Tennessee basketball announced freshman forward Ralph Scott will undergo surgery to repair a left knee injury on Sept. 3 and is expected to miss six to eight months while recovering, the program announced.
Scott's recovery timeline would put him on track to return in early March, when the Vols would be winding down the regular season and preparing for the postseason.
"Ralph was really looking forward to beginning his college career in a few weeks and we were excited to see him on the court competing for the Volunteers," coach Rick Barnes said in a school release on Sept. 2. "However, it is important he gets healthy and this surgery will help him do just that. We will be there for Ralph to support him throughout the process. Ralph is extremely
talented and we remain enthusiastic about his bright future on Rocky Top."
The 6-foot-8 Scott is from Warwick, Bermuda, and is rated as four-star recruit and the No. 73 prospect in his class of 2026. He committed to UT on Sept. 30, 2025, spurning other offers from Purdue, Houston and Texas A&M. Scott was part of a high school recruiting class that also included forward Chris Washington Jr. and guard Marquis Clark.
He had impressed coaches and teammates while adding 20 to 25 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus at the beginning of June.
“Ralph is one of the best freshmen that I've seen." junior guard Juke Harris said on July 23. "He's super long, lengthy, able to shoot over the top. He knows how to get his body turned to the rim and use his explosiveness to jump up and shoot the ball over the top, and is able to make the shots. And he's super disciplined. He's super coachable.”
Barnes added that Scott, like all freshmen, had to adjust to the physical demands of power conference college basketball, but had been making strides in that area prior to suffering his injury.
“You know, he's made some great steps. The physicality part of it, he's had to adjust to. Learning how to deal with fatigue, cardio," Barnes said on July 23. "But it's hard on guys who have never gone through it just because mentally, and it's probably not just physically, but probably mentally, more so taxing on him because he's learning it. I do know Ralph is learning that he could do much more than he probably thought a week and a half ago and it's starting to show up in the way he's going about things.”
The Vols are dealing with several other preseason injuries. Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade (back) and sophomore guard Troy Henderson (shoulder) are both on track to begin practicing soon, assistant coach Amorrow Morgan said on Aug. 27. VCU transfer center Christian Fermin has recovered from a hand injury and is back at practice after being sidelined since July.
What Ralph Scott's injury means for Tennessee basketball
Scott had played well during preseason practices and was in line to assume a reserve role behind transfer wing Jalen Haralson, who averaged 16.2 points per game during his freshman season at Notre Dame. Haralson was already in position to play significant minutes, but the depth behind him is diminished without Scott available.
When Haralson needs a break, freshman Manny Green, Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris and even Lundblade could slide down from their guard positions into the frontcourt, but they would be undersized playing the small and power forward spots Scott is capable of swinging between.
Vanderbilt transfer Jalen Washington's pending eligibility lawsuit still lingers over the Vols program as well. If he loses in court and is denied the chance to play a fifth season of college basketball, UT will be forced to play smaller lineups that include transfers Myles Rubin, Braeden Lue and Fermin at center for shorter spells.
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Injury update for Tennessee basketball freshman Ralph Scott, knee surgery
