Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell makes move that it took Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel 5 years to make

Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell is making a change this offseason that it took Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel five years to make.

During Heupel’s first few seasons on Rocky Top, it was often pointed out that he had never fired an assistant coach.

Heupel finally ripped the band-aid off this past winter when he fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and replaced him with Jim Knowles. The move came after Tennessee’s defense regressed, going from the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation in 2024 to the No. 92 scoring defense in 2025.

Kim Caldwell reportedly fires Lady Vols assistant coach

According to a report from VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs, Caldwell fired assistant coach Roman Tubner on Thursday.

Tubner, who previously served as an assistant coach at Alabama, spent the last two seasons on Caldwell’s coaching staff.

“I want to thank Coach Tubner for his contributions to our program during the past two seasons,” said Caldwell in a statement. “We wish him the very best moving forward.”

This will be the second coaching staff move that Caldwell has made this offseason.

Earlier this week, Lady Vols assistant coach Gabe Lazo resigned (Lazo subsequently joined LSU’s coaching staff). Caldwell quickly replaced Lazo by hiring Bill Ferrara away from Florida State.

This is an important offseason for Caldwell. She’s squarely on the hot seat following a disappointing season in which the wheels completely fell off for Tennessee.

Caldwell will hope that a new-look roster and a revamped coaching staff can get the Lady Vols moving back in the right direction next season.