2027 Lady Vols Recruiting

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Amaya Manuel moves to the hot prospects table. Also, as Taylor Brown visits NC on day of her announcement? Can't find a cancellation for NC visit.

2027 Lady Vols Recruiting — Active Board
Updated October 2026. Bold indicates a Tennessee official visit scheduled or completed.
Player / School / Hometown / PosHtRatings / RankingsQuick Read / Tennessee Status
Kaleena Smith; Ontario Christian — Ontario, CA; PG5-6247Sports: #1; espnW: #1Elite scoring/playmaking point guard and USA U18 gold medalist. Tennessee unofficial visit: Oct. 13, 2025; Tennessee home visit reported Sept. 22, 2026; official visit rescheduled for Oct. 16–18, Alabama weekend.
Qandace Samuels; Bishop McNamara — Forestville, MD; G/W6-2247Sports: #13; espnW: #10Top-10 wing with perimeter shooting, scoring off the bounce and contact-finishing ability. Tennessee remains in her top 10. Reported September officials: Virginia Tech, Texas and Rutgers; NC State coach Wes Moore was also reported in her gym. No Tennessee visit date is public.
Taylor Brown; Long Island Lutheran — Glen Head, NY; PG5-7247Sports: #24; espnW: #30Fast two-way guard known as “The Glove”; recovering from a February ACL tear. Tennessee official visit: June 25–26; South Carolina: Sept. 19 weekend; North Carolina: Oct. 3. Finalists are Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. Decision announcement: Oct. 3, the same date as the UNC visit.
Maci Pringle; Flower Mound — Flower Mound, TX; F6-1espnW: #33; 247Sports: not listedAthletic forward with speed and scoring production. Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year; led Flower Mound to its first state final and set the school season scoring record. Texas Tech remained involved after a summer visit. No Tennessee official-visit date is public.
C'India “Cece” Dennis; Creekside — Fairburn, GA; PG5-6247Sports: #17; espnW: #54Quick guard with range, downhill ability and strong defensive effort. Tennessee official visit completed Sept. 4–6. Top five: Tennessee, Florida State, Auburn, Georgia and Clemson. Recovering from a November 2025 knee injury.
Amaya Manuel; Lift for Life Academy — St. Louis, MO; PG5-7 (listed 5-8 by Rivals)Prep Girls Hoops: #31 nationally; ESPN: no ranking shownFour-star point guard with excellent ballhandling, defensive ability, high basketball IQ and a willingness to attack the basket. Missouri Class 5 Player of the Year in 2025; Lift for Life won three consecutive state titles. Tennessee previously offered her. Visit scheduled for Oct. 27 during the exhibition game; visit type not specified.
Practical read: Manuel adds another Tennessee-connected point guard to the board, but her Oct. 27 visit should remain labeled simply “scheduled” until its official/unofficial designation is confirmed.
 
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Hooper22 said:
Taylor Brown to announce her decision on Saturday.
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Unless she is cancelling her UNC visit, a Saturday announcement would indicate that she plans to be a Tarheel.

. I mean, who would announce a commitment to another school while on an an OV?
 
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sgacock said:
Unless she is cancelling her UNC visit, a Saturday announcement would indicate that she plans to be a Tarheel.

. I mean, who would announce a commitment to another school while on an an OV?
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You never know about connections between players and staff, BUT can’t beleve we are on equal footing until this years results provide a very positive trend analysis for all to see. A big turn around with lots of happy campers within this SYSTEM would sure help. The fact we are on some of these short lists is great but later commit dates should be our friend with an easy logical trend line.
 
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GUNTERSVOL said:
A big turn around with lots of happy campers within this SYSTEM would sure help. The fact we are on some of these short lists is great
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100% agree about the big turn around and happy campers, and of the two, happy campers may be more important. Paige Dauer talked about the importance of making TN a destination school again. Our history surely helps, though it is becoming ancient history in modern bb terms. Our last championship was 2008 -- let's just round that to two decades. Or, before any of the 2027 prospects were born. We went to the Elite 8 five times in six years, 2011-2016. Haven't been back. Three schools have been to the Elite 8 at least five times in the last six years -- South Carolina is 6-6, UConn 5-6, and, wait for it... Louisville, missing last year.

