Tennessee’s 2027 recruiting class picked up another piece Tuesday night, and this one comes with plenty of national buzz.
Four-star point guard Amaya Manuel announced her commitment to Kim Caldwell’s Lady Vols while Tennessee was playing New Haven, giving the program its second pledge in the class. Manuel is rated No. 35 nationally by Rivals and No. 25 by ESPN. Rivals also slots her as the No. 5 point guard in the 2027 group and the No. 2 player out of Missouri.
The St. Louis native plays at Lift For Life Academy and is listed at 5-foot-8 heading into her senior season.
Tennessee beat out Missouri, Arizona State and Arkansas for her commitment, and her offer sheet stretched well beyond that group. Manuel also held offers from Florida State, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Houston, Kansas State, Rutgers and Wake Forest, among others.
Her Tennessee recruitment started back on May 19, when Caldwell and newly hired assistant Bill Ferrara extended the offer. Manuel later visited Knoxville in the middle of October before making her decision.
Manuel’s announcement came after Tennessee had already landed wing Maci Pringle in October, giving the Lady Vols a pair of commitments in the 2027 class.
Pringle is a four-star prospect according to ESPN and is listed at 6-foot-1. She’s from Flower Mound, Texas, where she plays for Flower Mound High School. Tennessee first offered her on May 20, 2026.
Pringle’s other offers included Arizona State, Houston, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Cincinnati, Penn State, Ole Miss, Miami, SMU, Alabama, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, Cal, UCF and more.
Before choosing Tennessee, Pringle had visited Georgia, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Arizona State, along with a trip to Knoxville a few weeks before her commitment.
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Tennessee Gets One Break But Another Loss Just Got Much Tougher
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Weathersby became the eighth Tennessee player to go down with a season-ending injury this year, underscoring how much attrition the Volunteers have had to absorb as the schedule tightens. The report also listed six other players who have now been sidelined for several straight games, leaving Tennessee to keep piecing together depth at multiple spots while trying to stay competitive in a crucial stretch. [Read more 🡒]