The Tennessee women's basketball team has had a massive exodus this offseason. The Lady Vols have lost every player on the 2025-26 team, whether via the portal or by graduation. Plus, Tennessee has lost five-star forward Oliviah Edwards, who has requested to be released from her letter of intent. It's been a dark couple of weeks for the Lady Vols.
Holly Rowe, one of the biggest, and arguably the most influential, analysts in women’s sports has some important words for Tennessee athletic director Danny White. Rowe said, "What Danny White is allowing to happen to (Tennessee) is making me so sad. Gut wrenching to watch him let one of the greatest programs in womens sports history disintegrate. I am devastated."
What Danny White is allowing to happen to @LadyVol_Hoops is making me so sad. Gut wrenching to watch him let one of the greatest programs in womens sports history disintegrate. I am devastated.
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) April 6, 2026
Danny White has to pony up the money and the pressure
After 14 losses and the worst win percentage in school history, I don't know how to spin this. With the whole roster gone, Danny White is going to have to raise a plethora of cash to field a competitive team for Kim Cladwell. Many fans were on board with giving Caldwell one more chance, but after losing literally everyone, this seems like the perfect time to just start fresh anyway. I have been in the boat of keeping Caldwell, but I never expected to lose Edwards and everyone else. With some changes to the roster, I assumed that Caldwell deserved another shot, especially based on the strong recruiting, but this has gotten out of hand.
White is taking a lot of heat for this, as he has publically backed Kim Caldwell, but their is a clear discconect with Caldwell and the players. The team was much more talented than the record suggests, and the Lady Vols ended the season on an eight-game losing streak. Rowe is right, White does deserve heat because ever since he's been the athletic director, the women's basketball team has been mediocre, and they have been nowhere near where they were under Summit. It's sad how far the Lady Vols have fallen.
Right now the ship is sinking in Knoxville and I'm not sure if it can be saved.