College Basketball
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Top women’s basketball players in transfer portal: Olivia Miles, Ta’Niya Latson, Cotie McMahon

It’s transfer portal season, which means every college basketball staff across the country has someone refreshing the portal constantly to see which players have entered their names. Here at The Athletic, we’ll be keeping track of the biggest names seeking new programs. With more than 1,000 players across Division I expected to enter the portal, non-recruiters can’t keep track of everyone. So, we’re here to simplify the matter and keep tabs on which of the most notable names in the sport have decided to continue their careers elsewhere.

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1. Ta’Niya Latson

Florida State junior guard

Key stats: 25.2 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 45 percent FG%

Reports swirled last week that Latson, the nation’s leading scorer during the 2024-25 season, was planning to enter her name into the portal, but she didn’t do so until Monday afternoon. Even though Latson has only one season of eligibility remaining, she’s a playmaker and proven scorer who can make an instant impact on any roster in the country. Particularly for rosters that are looking for that extra edge to put them over the line into national title contention, Latson is a scorer who can do exactly that.

2. Olivia Miles

Notre Dame redshirt junior guard

Key stats: 15.4 PPG, 5.8 APG, 5.6 RPG, 48 FG%, 41 3 PT%

The question about Miles for next season was whether she would enter the WNBA Draft or return for her final college season of eligibility. It appears there should’ve also been a third option: Miles joining the transfer portal. The prospect of her spending her final season not at Notre Dame came as a surprise to many. She had a fantastic season with the Irish, averaging a career-best in scoring and 3-point shooting (an 18-percentage point increase from her previous season-best at Notre Dame). Her experience (95 starts), passing ability, court vision, playmaking skills and motor (averaging more than 32 minutes per game over her career) make her one of the most intriguing transfer prospects.

3. Cotie McMahon

Ohio State junior forward

Key stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 44 percent FG%, 37 percent 3-point FG%

McMahon was the first big shock in the portal this season. But after three seasons of starring at Ohio State, the junior is reopening her recruitment. The first time around, McMahon, who was ranked No. 23 in the 2022 class, committed to the Buckeyes early, accepting their offer when she was a sophomore and enrolling midway through her senior year of high school. This time? Perhaps she’s going to take a few more visits (and, we expect many programs would be happy to host her).

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McMahon is a player known for her relentless motor and infectious playing style. Last offseason, she made a huge adjustment to her game, expanding her range to the 3-point line, where she shot 37 percent with about three attempts per game. For her WNBA prospects and her all-around game at the college level, those added skills make her even more valuable. The Ohio native is an absolute star, and she’d be a great fit on any 2026 national title contender.

4. Serah Williams

Wisconsin junior forward

Key stats: 19.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.3 blocks per game

With one season of eligibility remaining, Williams, the 6-foot-4 junior, is a veteran presence who can add production as a starter while helping ease the transition of a younger post teammate. Her offensive range is mostly the paint, so she’s not going to stretch the floor offensively for any team, but her motor (32 minutes per game this season) and rim-protecting abilities (she was the 2024 Big Ten defensive player of the year) make her a top target in this transfer portal cycle.

5. Gianna Kneepkens

Utah redshirt junior guard

Key stats: 19.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 50% FG%, 45% 3 PT%

Kneepkens — a 2025 All-Big 12 first-team selection, an All-Pac-12 first-team selection and a 2022 Pac-12 freshman of the year — has one season remaining from a medical redshirt granted after she broke multiple bones in her right foot in the 2023-24 season. She bounced back from that injury for a phenomenal year for the Utes, re-establishing herself as one of the nation’s best high-volume 3-point shooters (6.8 attempts per game). Playing within Utah’s offense, Kneepkens did the majority of her damage at the basket, from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. As a rangy, 6-foot guard who can handle and distribute while hunting her shot, she’s sure to be one of the best perimeter players available in the portal.

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6. Sa’Myah Smith

LSU redshirt sophomore forward

Key stats: 6.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG

Smith tore her ACL seven games into the 2023-24 season and worked her way back into form this year at LSU. Toward the end of the season, she was playing her best basketball. During the NCAA Tournament, she recorded her first career back-to-back double-doubles against Florida State (20 points, 12 rebounds) and NC State (21 points, 11 rebounds), and it still seems like Smith is just scratching the surface. She is also an extremely solid defender who can match up well in one-on-one situations and can go extended minutes against top competition without getting into foul trouble. (She averaged 2.2 fouls per game this season.) With up to two seasons of eligibility remaining, the Texas native has a chance to establish herself at another program and continue to build her resume for the 2026 or 2027 WNBA Draft.