Is that a reasonable standard to shoot for going forward? Depends on how much you think the women's game is improving. NO men's team has a 5-6 Elite 8 showing in the last five years -- the best is 3-6, which 5 teams have done, including Rick Barnes' last three squads. I know parity has improved in the wbb over the last few decades; I don't have a good handle on how fast it is changing. As a comparison, 7 women's teams have made the Elite 8 in 3 of the last six years (five are on our schedule). (LSU is 2-3 due to Duke's buzzer beater last year. And they have a 2023 Natty.)

Maybe a 50% rate of Elite 8's (a little less with a recent Natty) is a good performance standard for "destination programs" now. Does that mean I'm looking for an Elite 8 this year? No. I've seen the arguments as to whether this team is more talented that Kim's 2024-25 squad, and points can be made on both sides. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER. I'm waiting for performance. I will say this, if Kim can go from last years disaster to an Elite 8 appearance, I'd predict a good argument could be made for her as SEC Coach of the Year. That would be quite an accomplishment! But I think she might get a big-enough turn around with less than an Elite 8 NCAA tournament result. Overall record, SEC record, SEC Tournament, NCAA tournament -- they will all factor in.

But, however we define "a big turnaround" -- it's not enough. "Happy campers" is the other key ingredient in becoming a destination school, though maybe "happy" isn't the right word. Certainly, there were a LOT of times when players, even teams, under Pat weren't "happy" -- even some who are true LVFLs and still revere Pat. But there is clearly an attitudinal component, a system of beliefs and feelings about the program that are important. What is it that we're really looking for here? For Kim, I'm going to call it the Four Cs.

Committed: Players have to be committed to playing Kim Ball. I know there are those who think there's no way Kim Ball can win, but it's crystal clear that Kim has moved past whatever waffling she did last year. Thank goodness. That was ugly. Go big or go... somewhere else. That's what faces Kim and she seems to have embraced it. And, from everything I can tell, she's brought in a group of players that not only say they embrace it, their play styles and skill sets suggest they could truly want to play Kim Ball. So far, what we've heard out of practice sounds good on this score, much better than last year. I'm going to give Kim an "A" on this at this point. We'll see where we are at the end.

Challenged: Elite players want to feel challenged in ways that push them to grow. Here, I look to the consistent comments from players about how upfront and clear Kim was with them about what would be involved in playing for this team. And, again, words out of practice seem to back this up. No 'I went easier on this team" from Kim. Instead, she's talked about getting more of her system in place (another difference from last year). I don't think Kim has ever had a problem challenging herself or her players. She just seems to be that kind of person. Kim's carrying an "A" grade so far on this component, too.

Cared for: This is the flip side of challenge. Personal support for each player. This is Pat having lunch with Candace regularly during her freshman year as she rehabbed. Kim has said she has never, before last year, had a problem getting players to run through walls for her. But she also has talked about how much her mother was a part of team bonding at Glenville State. Plus she had her dad there for a while. To me, this doesn't seem to be as natural a part of Kim as the '"challenge" component. I admit, I'm operating off scant evidence here. Also, "cared for" doesn't aways have to come from the head coach alone (though I think there has to be some). I always had the feeling that Holly brought a lot of this to Pat's teams and that she had a hard time trying to fill Pat's shoes at least partially because there was a large mismatch in her style and what she had seen modeled for so many years. Anyway, not much evidence here. I'd love to see an interview with Avery Mills, or something from her social media. She seems to have a great personal attitude, but is she getting that "cared for" aspect? I had the feeling that Jaida Civil might have stayed if she had had just a bit closer relationship with Kim last year. And it wasn't Kim that went to see Oliviyah Edwards to reassure her when things got shaky last season. The strongest point in Kim's favor on this right now is Zee Spearman's mom hugging Kim and saying "She made it!" when Zee graduated. Right now, I'm giving Kim's performance (including what she's gotten out of her staff) a "C" so far for this component.

Cohesive: The team has to play together. Kim's system demands it. The 24-25 team seemed to have this, though with a hiccup at the end, but they pulled it together in the big dance to beat Ohio State on their home floor and take Texas to the wire for a shot at the Elite 8. Again, Kim and her staff did an amazing job in digging out of a big hole with this recruiting/portal class. It's really hard to rate cohesion based on what we've seen out of practice. There were smiles and hugs and enthusiasm this time last year. Kim gets an "Incomplete" for this season, and a "C+" for the last two years.

