2027 Lady Vols Recruiting

[37620VOL]

So, top 30 only?

No Aubrey Galvan, no Rhyne Howard. No Aneesha Morrow.

Coaches need to develop the ability to scout the players they want for their team. They know more than some guy who works for espn.

The scouting services SEC programs use are not the same as the basic stuff ESPN puts out for fans

 

[mcannon1]

 

[mcannon1]

2027s with announced offers: (*offer or reoffer by Kim posted) ESPN ranking

49 Kie'Aundria Acree*
17 Avery Arije*
6 Haylen Ayers* not top 5
3 Caroline Bradley* not top 10 to LSU
22 Taylor Brown*
12 Ryan Carter*
44 Finley Chastain To Oklahoma
48 C'India Dennis*
30 Jada Jackson* to TX Tech
18 Zaniya Johnson*
5 Eve Long* not top 5 to Notre Dame
35 Amaya Manuel*
2 Ivanna Manyacka*
41 De'Andra Minor*
29 Sydney Mobley* not top 12
7 Micah Ojo*
9 Jordyn Palmer*
58 Maci Pringle
11 Qandace Samuels*
8 Sydney Savoury* not top 6
1 Kaleena Smith*
37 Jordan Speller*
14 Nation Williams not top 10

 

[RetroVol]

2027 Recruiting Targets — Tennessee Watch List

Key: * = Tennessee offer or reoffer publicly posted by Kim Caldwell, as reflected in the tracker. Entire bold row = Tennessee is in a current named group or has a confirmed Tennessee visit. Gray row = a current public cut or commitment excludes Tennessee. Plain row = Tennessee offer/interest is reported, but I did not find a current finalist list or Tennessee visit date.

