5-Star WCBB Recruit Oliviyah Edwards Decommits from Tennessee After Trending Dunk Contest Videos

Oliviyah Edwards is reportedly leaving the Tennessee women's basketball team before ever taking the court in a game.

ESPN's Shane Laflin reported Monday that Edwards requested a release from her national letter of intent. The forward is a 5-star prospect and the No. 5 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The decision comes after she turned heads by throwing down a dunk in the Sprite Jam Fest Dunk Contest:

As Laflin explained, the Lady Volunteers now have just one player remaining on the roster for the 2026-27 campaign following Edwards' decommitment and Jaida Civil's decision to enter the transfer portal.

That comes after a disappointing season for the historically excellent program.

Tennessee went 16-14 under second-year coach Kim Caldwell and lost its final eight games. Its season came to an end with a first-round loss to NC State, and it also lost seven games by 15 or more points.

Throw in all the departures, and the future is unclear at best for the program.

Edwards would have been a stabilizing force and a major reason the Lady Volunteers had the 15th-best recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports' rankings. But that class looks much different without the headliner anchoring it, and whichever team ends up with her will have quite the playmaker in the frontcourt.

Her ability to hit from the midrange makes her a mismatch nightmare, and she can control the boards and score in the post. At her best, she can be a double-double threat when she steps on the floor and surely would have seen significant playing time for Tennessee during her freshman season.

Instead, she will be playing elsewhere after asking for a departure.