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Best women’s college basketball transfer portal fits: MiLaysia Fulwiley at LSU and more

Published

8 months ago

May 7, 2025

More than 1,500 Division I women’s basketball players entered the portal this season, including nearly 300 power conference players — that’s an average of four players per power conference team.

With most of the top transfers finding their landing spots, it’s time to look again at the landscape of the sport. The best players in the portal had a chance to improve their future team’s ceilings, locate a better spot for themselves or receive more NIL money. But from a basketball perspective alone, some of these fits — especially those who seem to be the perfect puzzle piece on some national title and conference title contending teams — were just … chef’s kiss.

Let’s examine five players (in alphabetical order) who seem to be perfect fits at their new programs:

MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU

2024-25 stats (at South Carolina): 11.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 SPG (19 minutes per game); 43 percent FG, 26 percent 3-point FG

Fulwiley’s transfer to LSU makes an already great SEC rivalry that much spicier (Thank you, basketball gods). This fit is pretty dang appealing for other reasons as well. The duo of Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams gave the Tigers a high-octane playmaking backcourt. Adding Fulwiley? Yeesh. Talk about showtime in Baton Rouge.

Transition time has slowly ticked upward in Kim Mulkey’s four seasons at LSU. Last season, the Tigers spent nearly a quarter of their possessions in transition, and with the addition of Fulwiley to the Johnson-Williams backcourt, I’m assuming that number will go even higher. All three players can create or score in transition, and adding Kate Koval (Notre Dame) as a center who is ready to run the floor gives them a dump-off option in the paint, too. It’s a role that Fulwiley, in her limited minutes, played well at South Carolina, as 45 percent of her scoring and 39 percent of her assists came in transition.

Fulwiley also gives the Tigers versatility in their pick-and-roll game. They often used high screening actions last season with Aneesah Morrow at the four. If LSU goes small and runs Jada Richard at the point, bumping Fulwiley-Johnson-Williams to the two through four, then Williams becomes the player setting high-ball screens. Though she doesn’t have the same inside presence as Morrow, her ability to step out and knock down 3s makes this pick-and-roll option with ballhandlers like Fulwiley or Johnson a fun two-player game. Last season, Williams acted as a ball screener only four times, including twice when she hit 3-pointers. So, LSU can see how this new wrinkle changes its offensive schemes, considering pick-and-rolls and spot-ups were the Tigers’ most common possessions in half-court play. With Fulwiley as the ballhandler (and ability to score at all three levels, including — like below — in the midrange) and Williams as the screener (and Johnson off-ball), defenses will be forced into a true pick-your-poison.

Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA

2024-25 stats (at Utah): 19.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG (30 minutes per game); 50.4 percent FG, 44.8 percent 3-point FG

At Utah — both under Lynne Roberts (who departed early last season for the vacant L.A. Sparks job) and current coach Gavin Petersen — Kneepkens played in a unique offense that basically ignored the midrange. In fact, Kneepkens has attempted exactly 89 midrange jumpers in her career (roughly eight percent of her total shots). UCLA doesn’t skew quite this extreme, but it isn’t exactly a midrange-loving team — only 12 percent of its field goal attempts were midrange shots last season.

Timea Gardiner was last season’s most efficient 3-point shooter, knocking down nearly 40 percent of her attempts, but Kneepkens’ 45 percent 3-point shooting (with a 63 percent effective field goal percentage) will give UCLA’s offense a secondary counterweight to Lauren Betts in the post, which should benefit both players. Kneepkens is better than almost anyone in the nation on either wing or in the left corner, which will allow the Bruins to set her up to force defenses to shade more to her. That also will open driving lanes for Kiki Rice and provide more space in the paint for Betts. More than one-third of her 3-pointers last season came from catch-and-shoot scenarios, off which she shot 48 percent, mostly because of her quick release.

Because defenses had to respect her elite 3-point shooting, Utah also loved running Kneepkens off high screens. If defenders went under, she could step back and knock down a triple, but she also has the size and ballhandling to attack the basket. (Most of her limited midrange shots also came in these scenarios when she decided to stop and pop.)

