Tennessee basketball has extended an offer to a 7-footer inside the 2026 class.
Marcis Ponder, who goes by the nickname 'The Big Show' and has been called 'Baby Shaq', revealed he received a Vols offer on April 29.
Ponder is a four-star recruit and the No. 58 player in the 2026 cycle.
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Along with Tennessee, Ponder holds offers from SEC schools Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi State.
Other Power Five offers on the table come from Arizona State, Florida State, Georgetown, Illinois, Kansas, Miami, Providence, Rutgers and Central Florida.
He's also taken an official visit to Memphis and one to Providence.
Ponder lists himself as 7-feet tall out of West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Florida. Competing in The Grind Session, he earned All-Defensive Team honors alongside the likes of No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa.
It's this style of play that makes him an intriguing prospect. He's an elite rim protector who has the agility to be athletic in the paint and the frame to not get pushed around.
Unlike some 7-footers, he's put his weight over 300 pounds to avoid being too stringy.
Ponder uses this size to rebound, as well. He's shown the ability to crash the glass on both the offensive and defensive end to put up impressive rebounding numbers. On the offensive end, this leads to a good amount of put-back looks.
He became a double-double machine this past year, consistently landing over 10 rebounds per outing and sometimes getting close to triple-double territory with blocks.
His ability to get up and punish the rim on offense has also earned him another nickname in 'Baby Shaq.'
He adds a nice midrange game to help extend the floor and add to his offensive bag. His best attribute is certainly using his size to dominate at the rim, though.
MaxPreps lists him as averaging 9.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this past season in 32 appearances.
Tennessee will lose starting center Felix Okpara to eligibility after this following season. This likely makes way for J.P. Estrella to take an increased role as he'd be a redshirt-junior by that point.
It'd also be the senior years for power forwards Jaylen Carey and Cade Phillips. The Vols added forward three-star DeWayne Brown II in the 2025 class, as well.
This makes a natural opening at center that Ponder could fit if the Vols are able to crack into his recruitment at this stage.
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