Oliviyah Edwards Transfer + Gabe Lazo Breakdown | Will Kim Caldwell Keep Her Job at Tennessee?

Oliviyah Edwards is making headlines in the women’s college basketball transfer portal, and we’re breaking it ALL down.

In this episode of The Mid Majors Podcast, we dive into the latest updates surrounding Oliviyah Edwards, what her next move could be, and how it impacts the landscape of women’s college basketball. We also tap into insights from Gabe Lazo and analyze what this means for teams across the country.

Plus — we ask a BIG question: is Kim Caldwell’s job at Tennessee in jeopardy?

We discuss:

Oliviyah Edwards transfer rumors and possible landing spots
Gabe Lazo’s breakdown and perspective
Is Kim Caldwell on the hot seat at Tennessee?
How the transfer portal is reshaping women’s college basketball
Mid-major vs power conference impact
Early predictions and reactions

If you care about REAL women’s basketball analysis, the transfer portal, and coaching storylines — this is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Honey, Big O said she had to go. Let's talk about it. Welcome to the Mid Majors podcast where the real hoop talk happens, unfiltered and unapologetic. I am one of your hosts, Takara, and of course I got with me Courtney. And we are the Mid-Majors. If this is your first time watching the video with us, please go subscribe. We are about 50 subscribers away from 3,000. So help us out. Whoa. Mind you, we were at 2800 last night. So crazy. Help us out. You are y'all are y'all are showing out. Speaking of showing out, go ahead and like the video too, because you'll really show it out if you do that. But anyway, baby, we can't leave our computers. There's a lot going on today. It's a lot. I can barely keep up. I mean, first, let's start with well, let's start with Big O, Olivia Edwards, has asked for her release papers from Tennessee. And it's so crazy how easy it is now. Like, just because it's like the whole thing with that when everybody has been questioning, like, hey, is she going to leave? Everybody's been like, she's already signed her letter of intent. So when I I had reached out to a couple people and they were like, I mean, that's really not a big deal anymore. All you gotta do is just tell them you don't want to come there and they don't really fight it for real. They're gonna let you out of it. So that's what happened. Um Ken Cotwell, honey, I baby, I'm what is Tennessee gonna release a statement? Because do you do you feel like Courtney that at this point their backs are against the wall and they have to let her go? Because I thought that was gonna be the one that was gonna keep her there.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

You did, you did say that. You said I mean so how many coaches have left so far? Three? Well, she fired one.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Fired one, she fired other left, Gabe went to LSU for two hours, and I said, honey, I said, baby, did he get his email set up? Like, did he get his parking pass? That is crazy, man. Crazy. But he's going to UCF. So in Olivia's interview on McDonald's All-American, like she talked about her wanting to go somewhere that she wanted to dominate. Do we think that maybe those two go together as far as him getting a head job, him being her recruiter? Do we think it's a possibility that she could land a UCF?

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Uh, I mean, I don't know why she would do that, but can they afford her? That's my thing. I I mean, it's already weird. The the whole LSU and UCF thing anyway. Yeah. That's weird. I don't know what that's about. Because you hired them. I I is that that's weird to me. So you accepted the job and then they make this they make this whole post about it. Like, you know what I'm saying? It is still up. It's still still up. That's that's the part that's like a little weird, but like, like, what what's really going on? You know what I mean? What's really going on? But for Kim, Kim. Kim Codwell, that is. Yeah, Kim Codwill, yes. So I I think she needed to clean house. I honestly, I'm not mad at it. I I say give her one more year. Yeah. I say give her one more year. I mean, and we talked about them this entire season that like she just she really does need to clean house and just start over. And and start from scratch and really recruit kids that really buy into her system and in the way that she wants to play. I don't know. For some reason, sometimes when I think about Tennessee now, it's just like I don't know how involved she was with recruiting. Okay. You know what I mean? Like to Probably with the big ones, like big O, she was involved. Right. But I guess I'm just thinking, like, you got this whole team full of athletes and you know what I mean? And and the weight and the style of play that you play doesn't really fit how they play in a sense. So it's kind of like are you just getting them because they're athletes, or are you getting them because they actually buy into your system and they fit the vision that you have for Tennessee going forward? You know what I mean? Yeah. I I mean, I don't know. I mean, I I'd say give her one more year. I I'm I'm interested to see how she rebuilds. I'm excited about seeing that.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

