As rosters continue to take shape for the 2025-26 college basketball season, clear-cut winners and losers have emerged from this portal cycle.
In an offseason loaded with NIL-related controversy, recruiting the transfer portal has become tougher than ever. Hoops HQ has partnered with The Portal Report, which has a data-based algorithm to rank every transfer class in the country. In the coming weeks, we will be ranking the men’s and women’s classes from each of the five major conferences. Today, we take a look at the Big 12 women’s classes.
1. Arizona
Incoming transfers: Noelani Cornfield, 5-foot-6 graduate senior guard (Buffalo); Nora Francois, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (New Orleans); Kamryn Kitchen, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard (Virginia); Achol Magot, 6-foot-7 junior center (Texas Tech); Mickayla Perdue, 5-foot-7 graduate senior guard (Cleveland State); Sumayah Sugapong, 5-foot-7 junior guard (UC San Diego); Fredriecka Wallace, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Kansas); Tanyuel Welch, 5-foot-10 redshirt junior guard (Memphis)
The skinny: Four seasons removed from a devastating one-point loss in the National Championship game, head coach Adia Barnes parted ways with her alma mater and accepted the same position at SMU. In her first offseason at the helm, Becky Burke and her staff have pulled in eight transfers, good for No.1 in The Portal Report’s Big 12 rankings. Along with a winning pedigree that saw Buffalo achieve a program-high 30 games and a WNIT title, Burke brings Cornfield, who finished third for the Bulls in scoring (10.9 points per game). Perdue finished 22nd in the nation in scoring at 20 points per contest. The senior helped lead Cleveland State to a third-place finish in the Horizon and a WNIT semifinals appearance, where she poured in 19 points in a loss to her future coach. In her second season with the Tigers, Welch started 25 of 30 appearances while averaging 10.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Wallace and Kitchen did not appear at their initial high-major stops but Wallace was a two-time All-American at Butler Community College and Kitchen ranked as the No.57 recruit in ESPN’s class of 2025 rankings.
2. TCU
Incoming transfers: Kennedy Basham, 6-foot-7 senior center (Arizona State); Olivia Miles, 5-foot-1o graduate senior guard (Notre Dame); Taliyah Parker, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard (Texas Tech); Veronica Sheffey, 5-foot-9 senior guard (San Diego State); Clara Silva, 6-foot-7 sophomore center (Kentucky); Marta Suarez, 6-foot-3 graduate senior forward (Cal)
The skinny: With the acquisition of Miles, the No.3 portal prospect according to TPR’s rankings, second-year coach Mark Campbell and the Horned Frogs essentially replaced the production and experience left by Hailey Van Lith, the No.11 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. Although replacing Van Lith’s impact on a team that reached the Elite Eight in 2024-25 (best finish in program history) may be impossible, Miles’ 95 career starts and 89 wins should be more than enough to keep the momentum going in Fort Worth. Surrounding Miles is a quartet of high-major transfers in Basham, Parker, Silva and Suarez. Of the four, Suarez led the way in scoring at just under 13 points a night in 2024-25. A native of Spain who started her career with a pair of seasons at Tennessee, Suarez helped Cal to the NCAA Tournament this year.
3. Arizona State
Incoming transfers: McKinna Brackens, 6-foot-1 junior forward (UNLV); Heloisa Carrera, 6-foot-2 sophomore forward (Ole Miss); Deborah Davenport, 6-foot-2 redshirt junior guard/forward (Northwest Florida State College); Gabby Elliott, 5-foot-10 graduate senior guard (Penn State); Jordan Jones, 6-foot senior guard (Denver); Last-Tear Poa, 5-foot-11 graduate senior guard (LSU); Marley Washenitz, 5-foot-7 senior guard (Pittsburgh)
The skinny: Looking to rebuild a Sun Devils roster that saw eight transfer departures, first-year coach Molly Miller attacked the portal. Miller, who led Grand Canyon to a 121-38 record during her five-year tenure, acquired Poa, once considered among the nation’s top JUCO recruits, from LSU. Although she saw minimal time on the floor with the Tigers, Poa averaged 23 points per game as a freshman at Northwest Florida State College on her way to the NJCAA Tournament MVP award. Davenport, another Northwest Florida State College product, averaged a career-high 9.3 points for the Raiders this season. Jones exploded in her junior year at Denver with a career-high 19.9 points per game to go along with 6.7 rebounds per contest. Elliott, who began her career with two seasons apiece at Clemson and Michigan State, averaged 13.3 points for Penn State in 2024-25.