Maybe I could circle back to the beginning of this post and add one more "C."

Championships: Ultimately, for players, fans, and Kim's career, she's got to have her teams at least in the hunt for championships, or Tennessee won't regain the type of "destination school" status it once enjoyed.

Looking forward to seeing how Kim, her staff, and this team do on these dimensions this year. Go Big Orange!
 
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RetroVol said:
100% agree about the big turn around and happy campers, and of the two, happy campers may be more important. Paige Dauer talked about the importance of making TN a destination school again. Our history surely helps, though it is becoming ancient history in modern bb terms. Our last championship was 2008 -- let's just round that to two decades. Or, before any of the 2027 prospects were born. We went to the Elite 8 five times in six years, 2011-2016. Haven't been back. Three schools have been to the Elite 8 at least five times in the last six years -- South Carolina is 6-6, UConn 5-6, and, wait for it... Louisville, missing last year.

Is that a reasonable standard to shoot for going forward? Depends on how much you think the women's game is improving. NO men's team has a 5-6 Elite 8 showing in the last five years -- the best is 3-6, which 5 teams have done, including Rick Barnes' last three squads. I know parity has improved in the wbb over the last few decades; I don't have a good handle on how fast it is changing. As a comparison, 7 women's teams have made the Elite 8 in 3 of the last six years (five are on our schedule). (LSU is 2-3 due to Duke's buzzer beater last year. And they have a 2023 Natty.)

Maybe a 50% rate of Elite 8's (a little less with a recent Natty) is a good performance standard for "destination programs" now. Does that mean I'm looking for an Elite 8 this year? No. I've seen the arguments as to whether this team is more talented that Kim's 2024-25 squad, and points can be made on both sides. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER. I'm waiting for performance. I will say this, if Kim can go from last years disaster to an Elite 8 appearance, I'd predict a good argument could be made for her as SEC Coach of the Year. That would be quite an accomplishment! But I think she might get a big-enough turn around with less than an Elite 8 NCAA tournament result. Overall record, SEC record, SEC Tournament, NCAA tournament -- they will all factor in.

But, however we define "a big turnaround" -- it's not enough. "Happy campers" is the other key ingredient in becoming a destination school, though maybe "happy" isn't the right word. Certainly, there were a LOT of times when players, even teams, under Pat weren't "happy" -- even some who are true LVFLs and still revere Pat. But there is clearly an attitudinal component, a system of beliefs and feelings about the program that are important. What is it that we're really looking for here? For Kim, I'm going to call it the Four Cs.

Committed: Players have to be committed to playing Kim Ball. I know there are those who think there's no way Kim Ball can win, but it's crystal clear that Kim has moved past whatever waffling she did last year. Thank goodness. That was ugly. Go big or go... somewhere else. That's what faces Kim and she seems to have embraced it. And, from everything I can tell, she's brought in a group of players that not only say they embrace it, their play styles and skill sets suggest they could truly want to play Kim Ball. So far, what we've heard out of practice sounds good on this score, much better than last year. I'm going to give Kim an "A" on this at this point. We'll see where we are at the end.

Challenged: Elite players want to feel challenged in ways that push them to grow. Here, I look to the consistent comments from players about how upfront and clear Kim was with them about what would be involved in playing for this team. And, again, words out of practice seem to back this up. No 'I went easier on this team" from Kim. Instead, she's talked about getting more of her system in place (another difference from last year). I don't think Kim has ever had a problem challenging herself or her players. She just seems to be that kind of person. Kim's carrying an "A" grade so far on this component, too.

Cared for: This is the flip side of challenge. Personal support for each player. This is Pat having lunch with Candace regularly during her freshman year as she rehabbed. Kim has said she has never, before last year, had a problem getting players to run through walls for her. But she also has talked about how much her mother was a part of team bonding at Glenville State. Plus she had her dad there for a while. To me, this doesn't seem to be as natural a part of Kim as the '"challenge" component. I admit, I'm operating off scant evidence here. Also, "cared for" doesn't aways have to come from the head coach alone (though I think there has to be some). I always had the feeling that Holly brought a lot of this to Pat's teams and that she had a hard time trying to fill Pat's shoes at least partially because there was a large mismatch in her style and what she had seen modeled for so many years. Anyway, not much evidence here. I'd love to see an interview with Avery Mills, or something from her social media. She seems to have a great personal attitude, but is she getting that "cared for" aspect? I had the feeling that Jaida Civil might have stayed if she had had just a bit closer relationship with Kim last year. And it wasn't Kim that went to see Oliviyah Edwards to reassure her when things got shaky last season. The strongest point in Kim's favor on this right now is Zee Spearman's mom hugging Kim and saying "She made it!" when Zee graduated. Right now, I'm giving Kim's performance (including what she's gotten out of her staff) a "C" so far for this component.

