As Kim Caldwell and the Lady Vols look to ink another elite recruiting class, Tennessee has put itself in a strong position to land one of the top players in the 2026 class.
Oliviyah Edwards, a five-star and No. 2 recruit in the cycle, according to ESPNW, has released her top six schools she’ll be focusing on going forward. This included the Lady Vols, South Carolina, USC, LSU, Florida and Washington.
Edwards has an official visit set up to see the Lady Vols from Sept. 12-14. This will be her second time in Knoxville after she previously took an unofficial visit in January.
She will also get official looks at LSU from Oct. 9-12 and South Carolina from Sept. 19-21.
Edwards previously stated that she intends to be committed by November. She began the process of locking in official visits on July 26, with Tennessee the first school she announced she’ll be visiting.
Other schools making pushes for Edwards and who have already hosted her on unofficial visits are USC, South Carolina and Washington.
Edwards is a 6-foot-3 power forward with elite athleticism. She has displayed the ability to dunk with ease before her senior year of high school has even begun.
They said I couldn’t dunk in a game… so I did. The end of my AAU journey ends this weekend. #3SSB pic.twitter.com/TUm8e1RxnA
— Oliviyah “Big Oh” Edwards (@EdwardsOliviyah) July 16, 2025
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Edwards is based out of Tacoma, Washington, where she plays for Elite Sports Academy. She was named a Second-Team Naismith High School Girls’ All-American in her junior year.
“Edwards is a fantastic frontcourt option when sprinting the lane in the open floor,” 247 Director of Women’s Basketball Scouting Brandon Clay wrote. “In that regard, she is the most intriguing prospect in the class right now. She possesses a physical toolbox that no one else has. Edwards is also showing signs of making the 15-18 foot jumper when her feet are set. Her calling card is her willingness to rebound the basketball and be impactful in the paint.”
Tennessee currently holds no commitments in the 2026 cycle. However, in Caldwell’s first season as head coach, she inked the No. 2 class in the country, according to ESPNW. This included a trio of McDonald’s All-Americans in Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil. She also landed top-100 prospects Mya Pauldo and Lauren Hurst.
In the transfer portal, ESPN tabbed the Lady Vols as the best incoming class with UCLA’s Janiah Barker, LSU’s Jersey Wolfenbarger and SMU’s Nya Robertson joining.
