After a rough finish to the season, it wasn’t a huge surprise that the Lady Vols and Kim Caldwell might face roster changes this offseason—but the first piece of transfer news is still a tough blow.
Five-star Tennessee freshman Deniya Prawl has entered the transfer portal. Prawl only signed with Caldwell last year and arrived in Knoxville with sky-high expectations.
Unfortunately, she never quite lived up to the hype, and now her time with the SEC program is ending before it truly began. ESPN’s Andraya Carter reported the news.
Losing Prawl is a major hit for Caldwell. The Lady Vols just wrapped up a disappointing season, falling 16–14 with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to NC State and an eight-game losing streak to close the year—a tie for the program’s most losses in a season.
With that kind of finish, pressure has been mounting on Caldwell, and this latest development certainly doesn’t ease it.
Prawl came out of Florida’s IMG Academy and had chosen Tennessee over powerhouse programs like Miami, Baylor, Duke, and Louisville.
According to the 247Sports Composite, she was a five-star recruit, ranked the No. 4 small forward and the No. 10 overall player in her class.
She was expected to be a future SEC standout but managed only four points per game in her freshman season.
While Prawl will likely draw plenty of attention on the transfer market, seeing her leave already is tough for Tennessee. Fans had hoped for some positive momentum, but this unexpected departure makes Caldwell’s rebuilding task even steeper.
