The Lady Vols captured the No. 2 recruiting class for 2025, best since 2017
Knoxville, Tenn. – Each time the Lady Vols take the court the excitement level goes up a notch. Of course the more meaningful tests will come when they take on FSU and Iowa.
Nonetheless, the strides Lady Vols’ head coach Kim Caldwell and her staff have made in just seven months has been enough to land the 2nd best recruiting class for 2025.
A feat that even left her surprised.
The energy on Rocky Top has become infectious to the point when one program wins it seems so too does everyone else.
Take for example the massive recruiting week for the Lady Vols during the Third Saturday in October. Caldwell and staff used that weekend to bring their biggest recruiting to town.
After Josh Heupel’s Volunteers took care of business it appeared there was no better way to show off the brand than back-to-back wins at home for the Vols over Alabama.
Lady Vols Sara Puckett and Jewel Spear who were at the game with the team joined Vol Nation in rushing the field as well!
Their energy and connection only helped the staff with their pitch even more.
“Our biggest sell is not just the Tennessee logo and the Tennessee fan base, but our players did a great job of being yourself and being authentic through the whole process,” said Caldwell.
Those interactions helped Caldwell sign the No. 2 class in the nation, a group that she not only called “really special,” but one that could leave their mark.
“I think that they are a class that can leave their mark here,” said Caldwell. “And that was talked about at length in the recruiting process, and it was something they all embraced, and it’s something they all welcomed and wanted to be a part of. We still have a few more spots that we can fill out of the portal, but I think this freshman class is going to be a great foundation for us moving forward.”
So, who makes up this class?
It includes twins Mia and Mya Pauldo, Deniya Prawl, Jaida Civil, and Lauren Hurst.
The 2025 class is the highest-ranked class for Tennessee since 2017.
Mia Pauldo is ranked No. 11, Prawl is ranked No. 14, Civil is ranked No. 32, Hurst is ranked No. 42 and Mya Pauldo is ranked No. 56 in ESPN’s 2025 class rankings.
In Caldwell’s first season at the helm, she’s finding early success this Lady Vols team which builds confidence that the 2025 class will be able to take it to the next level.
“I think they saw a challenge and saw the ability to come somewhere and be a face of a program and didn’t back down, and they embraced that,” Caldwell said. “To have that core group that will hopefully stay with you for four years, you don’t get that very much anymore, especially a group like them … if they can come here and do what they should on paper, it’s going to be really good.”
Of course, it took more than a weekend or so on Rocky Top to be able to pull together a class like this.
That’s where coaches like Gabe Lazo and Roman Tubner, two coaches with vast experience in the SEC, absolutely played a crucial role in closing the deal for this class.
“Absolutely, they were huge,” Caldwell said. “When I got here, I hadn’t seen the players, I had a lot of catch-up to do … But they already had relationships. They had already talked to these players, and so (they were) two great hires that really helped get this class done.”
How some of the Lady Vols made their announcement was a great reflection of their connection to the coaches and program.
Lauren Hurst is that perfect example.
The Cleveland, Tennessee native had the most unique commitment announcement.
Prior to Tennessee’s game with Liberty, Hurst and her family made the drive to surprise Caldwell with what appeared to be a baby gift.
It came with a a pair of pictures from her official visit and baby items like an orange bib.
As Caldwell’s opening the gift, still puzzled as to what’s taking place, she begins to take those items out of the box and holding it in her hands she asked, “is this a good sign?”
Uh, yes!
As the gift for the expecting mother was all in an effort for Hurst to announce her commitment to Tennessee.
“I had no idea what was going on,” exclaimed Caldwell. “It’s game day, and I’m thinking, ‘What are we doing? Like, it’s game day, I need to be focused. Why do you have us up here?’ It was special for her to take the time to make it such a good announcement.”