The Tennessee women's basketball team has had a wild offseason. The Lady Vols have lost almost their entire roster, and the last domino has just fallen for Kim Caldwell.
It's no surprise, but Tennessee has lost another player, as Jaida Civil is now planning on entering the portal. Civil averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 assists last year as a freshman for Tennessee. Being a former five-star, this one hurts, but it's no surprise. Civil will have plenty of suitors, especially from high-major programs in the portal.
NEWS: Tennessee forward Jaida Civil is entering the transfer portal, @247SportsPortal is told.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) April 6, 2026
Civil is a former Top 15 recruit. pic.twitter.com/O06Wl5Z90C
With Jaida Civil gone, Tennessee is starting fresh in 2026-27
Well, this one felt pretty expected. It’s hard to blame anyone for not wanting to be the only returning player on a completely rebuilt roster. With Civil now gone, the Lady Vols have now lost all five freshmen and every player from last season, meaning Kim Caldwell is essentially starting from scratch with a brand-new team heading into 2027.
To make matters even worse for Caldwell, Tennessee has just lost its top recruit, Oliviyah Edwards, as she has just requested a release from her letter of intent. The five-star forward was expected to be a major piece of the future of the program, and just like that, she's gone. Caldwell has had a horrible offense, and the only way she can repair the damage done is a major portal haul. Getting players who will buy into the system that Caldwell wants to run will be a key factor.
Not to mention, the Lady Vols losing literally every single player from last year's roster, whether it's graduation or the portal, Tennessee has to be very aggressive in getting elite talent from the portal. Just "average" players won't cut it at this point for the Lady Vols. If not, it's a very likely scenario that Kim Caldwell gets fired after next season. This program went from the greatness of Pat Summit to losing key recruits and the entire roster just a couple of weeks after the year.
Tennessee women's basketball has fallen hard, and at this point, I'm not sure what can recover it. Even a big offseason might not be enough.