So when I look, so it looks like as far as April 1st, as in three days ago, her buyout dropped from 4 million to 2 million. Her contract buyout dropped. Um, we could get here's something Monday. I don't, I don't know. I think she, I I think she may get one year too, one more year too. But I didn't expect Olivia Edwards to. I didn't expect this.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

I I kind of, I mean, I don't know. I mean, once once all them girls hopped in the portal like that, I was like, it was something going on over there. Red flag. I mean red flag. That was something that we talked about. It's just like, you know, if I'm a recruit and I just committed there and I'm watching this team that I'm supposed to be going to and they just lose eight in a row and it's just a pure dumpster fire of stuff. Yeah. I mean, I would be worried, like, yeah, ooh, do I really want to like go out there? Like, yeah, because this is beyond just losing games, it's other stuff that's going on. So I feel like the writing was on the wall for that too. Um, but I guess we'll see how the university like has her back with it.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

I mean, they haven't come out and made a statement, so and also too, to your point, it's I think that what people don't realize too, as far as adjustments, she's gonna go, think about it. You choose a situation because you like the coaches, you like the players, you like that. Some people do that. I like the school. You know, some people say, Well, I chose this school. But you know, if if you want to use that, if that's what you want to say about Tennessee, I totally get that too. But her coming into the situation, she would have to learn a whole new coaching staff, would have to get to know them. She would have to get to know all new teammates. So, I mean, I'm I I'm I'm waiting to see how this goes. I I don't know. I mean, but you know what?

SPEAKER_00 6:25

I say one more year, but we all know how like money, money is power, money is king. So, I mean, I'm I'm sure the university is getting like big pushback from like donors and you know, alumni and all types of people. I mean, shoot, Candace Parker just, what was it, that one I sent you? She said, would Olivia Edwards come in? You know, we should have a couple banners. No, she's sick. We should have a couple banners in the neck. And what did I say? I said, I was like, I think, I think Candace is, what did I say? Like, she's like reaching for the subject. She reached the side. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

She's the she she she's delusional like I am with tech when I do one with as she should be. As she should be. I did it.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Now it's just like, how did y'all lose her? You know what I mean? So we'll we'll see.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Because I mean, you would think that if I if I was Kim, I mean, I would, that would have been my little leg to stand on. I got the number one recruit coming. Not anymore, honey. What do you got now, sis? I mean, we'll see how it goes. Like I said, um, like I said, Gabe was at LSU for two for two business hours. Um, I don't know if he got his email set up, and then now he moved on. But that situation, I didn't say what I wanted to say. You were like, I don't understand that. I understand it. Homie had two job interviews. He struck on the first one to said yes and offered him a job, took the job, got 600 something, 700,000 over here in a head job, a better job, and said, you know what? Never mind. So to that point, that's why, like the other day I was like, I mean, ain't low-key need to be something about this portal. Let that portal portal at this point. Because then the coaches just take a job for two days.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Did the Gabe got was it is it in another assistant position, or is she the head coach? No, but no, he got the head coach job. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. Yeah, that's my bad. I didn't know that. I thought it was another like assistant position, but okay, I get that move. He took message job. He took, yeah, message OJ. I get I get that move. Okay. And it's the Big 12.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

I mean Yeah. Yeah, I get that. It's the Big 12. You in there with Baylor, you in there with, you know, uh, who was it? Iowa State. I mean, it's an opportunity. I don't know. I mean, any any head coach job is an opportunity. I mean, especially as the Big 12. They just got into the Big 12. So, I mean, because you know, UCF was a mid-major for a while, right? Yeah. They were cause, yeah, because I remember, yeah. But anyway, child, then we've got, who else, honey? Who else done? Uh, your girl from Oklahoma. She's announced. It's a bunch of them. It's a bunch of them. Banned from Oklahoma. She just announced she's in the portal, honey. We don't, I don't wish wishing her the best. Um wishing her the best. It's so many.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

