The Lady Vols ended the 2025-26 NCAA season in need of a roster reset, and the team has been adding new players ever since. While the signings are great — and Tennessee's fans have a lot to look forward to next season — it's becoming clear the team still needs to find a way to add on size if at all possible.
The tallest player on the team's roster is 6'2", something that will make rebounding a challenge for the Lady Vols if they don't find a larger athelete to add. Caldwell's system, which has made her a fairly devisive figure in the world of SEC basketball, relies heavily on rebounding that can only be described as aggressive. Size is especially important when it comes to pulling that off.
Though a roster reset will likely lead to a lot that's positive for the Lady Vols in the longterm, it may prove to be a challenge at first. Caldwell's system also thrives best when veteran players can explain it to newcomers; this season she'll have a lot of new players and will be tasked with demonstrating and implementing the system herself.
That doesn't have to spell doom and gloom for Tennessee. As much as leadership would be fantastic to have on the team, Caldwell has the opportunity to mold a group of new athletes and work with many of them for several years. If the 2026-27 season isn't the team's strongest, there may be enough reasons to suspect that the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons will be, as those players age and are able to understand and then teach what the team is all about.
Kim Caldwell's new players will bring dimension to the Lady Vols
There are also several reasons to suspect Tennessee could end up having a stronger season than some anticipate. Many of the new players signed to the program have enjoyed great success at mid-majors. While size is a concern, other programs (notably Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies) have managed to handle size-dominant teams with a rotation of heavily talented guards — and that might be something Caldwell is planning to explore as well.
No matter what happens, the Lady Vols are going to be on the receiving end of a lot of scrutiny and interest this season. The team ended 2025-26 with a disappointing 8-8 conference record and 16-14 overall record, but it's not quite time to count them out yet.
Add us as a preferred source on Google