You think Josh Heupel is the only coach on campus for the Tennessee Volunteers who can land elite playmakers? Nope! Things have been aces for Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell, as she is impressing in her first season as head coach.
Well, she's also making a major splash out on the recruiting trail. On Monday, decision time arrived for 5-star small forward Deniya Prawl, one of the top players in the country for the 2025 class. After taking some time to shut down her recruitment, Prawl decided that Knoxville will be her next stop, as she has committed to Caldwell and her staff.
5⭐️ Deniya Prawl (no. 14 espnW 100) has committed to Tennessee!@DeniyaPrawl | @LadyVol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/xqdXUO84pJ
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) November 11, 2024
5-star SF Deniya Prawl has committed to the Tennessee Vols
According to 247Sports, Prawl is the No. 3 small forward in the country and the No. 3 player overall from Florida for her class. The 5-star playmaker was wanted by virtually every powerhouse in the nation, which is no surprise.
In the end, the 6-1 wing was down to Baylor, Notre Dame and Tennessee. Things were close, but Prawl made it quite clear that Caldwell and her staff made quite the impression on her.
"They were just so consistent, they made sure they checked off all the boxes for me," Prawl said on ESPN via The Tennessean. "I feel like I heard from the coaching staff every day since (my official visit). They showed they truly cared about me as a person. We're going to bring Vol nation back to where it was."
That quote from Prawl has people fired up and rightfully so. With Prawl now on board, she becomes the second 5-star verbal commit for Caldwell's '25 haul, joining Mia Pauldo. Twin sister Mya Pauldo is also Tennessee-bound: she's a 4-star prospect. Caldwell keeps impressing leading the Vols, with this latest recruiting battle sending a statement to the rest of the SEC.