Tennessee basketball is in the hunt for another elite prospect, this time coming out of their own home state. Chris Washington Jr., a 6-8 small forward, narrowed his choices to seven schools on Monday.
Washington trimmed his list to Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, Florida A&M, Cincinnati, Ole Miss and Villanova.
NEWS: 2026 Top-25 recruit Chris Washington Jr. is down to seven schools, he tells @Rivals. The 6-8 small forward is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Tennessee. https://t.co/8VhFsFGYJK pic.twitter.com/f6klY0FMZY
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 21, 2025AD
Washington is originally from Gainesville, Florida. He’s now in Murfreesboro, where he’s ranked as a five-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s the top player in the state of Tennessee and the 23rd ranked player in the class of 2026.
With his top seven set, expect official visits to get scheduled quickly. He’s currently set to see Alabama in September to kick things off.
Washington recently told On3 that he views himself as a ‘big guard.’ He models himself after Kevin Durant, which is something Rick Barnes knows a little something about. Barnes landed a similar player in Nate Ament during this cycle, which could give Washington a preview of what his role would potentially be in Knoxville.
Tennessee has also been connected to top guard prospects Deron Rippey and Miles Sadler.
Rick Barnes is looking at another roster flip next season. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Amaree Abram, Felix Okpara and (likely) Nate Ament will be on the way out following this year. Following the recent trend, Barnes will attack both the recruiting trail and transfer portal to fill those spots once again.
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