Cohesive: The team has to play together. Kim's system demands it. The 24-25 team seemed to have this, though with a hiccup at the end, but they pulled it together in the big dance to beat Ohio State on their home floor and take Texas to the wire for a shot at the Elite 8. Again, Kim and her staff did an amazing job in digging out of a big hole with this recruiting/portal class. It's really hard to rate cohesion based on what we've seen out of practice. There were smiles and hugs and enthusiasm this time last year. Kim gets an "Incomplete" for this season, and a "C+" for the last two years.

Maybe I could circle back to the beginning of this post and add one more "C."

Championships: Ultimately, for players, fans, and Kim's career, she's got to have her teams at least in the hunt for championships, or Tennessee won't regain the type of "destination school" status it once enjoyed.

Looking forward to seeing how Kim, her staff, and this team do on these dimensions this year. Go Big Orange!
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TL;DR… i keed, i keed… 🤣

Flexing yer journalism degree and background, eh? Deserved it’s own thread. Thank you!
 
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RetroVol said:
Got to admit, I find I often think things through by writing. Figure people can always just DR if TL!
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The power of the pen. Hard to lie to yourself or maintain a narrative if your intentions are centered and wholesome. I seem to get hung up by getting an untimely refresh when i get off on a good rant. 😉
 
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2027s with announced offers: (*offer or reoffer by Kim posted) ESPN ranking

55 Kie'Aundria Acree* not top 6 to TX A&M
17 Avery Arije*
8 Haylen Ayers* not top 5
3 Caroline Bradley* not top 10 to LSU
30 Taylor Brown*
13 Ryan Carter*
46 Finley Chastain To Oklahoma
54 C'India Dennis*
27 Jada Jackson* to TX Tech
18 Zaniya Johnson* not top 12
5 Eve Long* not top 5 to Notre Dame
25 Amaya Manuel*
2 Ivanna Manyacka*
44 De'Andra Minor* not top 6
NR Sydney Mobley* not top 12 to Ohio State
6 Micah Ojo*
7 Jordyn Palmer*
33 Maci Pringle
10 Qandace Samuels*
9 Sydney Savoury* not top 6
1 Kaleena Smith*
39 Jordan Speller* to UCF
11 Nation Williams not top 10
 
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Memvol44 said:
It would be nice to get a player over 6;1....
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Always a little suspicious of Youtube highlights (competition, edited for best, etc.), but I watched a few on Quandace Samuels and really liked what I saw -- frame, movement, some evidence of court awareness and passing. Unfortunately, I don't see any indication we are anything other than "in her top 10."

I'm thinking Kim Ball may find its best taller prospects based on a love for chaos, for running, for shooting the 3 and faking the 3 to drive past defenders. High activity, high motor, with the court savvy and foot speed to read and react. I can imagine a pitch that goes, "You'll get to do more of what you do uniquely well in this system than anywhere else in the country." (If successful, that definitely helps create a "destination school" -- a unique identity that offers unusual opportunities to the very best.)
 
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RetroVol said:
Always a little suspicious of Youtube highlights (competition, edited for best, etc.), but I watched a few on Quandace Samuels and really liked what I saw -- frame, movement, some evidence of court awareness and passing. Unfortunately, I don't see any indication we are anything other than "in her top 10."

I'm thinking Kim Ball may find its best taller prospects based on a love for chaos, for running, for shooting the 3 and faking the 3 to drive past defenders. High activity, high motor, with the court savvy and foot speed to read and react. I can imagine a pitch that goes, "You'll get to do more of what you do uniquely well in this system than anywhere else in the country." (If successful, that definitely helps create a "destination school" -- a unique identity that offers unusual opportunities to the very best.)
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Brown is not at UNC today. She visited them previously. She is announcing at 2 today.
 
