Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
-
Michael Vopel
Multiple authors
State of Oklahoma Lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to the eventual champion UCLA March 23. Then coach Jesse Hoyt had to count down to April 6 after the transfer portal opened.
“I’m not going to lie; there were some dark days,” Hoyt told ESPN. “Mostly because I’m very relationship-driven, and I knew the players were leaving. At the same time, you still can’t talk to the kids in the portal, but you know you’ve got a whole list to fill.
“Then the first day (opening) of the portal I was excited. And for two weeks, it’s a grind: you can’t see or think straight. You’re just talking, talking, talking, hosting visits. And I think we batted around 1.000 people who visited.”
This includes the center Audi CrooksWho chose Oklahoma State after three seasons State of Iowa. Crooks was No. 1 in ESPN’s transfer rankings, and he remains in the same Big 12 conference where he was dominant. Life McGillOne of the nation’s most dynamic guards, is headed to Stillwater, Oklahoma after two years Florida. The two averaged a combined 43.8 ppg this past season.
Mass departures from a program after one season are now the way of the college sports world. If a program has NIL money and playtime is available, then it is in the portal game. And in a short period of time, some programs can go from the pain of losing so many players to a thriving portal of new talent that can immediately brighten the future.
That’s what Oklahoma State is experiencing now, and Hoyt has been through it before, having to restock nearly empty cupboards when he took the job in 2022. She did well enough to make the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons with the Cowgirls Other programs such as coach Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee Lady VolsThere was also a mass exodus after this past season, and hopefully the additions they made will be enough.
“One thing about portal players is that they usually have a different maturity when they go through a second ‘recruit,'” Hoyt said. “They seem to have a better idea of what they’re looking for this time.”
We look at five programs that we think can already be declared winners on the transfer portal, and five for which the jury is still out on their portal pickup.
Transfer portal winners
Portal Loss/Gain: 9/8
Key additions: c Audi Crooks (Iowa State), G Life McGill (Florida), G Nene Ndiaye (Rutgers), G Talexa Weeter (D-II Fort Hays State)
Sometimes players really have to transfer to get playing time. For stars like Crooks and McGill, that wasn’t a problem. There were huge exoduses to join a program that both left programs that experienced the same scenario.
The Cowgirls finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 last season, but Hoyt knew many players would step up. He recruited players like Crooks, so the coaches had prior relationships with them, which Hoyt said was “a huge head start” in the Portal process. He also credited McGill, the SEC’s second-leading scorer, with making Oklahoma State a preferred destination for Big 12 scoring leader Crooks, who committed three days after McGill.
“He could go wherever he wanted,” Hoyt said of McGill. “When Audie sees Liv move in here, who wouldn’t want to play with her?”
Portal Loss/Gain: 4/3
Key additions: G Jamaria Jones (NC State), F Carys Becker (Virginia Tech), G Denia Prole (Tennessee)
The Cardinals didn’t need to add a huge portal class, but they got the transfer they wanted. NC State’s Jones and Virginia Tech’s Baker were double-digit scorers last season and know the ACC very well. Prall is a big guard who should fit Louisville’s system well and has more playing opportunities. Louisville, which lost to Michigan in the Sweet 16 this past season, could be in the 2027 Final Four mix.
Portal Loss/Gain: 3/9
Key additions: G Taleshia Cooper (Tennessee), G Zaida Civil (Tennessee), G Jada Richard (LSU)
The Rebels have used the portal effectively before, including this past 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 in the SEC at 8-8. The Rebels then lost to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now Ole Miss is staring at 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 this past season — could be what McMahon was to the Rebels.
Portal Loss/Gain: 4/5
Key additions: f Lara Somfai (Stanford), G Jadyn Wooten (Oklahoma State), G Lanny Grant (North Carolina)
The Frogs may not get as big a headliner at the Portal in 2025 as in 2024 with Hailey Van Leeth or Olivia Miles. But with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances and transfer-led Big 12 regular-season titles, TCU once again bolstered its roster through the portal. That includes Wooten, the snagging point guard at Big 12 rival Oklahoma State.
5. UCLA Bruins
Portal Loss/Gain: 0/5
Key additions: f Addie Brown (Iowa State), G Elena Arnisalo (North Carolina), G KK Bransford (Notre Dame), G Donovan Hunter (TCU), G Bonnie Dees (Arkansas)
The national champions lost six players to the WNBA draft. Of those, there were four transfers who didn’t start their college careers at UCLA but helped the Bruins win this year’s title. They leave huge shoes to fill, but the portal will help again. Brown, Arnisalo, Hunter and Dees all had double-digit scoring last season, and Brown is also a strong interior defender.
