Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell landed her fourth transfer portal commitment on Monday with the addition of former Clemson guard Ruby Whitehorn.
Whitehorn announced her commitment on Monday via Instagram as Tennessee officially announced her signing later in the day.
Whitehorn, a native of Detroit, Michigan, played her first two seasons with Clemson and started 62 of 66 games that she played in. Whitehorn averaged 9.5 points per game during her freshman season but upped that to 12.3 points per game as a sophomore. The 5-foot-11 guard also averaged 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 46.4 percent shooting during her second season with the Tigers’ program.
“I’m really excited about what Ruby will bring to the program,” Caldwell said in an official press release. “She is one of the best downhill scorers I’ve had the opportunity to see, and her athleticism will help us greatly on the defensive end. She is a natural fit for our program, and I can’t wait for her to get on campus and see what she can do in our system.”
More from RTI: Lady Vols Pick Up Third Portal Addition Under Kim Caldwell
Whitehorn found the double-digit scoring mark on 21 occasions with the Tigers last season. Whitehorn was third on Clemson in points (380), third in rebounds (173), second in three-point attempts (91), second in minutes (886), and second in assists (51).
Ruby Whitehorn is the fourth player to join Kim Caldwell’s inaugural Lady Vols roster from the transfer portal this season. The first commitment that Tennessee signed out of the portal was 6-foot-2 forward Alyssa Latham, who was the leading rebounder for Syracuse last season with 224 in total. Tennessee then signed Miami transfer Lazaria Spearman, who led the Hurricanes in rebounding last season with 179 in total.
Latham and Spearman’s additions to the roster immediately give Tennessee some much-needed size and rebounding prowess for Caldwell’s first high-octane offense on Rocky Top.
Tennessee also signed a former SEC transfer with Arkansas guard Samara Spencer. The 5-foot-7 guard spent her first three seasons with Arkansas and was the Razorbacks’ second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game last season. While the Lady Vols did get two huge returns in Jewel Spear and Tess Darby this offseason, bringing in experienced guards such as Spencer and Whitehorn will only help Tennessee’s depth across the long season.
Caldwell’s roster is starting to find its form with the four portal additions that have been signed so far. And, in the day era of college athletics, that’s sort of just the way it is. The portal has become increasingly common in today’s world with many tenured programs on the men’s and women’s side going through yearly roster overhauls. Rick Barnes and the men’s program have three transfer additions themselves with a potential fourth one on the horizon.
The important thing is that Caldwell is building her roster in a way that fits her scheme and style. During her introductory press conference back in April, Caldwell spoke about wanting to put together a high-octane offensive team that can rebound and run with anyone in the country. Caldwell’s portal additions have attacked Tennessee’s needs for rebounding and depth, which is a nice start heading into year one.
Highlights from Kim Caldwell’s introductory press conference as the Tennessee Lady Vols head coach on Tuesday in Knoxville. pic.twitter.com/coVT3OovlX
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 9, 2024
