Updated April 6, 2026, 11:24 a.m. ET
Lady Vols basketball freshman Jaida Civil plans to enter the transfer portal, she introduced April 6.
On Instagram, Civil wrote it was “the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. After deep thought and prayer, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. This isn’t goodbye − it’s gratitude. Tennessee will always be part of me.”
The 6-foot guard is the eighth player to either announce intentions or reportedly entering the transfer portal, becoming a member of Deniya Prawl, Alyssa Latham, Kaniya Boyd, Lauren Hurst, Mia and Mya Pauldo and Talaysia Cooper.
Tennessee formally has no returning gamers from the 2025-26 roster. Coach Kim Caldwell can have to recruit a completely new roster for her third season at Tennessee.
All five of Tennessee’s freshmen have now introduced they’re going to depart this system after one season. The transfer portal window which permits for fast eligibility was moved to after the nationwide championship recreation this season and is open by April 20.
“From the very first moment I stepped on campus, I knew this place was special,” Civil wrote. “There was something different in the air – the history, the legacy, the standard. It wasn’t just a program, it was a tradition built on greatness. I fell in love with Tennessee instantly.
“Wearing the orange and white, representing one thing larger than myself and embracing the chance to assist deliver this program again to the best degree – that meant every thing to me. It was greater than a dream… It was goal.”
Civil also said it was “a real blessing” to play for Caldwell, who she called “among the best up and coming coaches within the nation.”
“I need you to know the way a lot I genuinely love and recognize you,” Civil wrote of Caldwell. “The perception you had in me, the chance you gave me as a younger girl making an attempt to discover her manner – it modified my life. I’ll all the time carry that with me. Thank you to you and your complete workers for pouring into me and belief me to be a part of one thing so significant.”
Civil is the final blow of the entire 2025 class leaving Tennessee, which was on track to rebuild its pipeline of high school talent with the five-player freshman class ranked No. 2 by ESPN. Civil was one of three five-star McDonald’s All-Americans in Tennessee’s freshman class, and she was ranked No. 20 in the class by ESPN.
Civil was one of the most improved players this season and averaged 6.4 points, four rebounds, 1.5 assists and 18.8 minutes in all 30 games. She started in 10 games and shot 41.5% from the field and 28.8% from 3-point range.
Civil scored a career-high at Oklahoma on Feb. 22 with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers while shooting 8-for-16 from the field.
The Lady Vols finished 16-14, the worst winning percentage in program history (.552), and lost 11 of their last 13 games. The 16 wins tie the fewest of the NCAA era for UT, and the eight-game winning streak to end the season was the longest of the NCAA era.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support sturdy native journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