UCLA fans should be thrilled (and opponents terrified) about the potential of a Kneepkens-Betts two-player game. UCLA didn’t need to expand Betts’ game outside of the paint, but Bruins coaches say the midrange game is in her wheelhouse. If coach Cori Close can put one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters and the nation’s best center (with an extended range) into some high two-player situations, it’s dangerous. Betts has better size and hands than anyone Kneepkens has played with thus far. Then, consider Rice or Gabriela Jaquez off ball and ready to slash, or Gardiner standing by in the left deep corner (where she shot 44 percent from beyond the arc). I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how opponents will stop this. Let them cook, Cori!

Oluchi Okananwa, Maryland

2024-25 stats (at Duke): 10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG (22 minutes per game); 47.3 percent FG, 30 percent 3-point FG

Most players on this list joined more fully-formed teams, but Maryland reloaded almost entirely from the portal once again to replace losses of Shyanne Sellers, Sarah Te Biasu and Christina Dalce to graduation or the WNBA.

Okananwa makes it onto this list because coach Brenda Frese has perfected the art of adding multiple key transfers and continuing to chug along. Even with the additions of Yarden Garzon and Gracie Merkle (who both will likely play large roles), Frese can quickly get these transfers to mesh with the returners and one another fairly quickly.

To best understand the impact Okananwa can have, look no further than her three-game stretch during Duke’s ACC tournament title run last season. She averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 65 percent, including a blistering 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.

Unlocking Okananwa’s offensive potential and giving her a bit more pace to play with is a recipe for expanding her game and getting the Terrapins back into the top third of the Big Ten after losing so much following a Sweet 16 run.

I’m particularly excited to see Okananwa as Maryland’s best perimeter defender. The Terrapins aren’t exactly known for stout defense (Frese would much rather just outscore opponents), but Okananwa best fits into Maryland’s identity because of her steal-and-score or steal-and-create abilities. Getting out in transition with Smikle and Garzon provides Maryland a fun transition game. Last season, the Terrapins were one of the Big Ten’s best transition teams, shooting 51 percent and scoring nearly a quarter of their points there. Her defensive quickness and understanding of correct defensive positioning should steal a few possessions every game for Maryland.

Madina Okot, South Carolina

2024-25 stats (at Mississippi State): 11.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.1 BPG (23 minutes per game); 65 percent FG

The Gamecocks added two impressive players — Okot and Ta’Niya Latson — through the portal. As a go-to scorer and proven ballhandler, Latson’s addition is exciting, but I love the prospect of 6-foot-6 Okot elevating South Carolina’s chances to win a national title.

The Gamecocks’ interior defense last season didn’t quite meet the standard of the previous few seasons, and some of that can be chalked up to uber-athletic Ashlyn Watkins missing most of the season with an ACL tear. In her absence, Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin did a nice job, but there was a noticeable difference from South Carolina’s typical fierce rim-protecting presence when Dawn Staley utilized Kamilla Cardoso and Aliyah Boston.

	Opp. PPSA at rim	Opp. FG% at rim
2024-25	0.87	43.60%
2023-24	0.79	39.30%
2022-23	0.78	39.10%
2021-22	0.81	40.40%
2020-21	0.88	43.80%
2019-20	0.74	37.20%

Opp. PPSA = Opponents’ points per scoring attempt at the rim

Okot is still a bit raw. Despite one season of eligibility remaining, she has played only one season of Division I hoops, after competing her first two seasons of college ball in Kenya. But she has the physical gifts and foundational tools for Staley’s staff to mold her into a polished, effective rim protector and interior presence who can clear space on the outside for shooters like Latson, Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson to be as effective as they were during the 2023-24 season when Cardoso roamed the interior.

Offensively, Okot moves well and runs the floor nicely for someone of her size, and she’ll benefit from playing with multiple skilled, unselfish passers. On a team as deep as South Carolina, Okot won’t need to score 20 points per game, but she will need to make open shots.

I can’t wait to see how Staley’s crew uses Okot defensively. She’ll be facing some SEC posts for a second season, so she has the knowledge base of her opponents’ games, but the Gamecocks’ defensive scheme should free her to make even more plays at the rim. Already, she’s great at finding her assignment in transition and providing help (as seen below) while recovering to make big plays. Her size offers a change from 6-1 Kitts and 6-3 Joyce Edwards, but it’ll be fun to see how the Gamecocks can zero in on getting her into better initial defensive positioning and helping off the ball to create turnovers.