Player / School / Hometown / Pos	Ht	Ratings / Rankings	Quick Read / Tennessee Status
Kaleena Smith*; Ontario Christian — Ontario, CA; hometown: Perris, CA; PG	5-5 / 5-6	ESPN/SCNext: #1; Rivals Industry: #1, 5-star, 99.50; 247: #1, 99	Elite lead guard with deep range, advanced creation, and command of the offense. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted. Visit: unofficial visit Oct. 13, 2025.
Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka*; Bullis School — Potomac, MD; SF/W	6-1 / 6-2	ESPN/SCNext: #2; Rivals Industry: #2, 5-star, 99.22; 247: #2, 98	Powerful two-way wing with length, rebounding value, and strong finishing ability. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Caroline Bradley*; Oak Grove — Oak Grove, LA; C	6-4 / 6-5	ESPN/SCNext: #3; Rivals Industry: #6, 5-star, 98.39; 247: #7, 96	True center with high-level post scoring, rebounding, and rim protection. Status: committed to LSU. Tennessee is out unless the recruitment changes.
Eve Long*; Olathe South — Olathe, KS; PF/C	6-3	ESPN/SCNext: #5; Rivals Industry: #8, 5-star, 98.26; 247: #8, 96	Mobile, highly productive scoring forward with USA Basketball experience. Status: committed to Notre Dame. Tennessee is out unless the recruitment changes.
Haylen Ayers*; University School of Jackson — Jackson, TN; SG/W	6-0	ESPN/SCNext: #6; Rivals Industry: #3, 5-star, 99.14; 247: #3, 98	In-state elite guard with size, strength, and three-level scoring ability. Status: top five is Duke, Kentucky, Texas, Vanderbilt, and UConn; Tennessee is not included.
Micah Ojo*; Princess Anne — Virginia Beach, VA; SF/W	6-0 / 6-1	ESPN/SCNext: #7; Rivals Industry: #7, 5-star, 98.30; 247: #9, 96	Explosive wing athlete with transition, defensive, and slashing upside. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Sydney Savoury*; Belleville — Belleville, MI; SG	5-11 / 6-0	ESPN/SCNext: #8; Rivals Industry: #11, 5-star, 98.14; 247: #5, 97	Big scoring guard with strong production and positional size. Status: current final six is Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, UConn, Notre Dame, and Texas; Tennessee is not included.
Jordyn Palmer*; Westtown School — West Chester/Oxford, PA; SF/W	6-1 / 6-3	ESPN/SCNext: #9; Rivals Industry: #5, 5-star, 98.60; 247: #6, 97	Long, skilled wing with major national and USA Basketball credentials. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Qandace Samuels*; Bishop McNamara — District Heights, MD; SF/W	6-1 / 6-2	ESPN/SCNext: #11; Rivals Industry: #15, 5-star, 97.25; 247: #13, 95	Big wing scorer with shooting touch and the strength to play through contact. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Ryan Carter*; Friends' Central — Wynnewood, PA; CG/SG	5-10 / 6-0	ESPN/SCNext: #12; Rivals Industry: #9, 5-star, 98.20; 247: #10, 96	Athletic combo guard who can create, defend, and play on or off the ball. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Nation Williams; Lone Peak — Highland, UT; hometown: Las Vegas, NV; F/C	6-2 / 6-4	ESPN/SCNext: #14; Rivals Industry: #10, 5-star, 98.17; 247: #11, 96	Physical, productive frontcourt player with rebounding and defensive versatility. Status: current top 10 excludes Tennessee.
Avery Arije*; Crestwood Prep — Toronto, Ontario; SG	5-11 / 6-0	ESPN/SCNext: #17; Rivals Industry: #19, 5-star, 96.89; 247: #14, 95	Left-handed guard with downhill ability, shooting touch, and defensive athleticism. Status: Tennessee is among the six programs publicly identified as showing the strongest interest.
Zaniya Johnson*; Biloxi — Biloxi, MS; PF/C	6-4	ESPN/SCNext: #18; Rivals Industry: #38, 5-star, 91.63; 247: #22, 95	Long frontcourt prospect with rebounding, interior scoring, and shot-blocking potential. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Taylor Brown*; Long Island Lutheran — Glen Head, NY; hometown: Belmar, NJ; PG	5-6 / 5-7	ESPN/SCNext: #22; Rivals Industry: #21, 5-star, 96.86; 247: #24, 95	Fast, disruptive point guard with strong defensive pressure and playmaking ability. Visit: Tennessee official visit scheduled for June 25, 2026.
Sydney Mobley*; Big Walnut — Sunbury/Delaware, OH; PF/C	6-1 / 6-2	ESPN/SCNext: #29; Rivals Industry: #16, 5-star, 97.21; 247: #23, 95	Productive Ohio forward with scoring, rebounding, and all-around versatility. Status: her published school cut excludes Tennessee.
Jada Jackson*; Frenship — Wolfforth/Lubbock, TX; PF/C	6-2	ESPN/SCNext: #30; Rivals Industry: #44, 5-star, 91.14; 247: #21, 95	Physical Texas forward with major rebounding and double-double production. Status: committed to Texas Tech.
Amaya Manuel*; Lift for Life Academy — St. Louis, MO; club: Phee Elite; PG	5-7 / 5-8	ESPN/SCNext: #35, 94 grade; Prep Girls Hoops: #31; Rivals Industry/247: not listed	Scoring point guard who has led a state-championship team and can pressure defenses off the bounce or from three. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Jordan Speller*; Montverde Academy — Montverde, FL; hometown: Bethel, NC; PG	5-6 / 5-7	ESPN/SCNext: #37; Rivals Industry: #29, 5-star, 96.52; 247: #30, 95	Quick left-handed point guard with downhill speed, creativity, and defensive pressure. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
De'Andra Minor*; Grind Prep — Oklahoma City, OK; SG/CG	6-0 / 6-1	ESPN/SCNext: #41; Rivals Industry: #17, 5-star, 96.97; 247: #15, 95	Physical combo guard with a strong frame and downhill attacking game. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Finley Chastain; Walnut Grove — Prosper/Dallas, TX; PG/SG	6-0 / 6-1	ESPN/SCNext: #44; Rivals Industry: #34, 5-star, 95.32; 247: #37, 93	Big left-handed guard with shooting and playmaking value. Status: committed to Oklahoma.
C'India "Cece" Dennis*; Creekside — Fairburn, GA; PG	5-4 / 5-6	ESPN/SCNext: #48; Rivals Industry: #50, 5-star, 85.49; 247: #17, 95	Quick, productive scoring point guard. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted. She has announced official visits to Clemson, Auburn, and Florida State; no Tennessee visit has been reported.
Kie'Aundria Acree*; Monroe — Albany, GA; SF/CG	6-0	ESPN/SCNext: #49; Rivals Industry: #26, 5-star, 96.62; 247: #34, 93	Long Georgia guard/wing with slashing, defensive, and multi-position potential. Tennessee offer/reoffer posted; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.
Maci Pringle; Flower Mound — Flower Mound, TX; PF/W	6-1	ESPN/SCNext: #58; Prep Girls Hoops: #69; Rivals Industry/247: not listed	Long, athletic forward/wing with rebounding, defensive activity, and an improving perimeter game. Tennessee offer publicly reported May 24, 2026; no current Tennessee finalist list or visit date found.

Practical read: The clearest active Tennessee-positive cases are Kaleena Smith, Avery Arije, and Taylor Brown. Bradley, Long, Ayers, Savoury, Williams, Mobley, Jackson, and Chastain are gray because a commitment or current cut excludes Tennessee. The remaining plain rows are still offer/watch-list names, but I found no current Tennessee finalist placement or visit date.

