It goes without saying, but plenty of people were left pretty dang stunned on Thursday when All-American Tennessee Vols infielder Taylor Pannell revealed she was entering the transfer portal. Not only that, but Pannell did so with a do not contact tag.
Shortly after that, news broke that Pannell had committed to Texas Tech. What in the world? Just last week, the star third baseman posted on social media that she was living the dream while playing with the Vols in the postseason.
Something changed, however, and Tennessee HC Karen Weekly obviously isn't too happy about things. In a new social media post, Weekly appears to call out teams for tampering with her players. In this case, it sure seems like she's ripping Texas Tech for what just went down with Pannell:
I think we can all agree on 2 things: 1) women making money in sports is awesome and long overdue; 2) contacting players (directly or indirectly) before their season ends and signing them to NIL deals before they enter the portal is wrong. Money isn’t the issue - tampering is!
— Karen Weekly (@KarenWeekly) June 13, 2025
Tennessee HC Karen Weekly called out Texas Tech for tampering after stealing Taylor Pannell
While Weekly didn't specifically mention the Red Raiders here, it's not hard at all to connect the dots. Pannell indeed shocked a lot of us when she decided to transfer. By entering the portal with the do not contact tag, it was her way of letting everyone know she already knew where she was transferring to.
Making the move from Knoxville to Lubbock sure is eye-opening. This campaign, Pannell played a major role in the Vols reaching the national semifinals. Unfortunately, the dream season ended against Texas, the eventual champs, with a trip to the title series on the line.
Texas Tech was brilliant as well, finishing as the national runner-ups to the Longhorns. In recent days, though, the Red Raiders have been LOADING up via the transfer portal, landing some of the best players in the country. It's a complete and total shame that Pannell won't be running things back with Tennessee. If you ask Weekly, it sure looks like tampering has something to do with that.