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Michael Voppel
multiple authors
oklahoma state Lost to eventual champion in second round of NCAA Tournament UCLA On 23 March. Then coach Jackie Hoyt had to count down to April 6, when the transfer portal opened.
“I’m not going to lie; there were some bad days out there,” Hoyt told ESPN. “Mostly because I’m very relationship-driven, and I knew the players were going in. Also, you can’t talk to the kids in the portal yet, but you know you have a whole roster to fill out.
“Then the first day of the portal [opening]I was excited. And for two weeks, it’s a difficult situation: You can’t see or think straight. You’re just talking, talking, talking, hosting tours. And I think we batted close to 1,000 with the touring players.”
the center was also included in it audi cruxwho chose Oklahoma State after three seasons iowa state. Crooks was ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s transfer rankings, and is staying in the same Big 12 conference in which he has been dominant. liv mcgillOne of the country’s most dynamic guards is heading to Stillwater, Oklahoma, after two years Florida. The two combined to average 43.8 ppg last season.
Mass departures from a program after one season are now a world trend in college sports. If there is zero money and play time available in any program, it is in portal games. And in a short period of time, some programs can go from the pain of losing several players to the portal prosperity of new talent coming in to instantly brighten the future.
That’s what Oklahoma State is experiencing now, and Hoyt has been through it all before, needing to replenish a nearly empty cupboard when she takes over in 2022. She has done it well enough to make the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons with the Cowgirls. Other programs, like Coach Kim Caldwell’s tennessee lady volThere was also a mass exodus after last season, and hopefully what they’ve added will be enough.
“One thing about portal players is they usually have a different maturity when they’re going through ‘recruitment’ the second time,” Hoyt said. “They seem to have a better understanding of what they’re looking for this time.”
We look at five programs that we think may already be declared winners in the transfer portal, and five for which the jury is still out regarding their portal pickups.
Transfer Portal Winner
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 9/8
pivot joint: C audi crux (Iowa State), G liv mcgill (Florida), G. nene rivers (Rutgers), G Talexa Witter (D-II Fort Hays State)
Sometimes players really need a transfer to get playing time. For stars like Crooks and McGill, this was not an issue. Both left programs that had experienced mass exodus to join programs that experienced a similar scenario.
The Cowgirls finished fourth in the Big 12 last season, but Hoyt knew a lot of players would be moving on. He had recruited players like Crooks, so the coaches had a prior relationship with them, which Hoyt called “a big head start” in the portal process. He also credited McGill, the SEC’s second-leading scorer, for making Oklahoma State a desirable destination for Big 12 scoring leader Crooks, who committed three days after McGill.
“She could go anywhere she wanted,” Hoyt said of McGill. “When Audie sees Liv go here, who wouldn’t want to play with her?”
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 4/3
pivot joint: Yes zamareya jones (NC State), F Carys Baker (Virginia Tech), G denia prowl (Tennessee)
The Cardinals didn’t need to add a huge portal class, but they got the transfers they wanted. NC State’s Jones and Virginia Tech’s Baker were double-digit scorers last season and know the ACC well. Proll is a big guard who should fit well into Louisville’s system and get a chance to play more. Louisville, which lost to Michigan in the Sweet 16 last season, could be in the mix for the 2027 Final Four.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 3/9
pivot joint: Yes Taleshia Cooper (Tennessee), G more civil (Tennessee), G Jada Richard (LSU)
The Rebels have used the portal effectively before, including last season with leading scorer Coty McMahon, the No. 11 pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. Ole Miss and Tennessee were part of a four-way tie for sixth place in the SEC at 8–8. The Rebels then lost to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now Ole Miss is looking toward the portal again. Four of its transfers are from SEC schools, which always adds a little spice to those rivalries. Cooper — who led the Lady Vols in scoring, assists, steals and 3-pointers last season — could be for the Rebels what McMahon was.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 4/5
pivot joint: F lara somfai (Stanford), G. jadin wooten (Oklahoma State), G lanny grant (North Carolina)
The Frogs may not have made as big headlines in the portal as they did with Hailey Van Lith in 2024 or Olivia Miles in 2025. But with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances and a Big 12 regular-season title led by transfer, TCU has once again strengthened its roster through the portal. This includes Wooten snagging point guard from Big 12 rival Oklahoma State.
5. UCLA Bruins
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 0/5
pivot joint: F eddie brown (Iowa State), G elina arnisalo (North Carolina), G KK Bransford (Notre Dame), G donovin hunter (TCU), G bonnie days (Arkansas)
The national champions lost six players to the WNBA Draft. Among them, four were transfers who did not begin their college careers at UCLA, but helped the Bruins win this year’s title. They leave big gaps to fill, but the portal will help again. Brown, Arnisalo, Hunter and Dess combined for double-digit scoring last season, and Brown is also a strong interior defender.
