Ahead of the season, USF lost head coach Jose Fernandez to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. As a result, Michelle Woods-Baxter was tabbed the team’s interim coach. Now, the university has announced that it will conduct a nationwide search to fill the position next season.
While Woods-Baxter will get a look, there are a handful of other coaches across the country to keep in mind for the job. USA TODAY’s Mitchell Northam put together a list of candidates to know for the search. This included Lady Vols basketball assistant coach Gabe Lazo.
“Now an assistant at Tennessee, where he’s signed multiple McDonald’s All-Americans for Kim Caldwell, Lazo is widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the sport,” Northam wrote. “However, it should also be mentioned that Lazo is an ace scouter and has a strong acumen in X’s and O’s. In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell gave Lazo – then an assistant for the Bulldogs – much of the credit for preparing the team in their upset of No. 6 Creighton. Purcell added Lazo’s “work ethic is unmatched” and he’s an “elite” player developer.”
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As Northam noted, Lazo’s calling card is his elite recruiting. He played a significant role in landing the first wave of transfers under Kim Caldwell a year ago and was the key recruiter for the Lady Vols’ No. 2-ranked high school signing class and trio of transfer portal additions this year.
Lazo is also a key reason UT was able to land the No. 2-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, five-star forward Oliviyah Edwards. She’s been vocal about his impact on her decision to sign with the Lady Vols.
He doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed as just a recruiter, though. Lazo is also a vocal coach on the sideline and is responsible for helping the team prepare for games throughout the season.
“I do get labeled a recruiter a lot,” Lazo told RTI before the season. “I’ll be honest, I don’t really even love the word recruiter. It’s a word that’s very transactional. I’m not a transactional person. There’s young ladies I’ve recruited that have gone to other schools, I don’t unfollow them on social media and get mad cause that’s all transactional stuff, man. I’m all about transformational relationships and being someone who can transform and develop someone. There’s much more than the recruiting piece, I’m a relationship builder.”
Lazo is currently focused on helping Tennessee prepare for the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols will get their seed and matchup for March Madness this Sunday during the selection show.