 

[lfvol]

I agree were not going to stop recruiting freshmen, but it is more about narrowing the list. If we recruit the top thirty and fail totally there is the portal. If you can sign 2 or more of those highly ranked players you certainly do it. I think when you get past thirty you are getting into the development stage of a high school player and that is where I think we are now and going forward back off the bottom part of top 100.
Football of course runs deeper in ready to play players than 30. Basketball that is about where you can draw the line.
If you going to sing anyone ranked lower than thirty you have to try and get more local players although they did not work to well for KIm this past season with the one Tennessee player she signed.

100 agree with this post. Difference maker hit rates are high in the top10. But 30 is a good cutoff.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

100 agree with this post. Difference maker hot rates are high in the top10. But 30 is a good cutoff.

Do you have a breakdown of this years 3 deep AA team with HS star ratings? Would be a great study. Surely that analysis is out there.

 

[lfvol]

Do you have a breakdown of this years 3 deep AA team with HS star ratings? Would be a great study. Surely that analysis is out there.

ChatGPT gave me this for 25/26
Player Rank
Strong 1
Fudd. 1
Betts. 1
Watkins 1
Bueckers 1
Hidalgo. Top 5
Booker. Top 5

 

[BruisedOrange]

2027 Recruiting Targets — Tennessee Watch List

Key: * = Tennessee offer or reoffer publicly posted by Kim Caldwell, as reflected in the tracker. Entire bold row = Tennessee is in a current named group or has a confirmed Tennessee visit. Gray row = a current public cut or commitment excludes Tennessee. Plain row = Tennessee offer/interest is reported, but I did not find a current finalist list or Tennessee visit date.

I appreciate this not only for its great information, but especially for the graphic presentation choices! Very helpful for us visually oriented ADD types.

 

[mcannon1]

 

[mcannon1]

 

[chuckiepoo]

Was it just me or did Raoul back off last year? He had dropped our roster spread sheet to inactive status. If he has update the chart by year, class and transfer status, i will post.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Was it just me or did Raoul back off last year? He had dropped our roster spread sheet to inactive status. If he has update the chart by year, class and transfer status, i will post.

No update at spreadsheet. He does note all of the transfers out and the first five transfers in in the text body of our recruiting section.

To be fair, only Sakerlina is current annd the Lady Vols are one of the four SEC teams for which he has a recruiting page, UK, LSU, USCe and LV.

 

[RetroVol]

Curious about the possible impact of the 5-for-5 Eligibility Rule on the 27-28 team (and, therefore, recruiting and portal), I asked Codex for a summary of the rule and LV analysis. Edited for even more brevity (these things are verbose!):

Compact Summary of the Rule:
Starting with the 2026-27 transition and fully for fall 2027 enrollees, eligibility becomes a continuous five-year window tied to first full-time college enrollment or the age-19 trigger, with redshirts/medical hardship waivers mostly gone and only narrow exceptions. Current athletes with eligibility left after 2025-26 get the better of old or new rules; athletes who exhausted eligibility in 2025-26 do not, which is already drawing lawsuits.

Lady Vols Impact:
Likely gone after 2026-27 absent litigation/exception: Smikle, Moore, Fauntleroy. They are R-Sr types, and Moore was specifically announced with one season left under prior rules.

Normal 2027-28 return base: White, Mills, Eads, Steele, Craft, Coulibaly, Peterson, Minus, Oboavwoduo.

Big 5-for-5 swing group: Theuerkauf, Janneh, Makalusky. All are listed as 2026-27 seniors with college careers starting in 2023-24, so they look like plausible fifth-year 2027-28 return candidates, subject to age/enrollment certification. Janneh is the one I would treat with the most caution because international/delayed-enrollment details can matter.

 

[Volfan2012]

Curious about the possible impact of the 5-for-5 Eligibility Rule on the 27-28 team (and, therefore, recruiting and portal), I asked Codex for a summary of the rule and LV analysis. Edited for even more brevity (these things are verbose!):

Compact Summary of the Rule:
Starting with the 2026-27 transition and fully for fall 2027 enrollees, eligibility becomes a continuous five-year window tied to first full-time college enrollment or the age-19 trigger, with redshirts/medical hardship waivers mostly gone and only narrow exceptions. Current athletes with eligibility left after 2025-26 get the better of old or new rules; athletes who exhausted eligibility in 2025-26 do not, which is already drawing lawsuits.

Lady Vols Impact:
Likely gone after 2026-27 absent litigation/exception: Smikle, Moore, Fauntleroy. They are R-Sr types, and Moore was specifically announced with one season left under prior rules.

Normal 2027-28 return base: White, Mills, Eads, Steele, Craft, Coulibaly, Peterson, Minus, Oboavwoduo.

