After a tumultuous season, Tennessee is now heading into next year without a single returner. In a statement on Instagram, freshman guard Jaida Civil — the only returning player left on the Lady Vols’ roster — announced that she will enter the transfer portal, joining the rest of her Tennessee teammates.
“This has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. After deep thought and prayer, I have decided to enter the transfer portal,” Civil said. “This isn’t goodbye — it’s gratitude. Tennessee will always be a part of me.”
In the statement, Civil shouted out Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell, whose second year as head coach has resulted in a mass exodus of her players.
“To play for one of the best up and coming coaches in the country has been a true blessing. Coach Kim — I want you to know how much I genuinely love and appreciate you,” Civil said. “The belief you had in me, the opportunity you gave me as a young woman trying to find her way — it changed my life. I will always carry that with me.”
Civil becomes the eighth Lady Vol to enter the transfer portal, joining starting guard Talaysia Cooper, freshman twins Mia and Mya Pauldo, senior Alyssa Latham, redshirt sophomore Kaniya Boyd and freshman guards Deniya Prawl and Lauren Hurst.
The other four players on Tennessee’s roster this season — Zee Spearman, Janiah Barker, Nya Robertson and Jersey Wolfenbarger — are graduating seniors, meaning that Caldwell is now left with zero returning players for next year.
Caldwell also lost two other seniors during the season: Ruby Whitehorn, who Caldwell dismissed from the team in November after she was arrested for marijuana possession, and Kaiya Wynn, who left the team after not starting on Senior Day, saying in a statement that she had reached her “breaking point.”
Tennessee has two high school recruits that have signed with the program. One, five-star recruit Oliviyah Edwards, requested a release from her contract with Tennessee last week. The other, Gabby Minus, has not said anything on whether she will be rethinking her commitment.
Caldwell was hired ahead of the 2024-25 season, bringing a unique hockey-style approach to the game. Caldwell had won a DII championship with Glenville State the year before using the method, which involves substituting all five players at a time to keep the game at a fast pace.
But her second year at the helm did not go as hoped. Tennessee went 16-14 overall on the season, 8-8 in SEC play, and barely eked into the NCAA tournament. The Lady Vols lost eight straight games to end the year, including an upset loss to Alabama in the first round of the SEC tournament. Tennessee’s 2025-26 season ended with a first-round March Madness loss to NC State.
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