The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball have officially added one of the SEC’s most promising young talents to their roster, as former Auburn Tigers women’s basketball standout Harissoum Coulibaly has signed with the program after entering the transfer portal.
Head coach Kim Caldwell confirmed Thursday that Coulibaly completed her paperwork, making her the 12th transfer addition for Tennessee during an aggressive and transformative portal cycle. The move further strengthens a Lady Vols roster that has undergone significant reshaping ahead of the upcoming season.
Coulibaly arrives in Knoxville after an impressive freshman campaign at Auburn, where she emerged as the Tigers’ leading scorer during the 2025–26 season. Despite being in her first year of college basketball, the 5-foot-10 guard quickly became one of Auburn’s most productive and reliable offensive weapons, earning recognition as one of the top freshman performers in the Southeastern Conference.
Originally from Paris, France, Coulibaly entered college with considerable hype after building a strong reputation as a four-star recruit and top-100 prospect in the high school class while playing for S3 Academy in Virginia. Her transition to the collegiate level was seamless, as she showcased her scoring ability, athleticism, and versatility throughout her debut season.
Because she spent just one year at Auburn, Coulibaly will arrive at Tennessee with three seasons of eligibility remaining, giving the Lady Vols a long-term building block as they continue reconstructing the roster under Caldwell’s leadership.
She joins a massive Tennessee transfer class that has become one of the most active in the nation. The Lady Vols have already added a wide range of experienced contributors from across the country, signaling the coaching staff’s intent to rapidly elevate the team’s competitiveness through portal recruiting.
Among Tennessee’s other transfer additions are former Penn State Lady Lions basketball guard Shaelyn Steele, former Seton Hall Pirates women’s basketball guard Jada Eads, former East Carolina Pirates women’s basketball guard Kennedy Fauntleroy, former Liberty Flames women’s basketball guard Avery Mills, former Northern Arizona Lumberjacks women’s basketball guard Naomi White, former Georgia Bulldogs women’s basketball guard Rylie Theuerkauf, former Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball standout Kaylene Smikle, former Texas Longhorns women’s basketball forward Aaliyah Moore, former Georgia Bulldogs women’s basketball forward Zhen Craft, former Texas A&M Aggies women’s basketball forward Fatmata Janneh, and former Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball forward Harper Peterson.
In addition to its transfer haul, Tennessee is also welcoming two incoming freshmen to round out the roster. Those additions include Gabby Minus, a highly regarded wing prospect from Georgia ranked No. 64 in the 2026 SportsCenter NEXT 100 rankings, and Irene Oboavwoduo, an international guard from England with extensive experience representing Great Britain at the youth national team level.
For Tennessee, the addition of Coulibaly could prove especially impactful. Her scoring ability and SEC experience provide immediate value, while her youth gives the program a player who can contribute for multiple seasons. Landing Auburn’s top scorer also represents a notable intra-conference recruiting win for the Lady Vols.
With Coulibaly now officially in the fold, Tennessee’s revamped roster continues to take shape as the Lady Vols prepare for what they hope will be a major step forward in the upcoming season.
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