Big 5-for-5 swing group: Theuerkauf, Janneh, Makalusky. All are listed as 2026-27 seniors with college careers starting in 2023-24, so they look like plausible fifth-year 2027-28 return candidates, subject to age/enrollment certification. Janneh is the one I would treat with the most caution because international/delayed-enrollment details can matter.

Will everyone still have their one free transfer intact or will that have already been used with the upcoming season.

 

[RetroVol]

Will everyone still have their one free transfer intact or will that have already been used with the upcoming season.

Don't know. I thought transfers were currently unlimited. Didn't ask if this did anything to transfers. Since that was part of a legal settlement, I don't see how it could, but might be wrong.

 

[lfvol]

If this team (and team identity) proves successful, I can see us becoming a program with such a strong trait identity that potential players will self-identify, and coaches in the off-season circuit leagues will begin to recognize and recommend candidates with that "emotional-volitional DNA."

That would be the ideal, anyway, to be a recognizable brand that's based on substance rather than style.

If recruiting top 10-15 high school talent, it seems to me there are more that can fit than those that don’t. Most are highly motivated. And most play as freshmen. I’m not under the impression we play harder than SC, UCLA, TX, LSU and UConn. So give me a top 10 every year and bring in anyone else you want.

 

[Volfan2012]

Don't know. I thought transfers were currently unlimited. Didn't ask if this did anything to transfers. Since that was part of a legal settlement, I don't see how it could, but might be wrong.

This new five year thing is supposed to also come with only one free transfer. After that you have to sit out a year. I don't know if it starts with this current group or the next transfer portal group. August 1, 2026 is the start date don't know if it affects the current players roster or if they would have another free transfer after the coming season.

 

[RetroVol]

This new five year thing is supposed to also come with only one free transfer. After that you have to sit out a year. I don't know if it starts with this current group or the next transfer portal group. August 1, 2026 is the start date don't know if it affects the current players roster or if they would have another free transfer after the coming season.

Interesting. I am a lawyer, but can't say I have studied the House case. However, the restriction on transfers strikes me as questionable -- interferes with the players ability to maximize the return on their skills. That's tough when what's on the other side is the desire of the schools and the NCAA to deliver a product based on those players' skills.

 

[knoxvol52]

Interesting. I am a lawyer, but can't say I have studied the House case. However, the restriction on transfers strikes me as questionable -- interferes with the players ability to maximize the return on their skills. That's tough when what's on the other side is the desire of the schools and the NCAA to deliver a product based on those players' skills.

They can make the rule after one transfer you have to sit out a year if you transfer a second time... Then the players will not play musical teams every year for 5 years.

 

[RetroVol]

They can make the rule after one transfer you have to sit out a year if you transfer a second time... Then the players will not play musical teams every year for 5 years.

Are you sure they can do this? Who gives the NCAA the right to interfere with athletes' ability to capitalize on their abilities?

 

[chuckiepoo]

Are you sure they can do this? Who gives the NCAA the right to interfere with athletes' ability to capitalize on their abilities?

That’s been pretty much the collective court’s view.

 

[BruisedOrange]

Interesting. I am a lawyer, but can't say I have studied the House case. However, the restriction on transfers strikes me as questionable -- interferes with the players ability to maximize the return on their skills. That's tough when what's on the other side is the desire of the schools and the NCAA to deliver a product based on those players' skills.

Seeing how many posts in volnation now days are legal discussions reminds me of that General Motors executive back in the early 2000s who described GM as "a health-care company that happens to sell cars."

We meet here to discuss legalities because we're fans of collegiate sports.

 

[Volfan2012]

Interesting. I am a lawyer, but can't say I have studied the House case. However, the restriction on transfers strikes me as questionable -- interferes with the players ability to maximize the return on their skills. That's tough when what's on the other side is the desire of the schools and the NCAA to deliver a product based on those players' skills.

I agree it is questionable and almost certain will face legal challenges. Even with a law passed by Congress it is always subject to judicial review. I don't know where it all ends up. I think collective bargaining is the answer. Best way to get control of the every year transfers and players still have legitimate control over their compensation for their abilities.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

They can make the rule after one transfer you have to sit out a year if you transfer a second time... Then the players will not play musical teams every year for 5 years.

Agree.

 

[chuckiepoo]

I agree it is questionable and almost certain will face legal challenges. Even with a law passed by Congress it is always subject to judicial review. I don't know where it all ends up. I think collective bargaining is the answer. Best way to get control of the every year transfers and players still have legitimate control over their compensation for their abilities.

For a CBA to be negotiated, wouldn’t the players need to unionize? At this point, and i only recently realized this as i’ve also been an advocate for the CBA route, why the hell would they do that? Wide open, full throttle idiocy favors the players.