The talent in the women’s college basketball transfer portal continues to get deeper. This week, reports surfaced revealing Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon has entered the portal.
The junior’s decision to leave the Buckeyes follows their devastating 82-67 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. After the contest, McMahon took to social media where she alluded to her eventual decision to jump ship.
“I want to be surrounded with people who have the same fight, passion, and love for the game just as much as I do,” McMahon said in an Instagram story.
McMahon has compiled an impressive résumé through her three seasons with the Buckeyes. She’s been an All-Big Ten player since stepping on campus (first team in 2024 and 2025, second team in 2023). She was also crowned the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2023. Now, it seems as though McMahon is ready to take her talents and trophy case to a program more equipped for postseason success. This puts her on the radar for several national championship-caliber programs needing a strong post presence to push them over the edge.
LSU
Kim Mulkey and LSU are currently the front-runners to land McMahon. Recently, the Tigers have had a spoils for riches on their roster — especially in the frontcourt. They’ve had major transfer portal wins at the forward spot with Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow. However, with Reese’s WNBA stardom and Morrow’s impending exit, LSU will need to fill a void at that position. McMahon could do this for the Tigers. Her close to 16 points of production would pair well with the Tigers’ stout backcourt.
USC
Like LSU, USC will be in the market for a productive post player this offseason. Kiki Iriafen is projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, meaning the Trojans will need another talented forward to balance out their backcourt of JuJu Watkins and the emerging Kennedy Smith. McMahon would fit into this mold perfectly. Also, she knows her way around the Big Ten conference. So, outside the move to Los Angeles, her transition to USC wouldn’t be a major shock to her system.
Florida State
Florida State is in the same boat as the Buckeyes. The Seminoles’ star player and the nation’s leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson announced she would be entering the transfer portal this week. However, FSU has a saving grace that could get them off of this disaster cruise.
Latson has alluded on multiple occasions that she’s willing to return to Florida State under certain conditions. Although those stipulations have not been made public, we can assume it would include a beefier NIL package and a more competitive roster. Adding a three-time All-Big Ten player to the roster would definitely comply with half of Latson’s demands.
Michigan
This may sound crazy to Buckeye fans, but “The School Up North” is a very viable option for McMahon’s services. Currently, the Wolverines have a strong but youthful core headlined by its freshmen backcourt of Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mia Holloway. But what Michigan is missing is a veteran post presence to balance out its guard production. Poaching a disgruntled star from your biggest rival wouldn’t just sting the Ohio State fanbase — it’d also fill a major hole on the Wolverines’ roster.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame needs to make a move. With presumably one more year of Hannah Hidalgo, the Fighting Irish don’t have the luxury of waiting for promising prospects like Kate Koval to develop. They need to go into win-now mode. Adding an All-Conference talent like McMahon to their frontcourt would go a long way in helping them get over the postseason hump. The Irish will also need to replace guard Olivia Miles, but starting their transfer portal big-game hunting with McMahon could intrigue other prospects to come to South Bend.
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