Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee is bleeding dry. After the No. 10 seed fell 76-61 against No. 7 N.C. State, ending the season with eight straight losses, the players are jumping ship. First it was Deniya Prawl and then Alysa Latham followed. Kaniya Boyd and Lauren Hurst are on their way out as well. The latest announcement has alarms ringing among the Volunteers as many are ready to axe Caldwell. 

On3’s Talia Goodman reported that freshmen twins Mia and Mya Pauldo are planning to enter the transfer portal. Mia was a McDonald’s All-American last year and the No. 12-ranked recruit according to 247Sports, while Mya came into Tennessee as a top-60 overall recruit. Mia earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors after appearing in 27 games with 16 starts while averaging 10.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 23.3 minutes per game. 

Mya had limited playing time, averaging 1.8 points at 10 minutes per game. Both were expected to improve as sophomores. But now they will look for destinations away from Tennessee. Kim Caldwell has now lost 6 players to the portal and with 5 seniors on her 2025-26 team, only two players remain in the program. That’s not all, assistant coach and key recruiter, Gabe Lazo left the Vols to join Kim Mulkey at LSU. Naturally, this mass exodus has brought some criticism on coach Caldwell.

Tennessee Urged To Fire Kim Caldwell After Locker Room Breakup

“So they gonna have a whole new squad and a new coach? 😂 because Kim gotta go!” commented a fan. “How long before they fire Kim Caldwell?” Asked another. The fanbase was already reeling from its worst season in history with a 16-14 record. They also lost in the first round of March Madness for just the third time. The team ended the season on an 8-game losing streak and the failure to retain players is just salt in the wounds. 

However, Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White has backed Caldwell. While admitting this season hasn’t been on par, he said, “I think she is doing a great job. I am as confident in her as I was the day I hired her—more confident. Just getting a chance to work closely with her and see how talented she is as a basketball mind and as a leader.” 

After his statement, there were reports that people around him are urging him to move on from Caldwell and “accept his mistake.” So far, there are no signs that the program will look beyond her. Yet, Caldwell lost the locker room this past season and these exits are not surprising for some fans. 

“This is what happens when the coach throws the players under the bus,” wrote one. “Nothing surprising about this,” pitched in another. There were multiple issues between Caldwell and the players. After a blowout loss to South Carolina, she said, “I have a team that will quit on (you), and you can’t do that in big games… or any time in the SEC. But you certainly can’t do that in this program.” Many perceived that as shifting blame to the players rather than taking responsibility.

Then at Senior night, she did not play fifth-year Kaiya Wynn until the final 15 seconds. After which Wynn left the program, citing that decision as the “breaking point.” Caldwell lost the players’ confidence. However, some feel the players are also to blame. 

“Good riddance to all 11,” wrote one. “We need new kids who want to be coached. ” Ultimately, there is no information on what exactly happened in that locker room. Whether the players did not align with Caldwell’s style or Caldwell’s attitude caused this is unknown. Regardless, if the program is going to stick with her, she needs a different squad.

Now, Kim Caldwell can start from square one and bring in players who align with her style of basketball. They have top prospects like Oliviyah Edwards and Gabby Minus coming in their 2026 recruiting class. So, there is a glimmer of hope for the Lady Vols fans.