Serah Williams, UConn

2024-25 stats (at Wisconsin): 19.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.3 BPG (32 minutes per game); 49.3 percent FG

The national champs lost Paige Bueckers but return Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Ashlynn Shade, KK Arnold … the list goes on. The Huskies also bring in freshman Blanca Quiñonez, a 6-2 Ecuadorian forward who has been playing professionally in Italy for the last four years. She might just be the front-runner for Freshman of the Year.

Adding a 6-4 former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year who averaged a double-double last season is a case of the rich getting richer. Williams was perhaps the most sought after player in the portal, but she’s a perfect fit on both sides of the ball for the Huskies. She’ll bring a consistent inside presence that UConn lacked last season, while also allowing Strong to continue to roam all three levels offensively.

Williams spent about half her possessions posting up for Wisconsin last year, and even as the Badgers’ focal point, she was still super efficient, scoring 0.92 points per possession off each post up. (By comparison, Kiki Iriafen scored 0.97 points in each post up last season for USC.) Williams seals well and finds good positioning, even when she doesn’t get the ball on her first open look, and she’ll benefit from receiving crisper passes from better passers at UConn.

She also could be the Huskies’ best pure post defender in a minute, and their best rim protector/shot blocker since Olivia Nelson-Ododa. The Huskies were an exceptionally strong defensive team last season, but against top competition, they could’ve performed better by limiting paint scoring and keeping opponents off the offensive glass. (They were outrebounded on O-boards during the postseason.). Williams averaged more than seven defensive boards per game. She’ll be a much more disciplined, active player in the interior who can log heavy, physical minutes, which will alleviate some of the burden stemming from UConn posts’ foul troubles.

(Photo of MiLaysia Fulwiley: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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$1.6 million QB linked to College Football Playoff program

Published

21 minutes ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Miami finished the regular season 11–2 and earned a berth in the expanded College Football Playoff, advancing with a 10–3 first-round win over No. 7 Texas A&M.

The No. 10 Hurricanes will face No. 2 Ohio State on December 31 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, with the winner advancing to face the victor of the No. 6 vs. No. 3 Georgia matchup in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

With the Hurricanes set to lose starter Carson Beck after the season and the remaining depth chart made up of quarterbacks with limited in-game experience in Emory Williams and Judd Anderson, speculation has grown that Miami could pursue a proven signal caller in the transfer portal.

On December 19, Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong named NC State quarterback CJ Bailey as a potential option, despite Bailey not yet entering the transfer portal amid growing speculation that he could do so in the coming weeks.

“CJ Bailey, not in the portal, but a South Florida native. That’s a name that people bring up as a potential transfer portal option following his season and his upcoming bowl game,” Wiltfong said.

“Miami is another program that will be a major domino in the transfer portal deal.”

NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey. — Tampa, FL, USA; NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) throws a pass against the Memphis Tigers in the first quarter during the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Bailey, a Hollywood, Florida, native, posted one of the more efficient quarterback seasons in the FBS in 2025, throwing for 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on 68.8 percent passing, while adding 215 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.

His 6-6, 210-pound frame and pocket mobility make him a high-upside, starter-ready option for Power Five programs.

Before arriving at NC State, Bailey starred at Chaminade-Madonna High School, where he was rated a four-star recruit and the No. 29 quarterback in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2024 cycle.

He held nearly a dozen scholarship offers, including Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, Texas A&M, and Miami.

On3’s NIL trackers list Bailey’s current valuation at around $1.6 million, a notable asset for a program like Miami that can combine institutional NIL collectives with local South Florida opportunities.

Bailey’s hometown ties, starter-ready tape, recruiting familiarity, and Miami’s ability to offer larger third-party NIL packages and local marketing opportunities together create a plausible mutual fit for a portal move.

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The Clemson Insider

Published

1 hour ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum has had plenty to say about Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney over the course of the Tigers’ disappointing 2025 campaign.

This time, Finebaum attempted to sum up Swinney succinctly.

AL.com asked Finebaum for a single word to describe various college football coaches, including Swinney, following the 2025 regular season.

