Last spring proved to be one of the busiest transfer portal seasons we’ve seen in women’s college basketball. Stars swapped squads and all-conference talents found new teams. Some players from the mid-major ranks moved up to the Power 4 and vice versa.
The movement from the spring is going to shape some of the results we see on the floor this winter. They’ll impact narratives, conference races, national title chances and much more.
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Each of the last handful of national champions has had at least one transfer in the starting lineup. UConn got help last season from Princeton’s Kaitlyn Chen. In 2024, Kamilla Cardoso and Te-Hina Paopao — who started their careers at Syracuse and Oregon, respectively — played big roles for South Carolina in its undefeated season. Angel Reese leaving Maryland for LSU proved to be a program-changing move for the Tigers in 2023.
It’s likely that we’ll see another transfer providing a big boost to whatever team wins this year’s national title too.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season tipping-off, these are the transfers that could make the biggest impacts with their new squads:
Olivia Miles: Notre Dame to TCU
A dynamic guard who will likely be a top five pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, Miles has established herself as one of the best and most creative playmakers in all of college basketball. At Notre Dame, she led the ACC in assists in each of the last three seasons she played in and averages 6.5 per game for her career. Miles added a wrinkle to her game last season by improving tremendously as a 3-point shooter, knocking down 40.6 percent of her attempts from deep range for the Irish last season. Mark Campbell refreshed and reloaded his TCU roster this past offseason after guiding the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight for the first time ever, and Miles has the keys to their offensive attack.
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Ta’Niya Latson: Florida State to South Carolina
After leading the nation in scoring last season with 25.2 points per game for the Seminoles, Latson reunites with her high school teammate Raven Johnson in the backcourt for South Carolina, giving the Gamecocks a dynamic scoring option at guard. Latson also averaged career-highs in rebounds (4.6) and assists (4.6) per game last season for the Seminoles, and shot north of 43 percent from the floor for the third straight season. Playing for a perennial national title contender now, Latson is going to be in the spotlight often as she meshes with her new team.
Gianna Kneepkens: Utah to UCLA
One of the best 3-point shooters in the country last season for the Utes, Kneepkens ranked ninth nationally in 3-pointers made per game with 3.1. She was nearly a member of the 50-40-90 club too, shooting 50.4 percent from the floor, 44.8 percent from 3-point land, and 89 percent from the charity stripe. She joins a UCLA team coming off a Final Four trip and is expected to play a big role in getting them back there and giving them a new wrinkle on offense. While the Bruins dominated in the paint with Lauren Betts, they ranked just 165th nationally in 3-point rate and 79th in 3-point percentage. In its Final Four loss to UConn, UCLA shot just 4-of-16 from 3-point land. Kneepkens should help turn some of those misses from deep into makes.
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Cotie McMahon: Ohio State to Ole Miss
The top player in Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s large and talented Portal class, McMahon was a three-time All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes and a former finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. The versatile forward averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season and also drastically improved her 3-point shooting, connecting on 38 percent of her looks from deep after making just 23 percent in the 2023-24 campaign. She could be the bus-driver for the Rebels this season.
Laura Ziegler: St. Joseph’s to Louisville
A finalist last season for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year as she was starring at St. Joe’s, Ziegler was highly sought-after in the portal by several major Power 4 programs. Louisville was the winner of her services, giving Jeff Walz a talented and versatile anchor in the frontcourt. As a junior for St. Joe’s, she averaged 17.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Her defensive rebounds per game, 8.9, were third nationally. The 6-foot-2 forward from Denmark was also the only player in the country last season to average at least 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game. Ziegler was voted to the preseason All-ACC team and big things are expected from her.
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Also considered: MiLaysia Fulwiley (South Carolina to LSU), Madina Okot (Mississippi State to South Carolina), Khamil Pierre (Vanderbilt to N.C. State), Gal Raviv (Quinnipiac to Miami), Yarden Garzon (Indiana to Maryland), Serah Williams (Wisconsin to UConn), Oluchi Okananwa (Duke to Maryland), Tonie Morgan (Georgia Tech to Kentucky), Katie Davidson (IU Indy to USF), Janiah Barker (UCLA to Tennessee), Haleigh Timmer (South Dakota State to Oklahoma State), Rachael Rose (Wofford to Clemson)
