Lady Vols basketball legend Candace Parker will be in Knoxville this weekend to be the guest picker for “College GameDay” before Tennessee football hosts Georgia in a top-15 matchup.
That means Parker’s visit coincides with a massive recruiting weekend for Tennessee. The Lady Vols are hosting three elite recruits, two of them top-10 prospects in the 2026 class. Five-star forwards Oliviyah Edwards and Brihanna Crittendon are both taking their official visits from Sept. 12-14.
Advertisement
No. 15 Tennessee (2-0) hosts No. 3 Georgia (2-0) at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 13 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Edwards, Crittendon and five-star forward Eve Long, who’s ranked No. 9 in the 2027 class, will all be there.
Parker has made a quick connection with Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell, who is entering her second season at the helm. Caldwell was even a guest at Parker’s stop in Nashville during her book tour for “The Can-Do Mindset” in June. Parker also posted a clip from Caldwell’s press conference after Tennessee lost to LSU in January with the caption “I would want to play for her” with three orange hearts on an Instagram story.
Caldwell made the trip to the Los Angeles Sparks game in June for the first of two WNBA jersey retirement ceremonies for Parker this summer. Parker, who retired in 2024 as one of the most decorated players in the game, also had her Chicago Sky jersey retired in August.
Parker won two national championships at Tennessee playing for legendary coach Pat Summitt. She was two-time WNBA MVP and a three-time WNBA champion over her 16 seasons in the league.
Advertisement
Who are Lady Vols hosting on recruiting visits this weekend?
Tennessee is hosting three of the most talented high school forwards in the country this weekend.
Edwards is ranked No. 2 in the 2026 class, and the 6-foot-3 prospect from Tacoma, Washington, is one of the most sought-after players in the nation. She also already has a connection to Parker as one of Adidas’ NIL athletes. Parker is the president of Adidas women’s basketball.
Edwards has also caught Parker’s attention on social media over the years for her dunking ability. Most recently, Edwards threw down a dunk during an AAU game this summer, which Parker reposted to her story before reaching out to Edwards directly.
Advertisement
LADY VOLS: Why Kim Caldwell’s pace has slowed down for Lady Vols basketball. It’s a good problem
Crittendon, who is ranked No. 9 in the 2026 class, is one of the most talented scorers in the country. The 6-3 prospect from Thornton, Colorado, surpassed 2,000 career points at Riverdale Ridge last season, becoming the fastest athlete in Colorado history to do so.
Crittendon led Riverdale Ridge to the program’s first state title as a sophomore. Crittendon is a three-level scorer with a great handle, and she averaged 33 points at a tournament in July.
Long, 6-3, will be on an unofficial visit over the weekend. The prospect out of Olathe, Kansas, won a gold medal with USA Basketball this summer at the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. She averaged 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals, earning her a spot on the All-Star Five at the AmeriCup. Tennessee extended an offer to Long in May.
Advertisement
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: Lady Vols recruiting: Why Candace Parker being ‘College GameDay’ picker matters
