Women’s college basketball transfer portal winners and losers: Audi Crooks, Iowa, Texas

The portal has officially closed and most of the big-name players have landed at their new programs.

With all that player movement, teams are now coming into focus and the landscape has certainly changed for the 2026-27 season. Top-10 teams are no longer top anything. And some teams that were entirely outside of Top 25 projections appear to have burst onto the scene as contenders who could make deep March runs next season.

With all that movement, here’s a look at the winners and losers of the 2026 portal season.

Winners

No team made a more precipitous jump from irrelevance to contenders for a deep NCAA Tournament run than Oklahoma State with this portal haul. Cowgirls coach Jacie Hoyt’s team lost nine players to the portal and graduated another two, returning just Stailee Heard. The rising senior is a two-time All-Big 12 selection, but it’s hard to put together a competitive team (or a team at all) with just one player and three incoming freshmen.

Hoyt’s early transfer portal signings weren’t splashy, but they had a theme — elite 3-point shooters. Ellie Brueggemann (Lindenwood), Talexa Weeter (Division II Fort Hays State) and Nene Ndiaye (Rutgers) all shot better than 40 percent from long range last season. Hoyt then signed Florida transfer Liv McGill, the high-volume shooter who’s an asset in the paint and in transition. But what really elevated Oklahoma State’s ceiling was center Audi Crooks’ decision to sign with the Cowgirls. With Crooks operating in the middle, 3-point shooters spacing the floor and McGill working in between, the Cowgirls became an exciting team in the span of two weeks.

In: Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Liv McGill (Florida), Ellie Brueggemann (Lindenwood), Talexa Weeter (Division II Fort Hays State) and Nene Ndiaye (Rutgers), LA Sneed (Utah)

Out: Achol Akot (North Carolina), Amari Whiting (Iowa), Jadyn Wooten (TCU), Macey Huard (Washington), Faith Acker, Praise Egharevba, Tyla Heard, Lena Girardi (Utah), Favour Onoh

Iowa

The Hawkeyes lost five players to the portal. Only freshman Addie Deal had played more than 15 minutes a game during the season, and her production can be replaced by the returning guards and incoming freshman McKenna Woliczko. Even so, coach Jan Jensen went into the portal to bring more depth and talent to the Iowa backcourt with the additions of Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.

Adding Carnegie is particularly promising because she and Chit Chat Wright — who started 31 games in 2025-26 — played together as freshmen at Georgia Tech. They logged more than 250 possessions together that season. The only Iowa guard combos who played at least 250 possessions together in 2025-26 were Wright and Taylor Stremlow and Wright and Kylie Feuerbach. Wright and Carnegie’s experiences together should help establish a baseline for a team heading into the 2026-27 season eager to rewrite its early March Madness exit.

Hannah Stuelke’s graduation will hurt — she started 96 games the past three seasons — but Ava Heiden can be the interior centerpiece as Iowa continues to fill out the rest of the floor with talented guards and wings.

In: Dani Carnegie (Georgia), Amari Whiting (Oklahoma State)

Out: Addie Deal (Wisconsin), Teagan Mallegni (Wisconsin), Callie Levin (Northern Iowa), Kennise Johnson, Emely Rodriguez

Louisville’s offense this season produced its highest scoring since 2013-14, and though the Cardinals lost three of their top eight players from their Elite Eight team — forward Laura Ziegler (graduation), guard Reyna Scott (graduation) and wing Anaya Hardy (transfer) — they’ve reloaded quite well with key transfer additions.

Coach Jeff Walz landed Carys Baker, an experienced 6-foot-2 forward from Virginia Tech who had 16 points and nine boards against Louisville this season, to bolster the inside with Elif Istanbulluoglu (6-3 forward) and incoming freshman Ayse Melek Demirer (6-5 forward). Baker’s ability to knock down 3s and chase down rebounds will be a difference-maker for Louisville. Bringing in Zam Jones from NC State was another significant intraconference win for the Cardinals, making this already-strong rising junior core of Tajianna Roberts, Imari Berry and Mackenly Randolph that much better.

In: Zam Jones (NC State), Carys Baker (Virginia Tech), Deniya Prawl (Tennessee)

Out: Anaya Hardy (Notre Dame), Skylar Jones (Baylor), Isla Juffermans (Charleston), Peyton Bradley (UAB)

TCU

After losing seven of their top eight rotational players, the Horned Frogs needed to hit the portal hard and bring in some talent to continue their Elite Eight streak. Coach Mark Campbell did that, bringing in a talented group to surround center Clara Silva — the rare multi-year player at TCU.

Oklahoma State’s Jadyn Wooten brings experience as a ball handler and distributor, while North Carolina’s Lanie Grant is an elite floor spacer (42 percent from range). Lara Somfai, who started 32 games for Stanford as a freshman, averaged 11 points and nine rebounds a game. Paired with Silva, Somfai should be able to elevate her game even more in her sophomore season at TCU.

In: Lanie Grant (North Carolina), Jadyn Wooten (Oklahoma State), Lara Somfai (Stanford), Bella Hines (LSU), Avery Hjelmstad (Utah)

Out: Donovyn Hunter (UCLA), Taliyah Parker (Florida), Emily Hunter, Aaliyah Roberson

Honorable mentions

LSU

The Tigers lost four to the portal, but Jada Richard was the only player who averaged more than 14 minutes a game. Bringing in Iowa State’s Jada Williams, who averaged 7.7 assists per game last season, to distribute to and play alongside MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams and ZaKiyah Johnson is big. Florida’s Laila Reynolds will add key depth necessary for an SEC season.