7. Yarden Garzon

Indiana junior guard

Key stats: 14.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 43% FG%, 41% 3 PT%

With one season of eligibility remaining, Garzon is in the portal with a “do not tag” classification, meaning schools can’t reach out to her. This means she likely knows where she wants to transfer or that she has a very short list. It’s a matter of when she makes her announcement. She’ll be instant offensive spark as a floor spreader wherever she lands, after spending three seasons as a pain in the neck for Big Ten defenses. She’s known for her 3-point shooting, but she’s also good at attacking the rim. With her 6-3 size, she can finish through contact. Better yet, she’s an elite free-throw shooter who can make defenses pay there, too, knocking down more than 90 percent of her attempts this season.

8. Dani Carnegie

Georgia Tech guard

Key stats: 12.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG

Carnegie, the ACC sixth player of the year, was a huge part of Georgia Tech’s upward movement in the ACC this season. Helping rebuild the program was a big reason the New York native chose the Yellow Jackets in the first place. Now in the portal, Carnegie will look to bring her play elsewhere. Despite coming off the bench, she was a high-usage player, a low-turnover ballhandler, and even at 5-9, a skilled rebounder. Her overall stats might not jump off the page, but considering she averaged just 20 minutes a game this season, her effectiveness in those minutes was impressive.

9. Tonie Morgan

Georgia Tech junior guard

Key stats: 13.7 PPG, 5.6 APG, 4.5 RPG

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Teams are always looking for experienced, battle-tested point guards, and Morgan is exactly that. With 95 starts under her belt and one season of eligibility remaining, she can be inserted into a starting lineup to help ease the graduation or departure of another PG. Morgan isn’t a great 3-point shooter, but she’s good at finishing at the rim and will easily fit in on another power conference roster.

10. Aaliyah Guyton

Iowa freshman guard

Key stats: 4.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.1 APG

Guyton’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but she was playing about 16 minutes a game behind Lucy Olsen within the Iowa system. She’s a skilled 3-point shooter who, importantly, would have three seasons to grow in her next program. Though a lot of teams are looking into the portal for players who provide that instant surge of offensive or defensive pressure, who oftentimes end up being a stopgap, Guyton is the kind of guard who could help continue to elevate a program through the rest of her career. Her father was a former Indiana men’s basketball star … could she be following in his footsteps?

11. Kiyomi McMiller

Rutgers freshman guard

Key stats: 18.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 42% FG%

With three years of eligibility remaining and skills that can build a program, McMiller can be an instant impact player and a long-term investment. Notably, McMiller missed 10 games this season, with many of them billed as “coach’s decisions,” and she hasn’t played since early February. Even so, she’s going to be on many programs’ radars. Her 3-point shooting needs to improve, but she can be a reliable three-level scorer, and she’s a great defensive rebounder (more than four a game).

12. Clara Silva

Kentucky freshman center

Key stats: 4.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 blocks per game, 57% FG%

It’s not often that a player who averages 12 minutes a game would be viewed as a portal target, but expect teams to pursue Silva. At 6-7 and with an impressive wingspan, she has a lot that coaches can’t teach. At Kentucky, while playing behind Clara Strack, she provided useful reserve minutes and was extremely effective in that limited time. If you extrapolate her minutes into a 30-minute-per-game player, she’d be averaging 10 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game (and, probably more in each category because she’d be more of a first option).

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13. Breya Cunningham

Arizona sophomore forward

Key stats: 11.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG

With 63 starts under her belt at Arizona, Cunningham brings solid experience to a new roster. At 6-4, she’s a strong rebounder, but defensively, she needs to improve. Her stats are particularly impressive, considering she played fewer than 23 minutes a game for the Wildcats. But the low minutes were a byproduct of fouling nearly four times per game and fouling out of seven games this season. Not great. Even so, Cunningham received honorable mention All-Big 12 honors this season. If she can clean up the fouls and spend more time on the floor, she could be an asset the next two seasons.

(Photo of Olivia Miles: Greg Fiume / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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