Tennessee basketball remained hot on the recruiting trail Wednesday, as Class of 2026 point guard Marquis Clark announced his commitment to the Vols. The Chicago native informed UT’s coaching staff of his decision this past weekend while he was in Knoxville on an official visit.

“They gave me an opportunity,” Clark told GoVols247 before publicly revealing his decision. “They told me I could come on an official visit and it’s been a dream for me to play at this level, especially in this conference, so once I got the opportunity, I accepted.”

Clark is the third commitment Tennessee has received in the last three weeks. Four-star wing Ralph Scott committed to the Vols on Sept. 30, while four-star forward Manny Green announced his decision on Oct. 10. The Vols’ three-man Class of 2026 now ranks No. 7 overall in 247Sports’ team rankings. Missouri and Vanderbilt are the only SEC schools ranked ahead of the Volunteers.

“Man, my visit was unbelievable to be honest,” Clark said. “It was crazy. I mean, I had never experienced nothing like it before, and for me to have an opportunity to go to this school is a blessing.

“It means a lot that the coaches, they like me as a person and as a player, they trust me and believe in me. Them giving me this opportunity is big for me.”

Clark is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois out of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He’s considered the No. 29 point guard in the nation. The industry-generated composite rankings slot Clark as the No. 252 overall player.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard also took official visits to Southern Illinois, Purdue Fort Wayne and Western Michigan.

“It’s a dream for me,” Clark said. “I mean, the offers I had were kind of mid-major, so to go up like this, to a top three conference, it’s big for me. It’s a dream come true.”

First-year Tennessee assistant coach Amorrow Morgan played a key role in Clark’s commitment to Tennessee. Clark first met Morgan when he was a freshman and Morgan was an assistant coach at Loyola Chicago. Morgan continued to recruit Clark when he made his next coaching stop at Cal.

“He always told me he’d stay in touch and he kept his word and got me to Tennessee,” Clark said. “It’s been great these last couple of years. The communication was kind of on and off, but once he got to Cal, we talked a little bit, and he offered me, and then, as he went to another school before Tennessee, then when he got to Tennessee, he told me he’ll come back for me, and that’s what he did. So feel like we got a pretty good relationship.”

Clark was one of the best scorers in the EYBL this past summer. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22 games for the Nike Meanstreets. He shot 48.3% from the floor.

The Chicago native’s game reminds Tennessee of its former point guard, Zakai Zeigler. UT appreciates Clark’s toughness and believes he can “shock people” at the next level.

“They like how I can facilitate, how I take it downhill, got a good three ball, just my overall game,” Clark said. “But they told me they want me to pick up 94 feet and work on defense more. So that’s what I’ve been working on.

“They say I’m a Chicago guard. So they like my toughness.”

Clark’s toughness will be needed to play for Barnes. The veteran head coach is notorious for how tough he is on his point guards. It’s a challenge Clark welcomes.

“He’s a funny guy, cool person,” Clark said about Barnes. “I was watching interviews of the players that he’s coaching, and they’d say, like, he’s a different person on the court, and when I watched practice, I see that. I feel like that’s the coach I need to stay on me and push me so I can get better. That’s something I need as a player if I want to play at the highest level. So I ain’t going to back down from it.”