Tennessee Goes Away From Pat Summitt Tree For Head Coach Hire

The University of Tennessee has found its replacement for Kellie Harper as head coach of the Lady Vols. It’s not exactly the big name hire that some may have expected. Instead Athletic Director Danny White has went for one of the best up and coming coaches in NCAA Division I. The new Tennessee coach will be Kim Caldwell, the head coach of Marshall. The Thundering Herd of Marshall went 17-1 in the Sun Belt Conference this year and a 26-7 overall record. Caldwell led Marshall to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1997.

Before taking over Marshall’s program a year ago, Caldwell spent seven years as head coach of Division II Glenville State. That is where her resume is really impressive. She had a record of 191-24 at Glenville State and led them to six regular-season conference titles and a national title in 2022. She has no ties to legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, but she was awarded the Pat Summitt Trophy in 2022 as the WBCA’s NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. Kim Caldwell will be announced as the new Lady Vols head coach on Tuesday.