Nearly 1,600 players entered the women’s college basketball transfer portal this year, leading to roster changes at programs including Stanford, Iowa State, and Tennessee. Several high-scoring starters and veteran players moved to new teams, including defending national champion UCLA.
The high volume of movement occurred as several major programs lost a majority of their rosters to the portal. Notable departures from Iowa State included Audi Crooks, the second-highest scorer in program history, and Addy Brown, both of whom transferred. Coaches at receiving schools, such as UCLA’s Cori Close and Ole Miss’s Yolett McPhee-McCuin, are integrating transfers to replace departing starters or bolster specific positions.
Among the transfers is Audi Crooks, a 6-foot-3 center who averaged 25.8 points per game last season at Iowa State before moving to Oklahoma State. UCLA added Addy Brown and Donovyn Hunter to help replace the top six players from their championship roster. Other moves include Jordan Lee joining South Carolina from Texas and Talaysia Cooper moving from Tennessee to Ole Miss. Kate Koval joined Baylor in August after receiving an NCAA waiver to leave LSU, marking her third school in three seasons.
For college basketball fans and students, these transfers result in changes to team rosters and starting lineups. A student at UCLA, for example, will see a new rotation this season as Coach Cori Close replaces her top six players with transfers like Addy Brown and Donovyn Hunter. These changes also impact team chemistry, as veteran leaders like Nunu Agara bring experience from Stanford to a Maryland squad.
The effects extend to recruiting and program stability. Programs like Stanford, Iowa State, and Tennessee are rebuilding after losing the majority of their rosters. This cycle of movement includes athletes seeking specific opportunities, such as Madison St. Rose, who moved from Princeton to Notre Dame after exhausting her eligibility in the Ivy League. Most of these athletes will debut with their new teams as the 2026-2027 college basketball season begins. Additionally, Kate Koval’s late-August waiver from the NCAA highlights the ongoing role of the governing body in regulating these moves.