BIRMINGHAM, AL – Recruiting season is in full swing for Lady Vols basketball with top high school prospects taking official and unofficial visits throughout the fall.
Tennessee is switching from Nike to Adidas in 2026 as its official apparel supplier, and the return to the brand could be valuable for women’s basketball recruiting.
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Lady Vols legend Candace Parker is the president of women’s basketball for Adidas. The brand has been a leader in the NIL space, which included women’s sports from the beginning. Parker has already begun to help build a roster of elite talent for Adidas’ high school NIL athletes.
The deal will bring NIL benefits to Tennessee athletes, which will be a valuable asset in recruiting.
“I think it’s special. I think it’s a great opportunity for Tennessee,” Caldwell said Oct. 15 at SEC Basketball Tipoff ’26 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel. “And I think, selfishly, it’s a really a great opportunity for us, because we do have the connection with Candace, because I do think that they’re going to value women’s sports. I do think it’s going to give our players just more of an opportunity, and I think that’s exciting. I’m excited to kind of see what it looks like.”
Tennessee has a commitment from Oliviyah Edwards, who was one of three women’s basketball prospects Adidas signed in May. The five-star forward is ranked No. 2 in the 2026 class by ESPN.
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Five-star point guard Kaleena Smith was also one of Adidas’ newest signees. The 5-foot-6 prospect, who’s ranked No. 1 in the 2027 class, took an unofficial visit to Tennessee on Oct. 13. Smith had a photoshoot in a Lady Vols jersey, which freshman point guards Mia and Mya Pauldo posted on their Instagram stories.
Caldwell and her staff got off to a strong start last year, signing the No. 2-ranked 2025 class. It has been easier to sell her non-traditional style of play going into her second season at the power conference level. She doesn’t have to explain as much, and she can show clips of Tennessee players instead of players from her past programs.
Caldwell said she’ll always recruit by athleticism and mindset. She wants to recruit players who want the ball in their hands, who aren’t afraid of anything and who can be counted on immediately.
“We don’t recruit backup freshmen. We recruit freshmen that we are going to count on you from day one,” Caldwell said. “If you’re not right, we can’t find what’s right, we’re going to get it out of the portal. That’s a dawg mentality. That’s a mindset of this is something I want to do. I believe in myself enough, I believe in Tennessee and the coaching staff enough that this is what I want.”
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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kim Caldwell, Tennessee coach says switch to Adidas helps recruiting
