and intensity should lead to Evans being a good defensive rebounder at the college level too.
On the first day of the early signing period, Tennessee basketball’s recruiting class ranks No. 32 nationally and No. 10 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
While the Vols have just two commits at the moment, they’re top contenders for a number of recruits including five-star power forward Chris Cenac Jr, five-star wing Nate Ament and five-star guard Brayden Burries. Tennessee still has six scholarships to work with due to its two unfilled roster spots and six seniors on its current roster.