Other Notable Portal Winners: State of Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma
The jury is still out
Portal Loss/Gain: 8/13
Key additions: G Rylie Theuerkauf (Georgia), F Fatmata Janneh (Texas A&M), G Kailyn Smile (Maryland), G Harrisam Coulibaly (Auburn)
The buzz in Knoxville is a “clean slate.” Coach Kim Caldwell, who made the Sweet 16 in his first season at the Tennessee helm in 2025, found himself in a program meltdown in 2026.
Tennessee entered the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game losing streak, then dropped to eighth after a 15-point first-round loss to NC State. Those 2025-26 Lady Vol players have transferred or exhausted their eligibility. An entirely new Tennessee team will take the floor this fall. We’ve never seen anything like it before with this program, which has won eight NCAA titles.
How much can this new group of players be inspired by Tennessee’s glorious past, and how much can they be trapped by it? Caldwell emphasized that he wants players who will play hard knowing they represent Tennessee’s heritage. His high-tempo system works best with this type of motivated competitor. But in the talent-rich SEC, the hard truth comes down to this: Will they be good enough?
Caldwell brought in a mix of players from major and minor conferences. The power four of Theuerkauf, Smikle, Janneh and Coulibaly are the league’s most proven scorers. Attitude and discipline will be paramount for this team.
Portal Loss/Gain: 10/9
Key additions: G Kyomi McMillar (Penn State), G Moria Murray (Penn State), F Vivian Yuchukwu (USC), F Mallory Miller (Butler)
New coach Tammy Reyes will try to revive a program that has made the NCAA Tournament just once in the past decade and hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 1998. A player — forward Jade Weathersby — Returns from last season’s team that finished 18-15 overall and 5-12 in the SEC. So like Caldwell, Reiss has virtually a clean slate. But not the same external pressure; Any success for Reyes would be a breakthrough for the Gators.
McMiller is a talented player still trying to find the right fit after averaging 18.7 ppg as a freshman at Rutgers and 21.6 as a sophomore at Penn State. Reyes said he envisions Yuchukwu blossoming with more playing time than he got at USC.
Reyes’ enthusiasm is second to none — it’s a big part of his coaching persona — but he and his staff have to do a lot of teaching and team building while competing in the always-tough SEC.
Portal Loss/Gain: 9/9
Key additions: G Jaylene Banks (Belmont), G Jordan Coding (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 Ayla Gujardo, who hails from McNeese State. Only two Georgia players return. Two transfers from McNeese State followed Guzzardo, and Georgia signed transfers from seven other programs to join its current roster.
Georgia was once a perennial power but hasn’t advanced past the preliminary round of the NCAA Tournament since 2013 when Andy Landers was still the coach. For Guajardo to begin trying to restore Georgia status, this group of transfers needs to have some success.
Portal Loss/Gain: 9/6
Key additions: G Alex-Ann Bassett (Loyola), G Ashley Connor (Lasalle), G Maya Babbitt (Kent State), G Sienna Harvey (Washington)
This season, the Cyclones have felt the negative impact of Portal more than any successful program in general. Starter Audi Crooks, Addie Brown, Jada Williams And Kenzie Hair moved elsewhere. Only three players return from 2025-26, including only one starter: the guard Ariana Jackson (6.8 ppg).
Iowa State is a perennial NCAA Tournament team; It has missed the field just twice since 2007. Bill Fennelly is one of the longest tenured women’s basketball coaches, 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 add to his transfers. But the Cyclones are in a tough spot as part of an overall athletic department that faces financial challenges.
Portal Loss/Gain: 7/1
Key additions: f Ines Sotelo (Michigan State)
For decades, players rarely transferred in or out of Stanford. The three-time national champion Cardinal was the standard-bearer for West Coast women’s basketball and recruited at the highest level. But the move to the ACC, coach Tara Vanderveer’s retirement and transfer portal took a big toll on Stanford, which has missed the NCAA Tournament the past two years.
The Cardinals currently have nine players on their roster. Five returnees, only one of whom is a guard Hayley Swain –Averaged double-figure scoring this past season. There are three incoming freshmen and one transfer. Getting into Stanford is academically challenging, which limits Cardinal’s transfer options. Still, in late April, coach Kate Paye referred to Sotelo as the Stanford prospect as “the first of several transfer additions.” It’s going to need them.