Finebaum’s word for the Tigers’ longtime head man?

“Grandpa,” Finebaum said.

Swinney, now finishing up his 18^th season (and 17^th full season) as Clemson’s head coach, is only 56 years old.

But of course, Finebaum’s “grandpa” description wasn’t centered around Swinney’s age. Rather, Finebaum was presumably referring to Swinney’s hesitancy to adapt to modern college football.

Finebaum has made it clear he believes Swinney’s reluctance to adapt to the changing college football landscape — specifically regarding NIL and the transfer portal — has caused his program to fall behind the times.

“It’s a very big factor, because he finally began to shift a little bit in the last year or two, but it was almost too late,” Finebaum said in late October. “And it’s really sad for me to say this, because I think everybody on this panel respects Dabo Swinney and appreciates that he has been one of the great coaches of this era, but that’s gone. It goes very quickly nowadays. And I think what’s even more irritating to that fanbase is he just keeps going to the well trying to live off of what he used to do, and unfortunately in college football, that doesn’t matter, especially if you don’t change. He did not change, and frankly, it’s too late.”

Finebaum has sounded off a lot on Swinney this year, with his team failing to live up to lofty expectations as the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Poll and a projected national title contender.

Following Clemson’s loss to Syracuse on Sept. 20 that dropped the Tigers to 1-3 for the first time ever under Swinney, Finebaum said he believed “it’s over” for Swinney at Clemson and “it’s time for him to go.” Finebaum suggested that Swinney should either leave Clemson to coach at another school, or become an analyst on TV like former coaches such as Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher.

“I think it’s over at Clemson. Let’s quit trying to sugarcoat it,” Finebaum said. “Sometimes it’s very difficult to get it back when you’ve lost it. He lost it, he got it back, now he’s lost it again and he’s lost it badly. It’s time for him to go.”

Following a 3-5 start to this season, Clemson bounced back to finish the regular season on a four-game winning streak to go 7-5 and become bowl eligible for a 27^th consecutive season.

Swinney’s Tigers are now set to take on Penn State (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Dec. 27 (noon, ABC).

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Why Bear Alexander and Poncho Laloulu Pass on NFL Draft is a Quiet Win for Oregon’s NIL Strategy

Published

2 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For years, NIL has often been framed as college football’s necessary evil — a chaotic marketplace blamed for roster churn, tampering fears, and short-term thinking. At Oregon, however, NIL is increasingly serving a different purpose. It’s not just reshaping how the Ducks build their roster, it’s reshaping how long they can keep it together.

Since the end of the regular season, two high-profile juniors on the Oregon roster have made decisions that quietly underscore that shift. Defensive lineman Bear Alexander announced first that he would return for the 2026 season. Shortly after, offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu, better known as “Poncho,” followed suit. Both will return to Eugene for their final seasons of eligibility.

Both decisions likely don’t happen four years ago at Oregon. Here’s why.

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Major college football QB expected to ‘command’ up to $5 million in transfer portal

Published

3 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Cincinnati Bearcats looked like a potential playoff team after a 7–1 start before dropping each of their final four games to close the 2025 season at 7–5 overall and 5–4 in Big 12 play.

Despite the late slide, it was Cincinnati’s highest win total since joining the Big 12 in 2023 and the program’s best season yet under third-year head coach Scott Satterfield.

Much of that success was fueled by junior quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has since announced his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

In 12 appearances during the 2025 season, Sorsby completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while also rushing for 580 yards and nine scores, establishing himself as one of the portal’s most coveted dual-threat quarterbacks.

On Tuesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Sorsby could command NIL offers approaching $5 million on the open market, a figure that would place him among the highest earners in college sports.

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby. — Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) warms up before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A Lake Dallas, Texas, native, Sorsby was a three-star recruit and the No. 66-ranked quarterback in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.

He received nearly a dozen scholarship offers, including from Indiana, Army, Navy, and Delaware.

Sorsby initially signed with Indiana in February 2022 and emerged as the Hoosiers’ full-time starter in 2023.

He threw for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 276 yards and four scores before entering the transfer portal and transferring to Cincinnati in 2024.