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Memvol44 said:
It would be nice to get a player over 6;1....
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It's year three guys. Time to internalize the parameters of the program. Counterintuitive to everything we've ever known about basketball, Kim Caldwell thinks height doesn't matter. Or if it does, it's somewhere way down the list.

She thinks she's reinventing the game and is happy to blow up conventional wisdom. We'll see how that goes.
POLOinDC said:
Call me impressed that we are actually on some of these short list. After the season we had last year, I wasn't expecting much from hs recruiting this season.
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Agree. Just getting on the list for some players in the top 20, let alone the very top, is quite an accomplishment
 
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Like everyone else here I have no information on what Brown’s decision will be, and I don’t know what if anything to read into the fact that she announced her decision date literally hours after CDS made an in home visit last week. I could see Brown doing well at all three of her finalists and believe she is probably the second or third best PG in this class. The caveat with her is that she may not be 100% by next fall after the ACL surgery, recovery times vary tremendously between players. She is definitely a great player though and who ever lands her will be fortunate.
 
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POLOinDC said:
Call me impressed that we are actually on some of these short list. After the season we had last year, I wasn't expecting much from hs recruiting this season. Even if we don't land any, I feel the program is getting it's footing back.
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Not a clue for each of these how much is driven by historical program status, respect for Coach and staff, or interaction with current squad, but regardless it is important to maintain enough status to be on the dance card where both sides can narrow down the fit. Some skill sets may not be better served by ensemble based game plans and that is OK.

Who and how many we continue to dance with FREQUENTLY as we attempt to reprove the concepts for HS signature as well as posturing for later portal activity IF OUR TRAJECTORY IS GOOD for bad original fits elsewhere, even if we get to the one time transfer is key. Hope we provide some eye candy soon for all. The clock is ticking.
 
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RetroVol said:
Committed: Players have to be committed to playing Kim Ball. I know there are those who think there's no way Kim Ball can win, but it's crystal clear that Kim has moved past whatever waffling she did last year. Thank goodness. That was ugly. Go big or go... somewhere else. That's what faces Kim and she seems to have embraced it. And, from everything I can tell, she's brought in a group of players that not only say they embrace it, their play styles and skill sets suggest they could truly want to play Kim Ball. So far, what we've heard out of practice sounds good on this score, much better than last year. I'm going to give Kim an "A" on this at this point. We'll see where we are at the end.
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I believe there's an element to this system where players don't actually know what it's going to be like until they play it competitively. None of these kids have ever played in two minute spurts, nor been asked to press and trap bigger, stronger more talented players relentlessly even when it's not working. I don't believe a practice environment can simulate any of that accurately.

As badly as they've all been slandered and disparaged, I don't think a single player nor coach from last year's team signed on thinking they weren't going to like playing in this system. Then the reality rubber hit the road. Popular narrative makes it seem that the revolt last year happened out of the blue for no reason. I think that's a badly mistaken assumption. There were reasons not linked to character failure.

I heard lots of praise, enthusiasm and commitment for this system in preseason last year. In fact, what we're hearing this year in pre season is really not different from what we've heard every year. Except for the odd chip on the shoulder stuff. As if the program should be mad at anyone other than themselves.
 
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GUNTERSVOL said:
Not a clue for each of these how much is driven by historical program status
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I could be wrong. but I don't think very much of recruiting is driven by our historical status at all. It was before the recruits were born and young people just don't think that way. If anything related, it's the incredible facilities and environment that the history has enabled.
 
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glv98 said:
I could be wrong. but I don't think very much of recruiting is driven by our historical status at all. It was before the recruits were born and young people just don't think that way. If anything related, it's the incredible facilities and environment that the history has enabled.
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Yeah, I think that’s likely true for the most part. Obviously there might occasionally be a kid who was brought up by family members who have a deep appreciation and understanding of Lady Vol Basketball’s special place in the sport. But for the most part I suspect the players we’re hearing these days talking about being proud to become a part of the phenomenal legacy of LV basketball are kids who’ve been inundated with exposure to information about it only AFTER arriving on campus as students.

Eventually most players graduate with a deep love and appreciation for it all, but I definitely suspect most arrive fairly uninformed. But yeah, the facilities are impressive to everyone. Our players want for nothing.
 
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