Highly ranked Pauldo Twins announces commitment to Tennessee with a bold message - “We’re not shying away”

The Tennessee Volunteers got a huge boost in their recruiting process as they secured the signing of the Pauldo twins, Mia and Mya Pauldo. The Pauldo twins are two of the best high school prospects in the country and are ranked in the top 50.

The Pauldo twins play for Morris Catholic in Denville, New Jersey. They were clear from the get-go that they would play for the same college team going forward.

"We're not shying away from this great opportunity to bring a NATTY back to Knoxville & Volnation!!" the twins wrote on their shared Instagram account.

"We want to do everything together," Mia told On3. "Our journey will always be together."

Mia and Mya Pauldo shortlisted Illinois, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Penn State as their final four colleges. Although they were considering Mississippi State as their destination, Gabe Lazo, the assistant coach for the Volunteers, convinced them to join Tennessee.

"We trust him so much," Mia said. "He’s a great guy and he put his trust in us. We were the first 2025 recruits that they really put their all into. We’re going to be the ones to set the tone."

Mia is a four-star point guard who is ranked No. 11 nationally and is the fourth-best player at her position, as per On3. Both are listed at 5-foot-5.

The Pauldo twins talk about NIL's role in their recruitment to Tennessee

Mia and Mya Pauldo received a lot of interest from various other schools, but they chose to go with Tennessee as they thought it would be great for their brand.

"Obviously us playing together was a special part," Mya told On3. "But they also had a bigger platform than all the other colleges we were looking at. We thought it would be a better fit for our brand because it will build our brand — and the numbers just fit."

The Pauldo twins already have a reality show on Overtime and were the youngest athletes to sign a deal with Puma. They found a perfect home with the Tennessee Volunteers.

"It was the best fit possible," Mia said.

Mia and Mya want to grow their brand and play for one of the best schools in the nation. Tennessee might prove to be the perfect place to do both of those things.