Talaysia Cooper committing to SEC rival is latest gut punch for Kim Caldwell and Lady Vols

The hits are endless, quite literally, for the Tennessee women's basketball program and head coach Kim Caldwell.

The Lady Vols' entire roster left; players reaching the end of their eligibility or heading to the transfer portal, two assistant coaches have been fired, and blue-chip recruits are asking to be released from their commitments to the team.

Now, in the latest blow to Caldwell's program, former starting shooting guard Talaysia Cooper has committed to a new program. The fact that this was going to happen was pretty much a given when she entered the portal.

However, she committed to none other than the Ole Miss Rebels, one of Tennessee's rivals in the SEC. The move can only be viewed as rubbing salt in Cladwell and the rest of the team's still wide-open wound.

Talaysia Cooper leaves Tennessee for Ole Miss Rebels

Cooper spent two seasons with Caldwell and the Vols, transferring to Tennessee after starting her collegiate career at South Carolina. She started in 52 games over the last two years and played in all 63 of UT's matchups.

This season, Cooper averaged 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 steals per game, dominating on both ends of the court for the Volunteers.

Now, with Caldwell only landing one piece out of the transfer portal so far, Cooper is just the first former Lady Vol to commit, and it was to none other than a conference rival.

Of course, Cooper is going to be the first of many former Tennessee players committing to other programs, with the entire roster leaving Knoxville. However, losing Cooper to her third SEC program so far definitely stings a little more than if she had committed to a program in another conference.

Caldwell is on extremely thin ice and will have to work miracles in the transfer portal and throughout the entirety of next season to secure her seat as the Lady Vols' head coach.