Lady Vols get some good news to start the Kim Caldwell era

The Kim Caldwell era is off to a solid start for the Tennessee Vols.

Caldwell, who was named as the new head coach of the Lady Vols earlier this month, got a big off-the-court win this week.

According to a post on the X.com platform, guard Jewel Spear is returning to Tennessee for her final season of eligibility.

Spear spent the first three years of her career at Wake Forest before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2023-24 season.

"Despite the coaching change, I am excited about the vision Coach Caldwell has communicated to me and the direction of the program," wrote Spear. "With that, I have decided to finish out my final year of eligibility on Rocky Top."

Spear, who led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore at Wake Forest, averaged 13.1 points per game for the Lady Vols last season while starting every game. The Texas native led Tennessee in made three-pointers last season with 69 (37.3 percent).

Getting Spear back is huge for Caldwell and the Lady Vols. Tennessee is already losing Rickea Jackson to the WNBA (she was selected No. 4 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks earlier this week). The Lady Vols are also losing point guard Jasmine Powell, who led UT in assists this past season, as her eligibility has been exhausted. Spear's return gives the Lady Vols a solid foundation as Caldwell starts to build her culture.

Caldwell and her staff still need to find some players in the transfer portal, but getting Spear back is certainly a great start to a new era of Lady Vols basketball.

Related: Jauan Jennings explains where his extreme dislike of Vanderbilt comes from while taking a shot at the Commodores