Other notable portal winners: arizona state, iowa, minnesota, North Carolina, oklahoma
the jury is still out
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 8/13
pivot joint: Yes Riley Theurcoff (Georgia), F Fatmata Janeh (Texas A&M), G kaylin smickle (Maryland), G. harissaum coulibaly (Auburn)
The talk in Knoxville is about a “clean slate.” Coach Kim Caldwell, who made the Sweet 16 in her first season at Tennessee in 2025, finds herself in a program slump in 2026.
Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game losing streak, then lost its eighth straight with a 15-point loss in the first round to NC State. Those 2025–26 Lady Vol players have transferred or exhausted their eligibility. An entirely new Tennessee team will take the field this fall. We’ve never seen anything like this before with a program that has won eight NCAA titles.
How much might this new group of players be inspired by Tennessee’s glorious past, and how much might they be trapped by it? Caldwell has emphasized that she wants players who work hard knowing they represent Tennessee’s tradition. His high-tempo system works best with that kind of motivated competitor. But in a talent-rich SEC, the hard truth comes: Will they be good enough?
Caldwell brings in a mix of players from larger and smaller conferences. Theuerkauf, Smikal, Janneh and Koulibaly Power Four are the league’s most proven scorers. Attitude and discipline will be paramount for this team.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 10/9
pivot joint: Yes Kiyomi McMiller (Penn State), G moria mare (Penn State), F Vivian Iwuchuk (USC), F mallory miller (butler)
New coach Tammy Reese will attempt to revive a program that has made the NCAA Tournament just once in the last decade and has not been to the Sweet 16 since 1998. One player – forward Jade Weathersby – A return from last season’s team, which finished 18-15 overall and 5-12 in the SEC. So like Caldwell, Reece has virtually a clean slate. But there is not that much external pressure; Any success for Reese would be a huge success for the Gators.
McMiller is a talented player who is still trying to find the right fit after averaging 18.7 ppg as a freshman at Rutgers and 21.6 ppg as a sophomore at Penn State. Rees said she envisions Iwechukwu blossoming with more playing time than she did at USC.
Reese’s enthusiasm is second to none – it’s a big part of his coaching personality – but he and his staff will have to do a lot of teaching and team-building while competing in the always tough SEC.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 9/9
pivot joint: Yes jellin bank (Belmont), G. Jordana Codio (Seton Hall), G milan brown (Wake up forest)
After Georgia went 22–10 and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the program parted ways with coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson after four seasons. The Lady Bulldogs are now rebuilding under the leadership of Ayla Guzzardo, who came from McNeese State. Only two Georgia players have returned. Two transferred from McNeese State to follow Guzzardo, and Georgia has signed transfers from seven other programs to join its current roster.
Georgia was once a perennial power, but has not advanced beyond the opening round of the NCAA Tournament since 2013, when Andy Landers was still the coach. In order for Guzzardo to begin trying to reclaim Georgia’s status, this group of transfers needs some success.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 9/6
pivot joint: Yes Alex-Anne Bessette (Loyola), G. ashley conner (LaSalle), G. mya babbitt (Kent State), G sienna harvey (Washington)
This season, the Cyclones have felt the negative effects of the portal more than any typically successful program. Starters audi crux, eddie brown, Jada Williams And kenzie green Have been transferred elsewhere. Only three players will return for 2025-26, including only one starter: guard ariana jackson (6.8 ppg).
Iowa State has been a perennial NCAA Tournament team; It has been off the field only twice since 2007. Bill Fennelly is one of the longest tenured coaches in women’s basketball, taking over at Iowa State in 1995–96. He’s been able to put together good teams without superstars for years, and Iowa State can still contribute with its transfer. But the Cyclones are in a tough spot as part of an overall athletic department facing financial challenges.
Portal Disadvantages/Advantages: 7/1
pivot joint: F ines sotelo (Michigan State)
For decades, players rarely transferred in or out of Stanford. The three-time national champion Cardinal were the standard bearers of West Coast women’s basketball and were recruited at the highest level. But the move to the ACC, coach Tara VanDerveer’s retirement and the transfer portal have taken a major toll on Stanford, which has missed the NCAA Tournament the last two years.
The Cardinals currently have nine players on their roster. There are five returning, of which only one – Guard Hailey Swain – Averaged double-figure scoring last season. There are three newcomers and one transfer. Getting into Stanford is academically challenging, which limits Cardinal’s transfer options. Nevertheless, in late April, coach Kate Peay called Sotelo “the first of many transfer additions” that Stanford expected. They will need this.
