Tennessee guard Jaida Civil introduced Monday that she is coming into the switch portal, and Oliviyah Edwards, the No. 2 recruit within the SC Next 100 class of 2026, has requested a launch from her nationwide letter of intent with the Lady Volunteers, leaving this system with only one participant on the roster for subsequent season.
The bulletins add to the numerous uncertainty surrounding the storied program, which went 16-14 this previous season beneath second-year coach Kim Caldwell. Every participant with remaining eligibility has entered the switch portal — together with the entire (*1*). Seniors Janiah Barker and Zee Spearman might be graduating, leaving the Lady Vols with simply No. 62 wing Gabby Minus set to arrive for subsequent season.
A preseason top-10 workforce within the Associated Press ballot, the Lady Vols ended this season on an eight-game shedding streak, their longest within the fashionable period. They additionally misplaced by 30 factors to UConn in February, the biggest margin of victory for both workforce within the sequence and the second-worst loss in Tennessee’s historical past. Overall, the workforce misplaced seven video games by no less than 15 factors, essentially the most in 40 years. The Lady Vols had been a No. 10 seed within the NCAA event however misplaced to NC State 76-61 within the first spherical. It was simply the third time since 1982 that they failed to win a first-round matchup.
Civil, a freshman from Vero Beach, Florida, performed seven minutes in that loss to the Wolfpack on March 20. For the season, she averaged 6.4 factors and 4.0 rebounds. She made her announcement in an Instagram post.
Edwards, a 6-foot-3 ahead from Washington, initially signed with Caldwell’s program in November over presents from USC, South Carolina, LSU, Florida and Washington. At the time, Edwards, named a McDonald’s All American this season, was the highest-ranked recruit to signal beneath Caldwell and Tennessee’s prime signee since then-No. 2 Jordan Horston in 2019.
“As a family, we are so thankful to the University of Tennessee for the time that was spent recruiting Oliviyah,” Jordan West, Edwards’ mom, instructed ESPN. “At this time, with all the current changes to the women’s basketball team, I believe it’s in my daughter’s best interest to part ways and reopen her recruitment.”
Prior to Edwards’ choice, Tennessee had the nation’s No. 10 recruiting class. It will now drop out of the highest 25. Caldwell figures to be lively within the switch portal as she tries to construct her third roster in Knoxville.
Edwards is the second five-star recruit to turn out to be out there over the previous week. Trinity Jones, the No. 11 recruit within the class of 2026, was launched from her letter of intent with Clemson earlier.