It is so many. I wish I could um, I need to find like the little um transfer portal page. Let me see. Honey, they just keep going. I can't believe that they were uh that they fired the Virginia coach. Right! I was shocked about that. But you know, Georgia's coach got fired too. Oh, did she get fired? Because it see, they didn't have it like bold, like, oh, she got fired. It just she you just saw her accepting another position at another school. And I'm like, Where's she going?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Where's she going? Like I said, it's been so much. Where's she going? Georgia's coach.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

She's Georgia's coach. I thought she was going somewhere in Florida too. Or are you talking about uh Alabama? Oh, I'm talking about Alabama.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

No, Georgia's Georgia's coach got fired too. Let me double check. Because I my uh my brother-in-law, my brother-in-law goes to Georgia, went to Georgia, and he told me six hours ago. Um, let me see. Yeah. So that makes sense as far as those players.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Like, yeah, that does make sense. She's out. Yeah, she's out of there. Virginia's coach, though. I'm surprised by that. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Especially for her having what 25 years since they've been to the Sweet 16 that she got there. She must have been on the hot seat regardless. But you think, I guess they're not playing around no more, honey. We you was like, I mean, but you know what's crazy?

SPEAKER_00 10:14

They um, you know, like who was it? It was uh Serena Williams husband, you know, who was like make it was making its rounds around, you know, the internet is that he like donated money to the women's basketball program or whatever. Um so you know, sometimes I feel like, you know, when people start donating all that money and stuff like that, you know, the the power power structure kind of shifts a little bit, you know. So it's just like we want to rebuild. I mean, if people are gonna be donating, we need to have, you know, blah, blah, blah. You know what I mean? It's they people always, especially in terms of money, people always think that the grass is always greener on the other side. You know what I mean? Like, but we don't know the backstory behind it, but I thought she was an amazing coach and just went on this amazing run. That nobody thought they would do. Her team had a lot of people. Nobody thought nothing, yeah. So, I mean, I'm surprised about that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

So y'all let us know. Y'all let us know where y'all think that big old lands. Um, sis probably got some visits set up already. I guess she already knows.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

I'm sure she already knows.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

She might. She might already know. Like I said, this game thing, he it could, he could have been her first phone call, or it could have been like, hey, I got you know how they go. They know. Hey, I got this, what you gonna do? And then I just think it's kind of convenient, not saying that she'll go there, but that could be a little T. We don't know. But um, y'all let us know what y'all think of all this. Like I said, uh honey, I feel like I can't leave my computer. It's always something. Courtney, did you did you want to give your statement? You didn't give your opinion on the Gino apology, if you wanna.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Well, the Gino apology. I mean, that's all you're gonna get from Gino. That's all you're gonna get from him. I mean, I I do feel like he like the apology should have been public. Yeah, like a video. It should have been a public apology. Yeah, you know what I mean? Um, some people mentioned it in the comments, like, yeah, I think he deserved to like name like Don's name specifically. Like sure, you know what I mean? I thought that was a great point, but that's all we're gonna get from Gino. Um, and he's a man that is stuck in his ways. I don't make it right. It ain't changing, but it ain't changing. That's just where he is in his life right now, so yeah, ain't changing.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

But um, yeah, y'all hope y'all, y'all will not see us for the rest of the night. Y'all make sure that you guys go follow go check out our live show. Make sure you go subscribe if you have not already. Go check out our live show for tomorrow. We will be live for the championship game. We've got South Carolina versus UCLA at 3:30, and we can't wait to see it. So, also too, let us know in the comments. Um, if you're pulling up, let us know if this is your first time watching a video. Let us know how you found us. I love to hear that. We love to hear how you found our um how you found our channel. But y'all have a good rest of your weekend, and we will see you guys tomorrow. Bye, guys.