Former Lady Vols basketball signee Oliviyah Edwards is headed elsewhere in the SEC. After being granted a release from her signing with Tennessee, she took visits to South Carolina and Texas. Ultimately, she has now committed to the Gamecocks over the Longhorns and a return to UT.
Edwards ranks as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country, according to ESPNW. She picked Tennessee over USC, South Carolina, LSU, Washington and Florida in her initial recruitment. She is from Tacoma, Washington.
“Oliviyah will come in and make an impact on both ends of the court,” Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said at the time of her signing. “Her versatility and play-making ability will set her apart. She is a high character person, and we couldn’t be happier for her to join our program.”
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Edwards stands at 6-foot-3 and projects to be multi-positional as a forward at the next level. Not only does she have a college-ready frame, but she also has freak athleticism. She has proven to be able to dunk with ease, throwing down jams as a senior in high school.
Edwards was one of two recruits to commit and sign to the Lady Vols in the 2026 class at first. The other was four-star guard Gabby Minus out of Dacula, Georgia. Minus is still currently signed to play for Tennessee next season. Since Edwards’ departure, Caldwell has also signed overseas prospect Irene Oboavwoduo.
Tennessee also owns the commitment of eight transfer portal prospects. So far, Liberty’s Avery Mills, Northern Arizona’s Naomi White, Stanford’s Harper Peterson, Georgia’s Zhen Craft and Rylie Theuerkauf, Auburn’s Harissoum Coulibaly, Texas A&M’s Fatmata Janneh and Maryland’s Kaylene Smikle are in the boat.