Duke

After the graduations of Taina Mair and Ashlon Jackson, Duke needed to add instant guard depth. The Blue Devils got that and more with Texas’ Aaliyah Crump. The 6-1 guard seems like she just scratched the surface with the Longhorns in less than 18 minutes a game. Toby Fournier, Riley Nelson and Delaney Thomas played more than 300 possessions together this season, so they have an established chemistry. Bringing in an elite two-way player like Crump should elevate what they built together in 2025-26.

Ole Miss

The self-described “portalista,” coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, was at it again. With only two of the Rebels’ top eight rotational players returning, McPhee-McCuin got eight players out of the portal. Tennessee’s Talaysia Cooper is the most intriguing, and LSU’s Jada Richard, who started 34 games for the Tigers, will likely become the starting point guard tasked with bringing these new players together.

With their retention rate, the Gamecocks rarely need to add much through the portal, but after losing Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson to graduation, bringing in an experienced guard was a huge plus for a team that figures to be a Final Four contender again. In Jordan Lee, coach Dawn Staley landed a two-time Final Four finalist, a two-way non-stop player and a 3-point floor spacer.

Losers

Texas

The team that looked like it was going to be headed toward a third-consecutive Final Four is no longer that. Madison Booker remains, and she’s a great foundation around which to build, but not much else is left in the cupboard. Aaliyah Crump, Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton are gone, meaning the Longhorns will be young next season. Oklahoma guard Zya Vann is a nice backcourt addition. Otherwise, expect to see a lot of minutes go to the four top-25 players Texas signed in its 2026 recruiting class.

Out: Aaliyah Crump (Duke), Jordan Lee (South Carolina), Justice Carlton (Houston)

In: Zya Vann (Oklahoma)

Iowa State

The Cyclones lost nine players to the portal, including starters Audi Crooks, Addy Brown, Kenzie Hare and Jada Williams. Now, Iowa State returns just one starter — Ariana Jackson (6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game).

Coach Bill Fennelly has not backfilled his roster with talent similar to what he lost. The Cyclones have grown accustomed to being near the top of the Big 12, but that might not be the case next season. Iowa State has just one player in its 2026 high school recruiting class, 5-9 point guard Macy Comito, and the Cyclones have gotten another five through the portal. Three of those players — May Babbitt (Kent State), Alex-Anne Bessette (Loyola Chicago) and Ashleigh Connor (La Salle) — were starters at their previous schools, but none are transferring from a power conference.

Out: Audi Crooks (Oklahoma State), Addy Brown, Jada Williams (LSU), Kenzie Hare (Indiana), Reese Beaty (Mississippi State), Alisa Williams (Indiana), Alli Tanke, Lilly Taulelei (Rice), Reagan Wilson (Toledo)

In: May Babbitt (Kent State), Alex-Anne Bessette (Loyola-Chicago), Ashleigh Connor (La Salle), Gift Ezekiel (Florida), Sienna Harvey (Washington)

Stanford

The Cardinal lost five of their top six rotational players (four transfers, one graduate), including three starters who were potential returners. Hailee Swain, a rising sophomore, is the only returning starter. Stanford can build around her, but they need to pick up quite a bit more.

Stanford has missed two consecutive NCAA Tournaments. At this point, with the current returners (just three of whom averaged more than 10 minutes per game), one transfer pick-up and three Class of 2026 signees, it’s hard to gauge if Stanford can improve in Year 3 under coach Kate Paye.

Lost: Courtney Ogden (Michigan), Lara Somfai (TCU), Nunu Agara (Maryland), Chloe Clardy (North Carolina), Carly Amborn (Cal), Harper Peterson (Tennessee), Mary Ashley Stevenson (Columbia)

In: Inés Sotelo (Michigan State)

Tennessee

The Lady Vols were left with no returning players after graduations and a transfer exodus following a season of lows. In coach Kim Caldwell’s third season, Tennessee welcomes an entirely new team. To make matters worse, her 2026 recruiting class is down to just one player after Oliviyah Edwards, the No. 3 player in the 2026 class, requested a release from her letter of intent.

Tennessee signed six players out of the transfer portal, though only two were starters at power conference schools (Rylie Theuerkauf from Georgia and Harissoum Coulibaly from Auburn). Can this group make it work in Knoxville? To play at the same pace the Lady Vols established the past few years, they’ll need to add a few more players.

Out: Talaysia Cooper (Ole Miss), Alyssa Latham (Virginia Tech), Mia Pauldo (Rutgers), Mya Pauldo (Rutgers), Jaida Civil (Ole Miss), Kaniya Boyd (Texas A&M), Lauren Hurst (Virginia Tech)

In: Rylie Theuerkauf (Georgia), Harissoum Coulibaly (Auburn), Zhen Craft (Georgia), Harper Peterson (Stanford), Avery Mills (Liberty), Naomi White (Northern Arizona)

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Duke Blue Devils, Stanford Cardinal, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, Louisville Cardinals, Iowa Hawkeyes, TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State Cyclones, LSU Lady Tigers, Oklahoma State Cowgirls, Texas Longhorns, Women’s College Basketball

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