Tennessee is looking for a new coach to replace Kellie Harper, who was fired on Monday. The Vols should be able to hire anyone they want, right? Well, not exactly.

While being the head coach of the Lady Vols’ basketball program is a prestigious assignment, the actual job might not be as appealing as you think. Why? It seems the Vols are still trying to replace former Lady Vol legend Pat Summitt, which simply can’t be done.

Former administrators at Tennessee hired two former Lady Vols since Summitt stepped aside in 2012. Neither, Harper nor former Lady Vol coach Holly Warlick, produced enough to be retained.

Here are some potential candidates for the Lady Vols as they look for a new head coach to lead their basketball team:

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

Tennessee athletic director Danny White hired Abrahamson-Henderson when he was the athletic director at Central Florida, where she won 73-percent of her games. Abrahamson-Henderson then parlayed that into a job at Georgia, where she is 34-30.

Lisa Bluder

Bluder has been the head coach at Iowa since 2000 and largely flew under the radar. Well, things change when star guard Caitlin Clark breezes through the program. Bluder had success before Clark, but not much. The Hawkeyes were a perennial tournament team, but rarely advanced deep into March.

Lisa Gottlieb

Gottlieb, who has also coached in the NBA, seems to be the rising star of women’s college basketball. Gottlieb’s program, Southern California, has won 62 of 93 games. However, Gottlieb’s first team in 2021-22 only won 12 games. Now, the Trojans are in the Elite Eight.

Kara Lawson

Lawson is a popular choice – even if she shouldn’t be. The former Lady Vol point guard is 68-33 at Duke and led the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16 before being ousted from the women’s tournament by UCONN on Saturday. If Tennessee athletic director Danny White decides to stay on the former Lady Vol route, Lawson may be the best choice.

Felisha Legette-Jack

White hired Legette-Jack when he was the athletic director at Buffalo. Legette-Jack moved onto Syracuse before the 2022 season. It’s worth nothing that ‘Cuse is her alma mater.

Kim Mulkey

If the Lady Vols want to pay like their reputation might dictate, Mulkey might be worth a call. She’s widely considered one of the top women’s basketball coaches in the country, but just signed a 10-year, $36-million contract with LSU last year.

Wes Moore

An alum of Johnson Bible College in Knoxville and UT, Moore has ties that could draw him back to be the Lady Vols’ head coach. The North Carolina State coach led his team to the Final Four this season so his star is on the rise. 

Vic Schaefer

Tennessee hired its other basketball coach, Rick Barnes, from Texas. Why not do it again? Longhorn women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer has a long history in the SEC that will do him well in the conference.

Dawn Staley

Staley’s name will continue to come up anytime there is a job opening, especially in the SEC. However, Staley seems quite comfortable at South Carolina, especially with an 80-percent winning percentage. It seems the Gamecocks would do anything they can to retain Staley, who has won two national championships and made five Final Fours since 2014.

Jeff Walz

Many think the Lady Vols could have hired Walz instead of Harper. He may be more difficult to secure now that he’s entrenched at Louisville. Moreover, Walz hasn’t been overly successful at Louisville so there’s reason to think he might not be as desirable.