Reports: Five-star prospect Oliviyah Edwards requesting release from Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Reports surfaced Saturday afternoon that five-star prospect Oliviyah Edwards is requesting a release from her signed letter of intent with Tennessee women’s basketball.
The 6-foot-3 forward from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, is the nation’s No. 2 ranked recruit, according to ESPNW. She is also the highest-ranked prospect for Tennessee since 2019, when the Lady Vols signed Jordan Horston.
Former Lady Vols assistant coach Gabe Lazo served as Edwards’ primary recruiter. Lazo resigned from Tennessee on Friday after previously accepting an assistant coaching position at LSU earlier in the week, and on Saturday accepted a head coaching job at UCF.
Edwards was one of two signees in Caldwell’s incoming freshman class. The other, four-star guard Gabby Minus, is still expected to join the Lady Vols next season.
Tennessee has experienced significant roster and staff turnover, losing all but one returning player from its 2025–26 roster, with Jaida Civil as the lone returner. The program also lost assistants Lazo and Roman Tubner, the latter of whom was fired on Friday.
The Lady Vols are coming off a 16–14 (8–8 SEC) season. Tennessee earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell to NC State in the Round of 64 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