On3’s NIL tracker currently lists Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the nation’s highest-valued college athlete at $5.3 million, while Sorsby is valued at approximately $2.4 million, the 12th-highest overall.

Any deal approaching $5 million would immediately place Sorsby alongside Manning at the top of the NIL market.

Early links and reporting have connected Sorsby to programs including Texas Tech, Tennessee, Oregon, Indiana (return), and other Power-Five schools.

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Major football coach predicted to stay in college amid NFL rumors

Published

4 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Marcus Freeman to the New York Giants is the latest coaching carousel talking point that just won’t go away, amid rampant speculation that the Notre Dame head coach could have an escape plan ready to jump to the NFL, and that the interest may be mutual.

But where do things actually stand in the most talked-about coaching situation?

Analyst predicts Marcus Freeman’s future

Behind the scenes, the race is on for Notre Dame to come up with contractual terms to keep Freeman on their sideline, and from what it sounds like, the latest trend may be pointing in that direction.

Right now, the current trajectory suggests that Freeman will turn down any interest from the NFL and remain the Notre Dame head football coach into the future, according to On3 Sports analyst Eric Hansen.

“If Freeman does what I believe he will and he and agent Clint Dowdle find common contract ground — and athletic director Pete Bevacqua doesn’t appear to be offering even tactical resistance — the decision to stay in South Bend would be for the long haul,” Hansen said.

That may be what Notre Dame fans want to hear, but until a decision is made official, the lure of New York and the NFL is still out there.

NFL insiders reveal Giants, Freeman interest

The talk connecting Freeman to the Giants is not just random speculation at this point.

Freeman has also emerged as one of the most prominent names on the shortlist being assembled by the Giants franchise itself, according to The Athletic.

That is something to keep an eye on, as the NFL coaching bonanza is only just getting started, and Freeman is considered one of the best young coaching minds in circulation at any level.

What Freeman has done at Notre Dame

Freeman has just completed his fourth season at the helm of the Fighting Irish program and boasts a 43-12 overall record, winning more than 78 percent of his games.

Freeman led Notre Dame to a No. 2 national ranking and an appearance in the national championship game against his alma mater a year ago.

His team went 10-2 this season and seemed poised for another berth in the College Football Playoff, before the committee reversed course on Selection Day and left the Irish out of the field, leading the school to decline playing in a bowl game.

Notre Dame won’t let him go

Cognizant of the talk around his head man, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua is not willing to watch from the sidelines if his successful football coach is going to be courted by opportunities in the NFL, or anywhere.

“I would never say we wouldn’t match anything when it comes to Marcus,” Bevacqua said recently.

“I make sure that he knows that he will be where he deserves to be, and that is at the top, top, top tier of college football coaches when it comes to compensation every year.

“I view his contract, although a multiyear contract, as a living, breathing document that we will revise every year as need be to make sure he’s where he deserves to be. He knows he has that commitment from me and more importantly from the university.”

How exactly that commitment is formalized remains the sticking point that will either keep Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, or have him looking elsewhere.

Dylan Stewart, top 2027 NFL prospect, stays with Gamecocks, lands major NIL deal

Published

5 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — One day after South Carolina received word that star quarterback LaNorris Sellers was staying in town, another star said he plans to return to the fold.

Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks’ star edge rusher, announced he is returning for his true junior season in 2026, according to Pete Thamel, ESPN’s college football insider.

Stewart has 11 sacks in his two seasons at South Carolina and has forced 6 fumbles. Among ESPN’s draft projections, he appears to be a top prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft.

READ MORE | “South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers stays put, vows stronger return for 2026 season.”

The former five-star recruit and rising SEC pass rusher chose continuity over the transfer portal, agreeing to an NIL deal that places him among the highest compensated non-quarterbacks in college football, according to ESPN’s reporting.

South Carolina’s defense is back in reliable hands, as the Gamecocks ready themselves to bounceback from a 4-8 season.

After the pitiful finish, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer shook up his coaching staff.

South Carolina is also expected to hire Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes as the defensive end and outside linebacker coach.

He’s been Penn State’s defensive line coach the past three years and worked with the line there since 2020. He coached Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac.

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READ MORE | “South Carolina to kick off 2026 football season at home against Kent State.”

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