Five Burning Questions For the 2025-26 Women’s Hoops Season
Can Texas overcome its shooting woes? Is this the year for Ole Miss? Can Michigan’s trio win a chip? We preview the upcoming women’s season.
4. Oklahoma State
Incoming transfers: Faith Acker, 6-foot-2 junior center (Tarleton State); Achol Akot, 6-foot-1 junior forward (UCF); Tyla Heard, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard (Oral Roberts); Wilnie Joseph, 6-foot-5 graduate senior center (McNeese); Haleigh Timmer, 5-foot-11 senior guard (South Dakota State); Amari Whiting, 5-foot-10 junior guard (BYU)
The skinny: A Cowgirls squad that finished No.3 in the Big 12 in 2024-25 lost just three players to the portal, none of whom averaged more than 2 points. With the additions of Whiting and Timmer, Oklahoma State added to a backcourt that will retain its two leading scorers; 5-foot-8 senior guard Micah Gray (13.7 ppg) and 5-foot-11 junior guard Stailee Heard (16.8 ppg). Whiting started each of 63 appearances at BYU, averaging 10.4 points per contest over two seasons. Timmer poured in a career-high 12.8 points a game for SDSU this year. As key returners and portal additions begin to shape the roster for 2025-26, look for fourth-year coach Jacie Hoyt and Oklahoma State to find themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons.
5. West Virginia
Incoming transfers: Gia Cooke, 5-foot-8 junior guard (Houston); Loghan Johnson, 5-foot-10 junior guard (Texas Tech); Riley Makalusky, 6-foot-2 junior forward (Butler); Carter McCray, 6-foot-1 junior forward (Wisconsin); Célia Rivière, 6-foot-3 senior forward (Northwest Florida State); Kierra Wheeler, 6-foot-1 graduate senior forward (Norfolk State)
The skinny: Since being named the seventh head coach of West Virginia women’s hoops in April 0f 2023, Mark Kellogg has compiled a 50-16 record. With each of the past two seasons ending in a second round loss, Kellogg and his staff hauled in a deep portal class. McCray, who began her career at Norfolk State, finished second for the Badgers in points (10.6 points) and rebounds (7.1 rebounds). Norfolk State’s leading rebounder this season, Wheeler averaged 8.9 rebounds per contest and added 15.8 points a night. Her Spartans advanced to the Big Dance before an opening round defeat at the hands of fourth-seeded Maryland. Cooke provided a rare bright spot for the Cougars who finished the year last in the Big 12; she put up 12.4 points per game after one season at Maryland.
Ranking All the Women’s ACC Transfer Classes
Hoops HQ’s partners at the Portal Report have ranked the ACC’s transfer crop from 1 through 18. Here’s how they ordered the classes and why.
6. Baylor
Incoming transfers: Ella Brow, 5-foot-8 redshirt junior guard (SMU); Yuting Deng, 6-foot-2 sophomore guard (Auburn); Kiersten Johnson, 6-foot-4 senior forward (Oklahoma); Kiera Pemberton, 6-foot-1 junior guard (North Dakota); Taliah Scott, 5-foot-9 redshirt sophomore guard (Auburn)
The skinny: Following a streak of dominance under Kim Mulkey in which the Bears won nine of 10 Big 12 tournament titles and two national championships, Baylor has regressed. However, they fell just one game shy of both a regular season and tournament title in the Big 12 in 2024-25. Head coach Nicki Collen acquired a pair of high-volume scorers in Scott and Pemberton. Scott, who has played just 22 combined games over a season each at Arkansas and Auburn, averaged 21.9 points per contest. She ranks as the No.14 player in TPR’s portal rankings. Pemberton led North Dakota in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (7.2), including a career-high 30-points in a win over St. Thomas (Minn.). Brow, Deng and Johnson will look to work their way into a talented Baylor rotation.
7. Colorado
Incoming transfers: Anaelle Dutat, 6-foot senior forward (Rhode Island); Maeve McErlane, 5-foot-10 redshirt junior guard (DePaul); Claire O’Connor, 6-foot junior guard (Gonzaga); Zyanna Walker, 5-foot-11 junior guard (Kansas State); Desiree Wooten, 5-foot-8 junior guard (North Texas)
The skinny: The Buffaloes finished in the middle of the pack in their first season in the Big 12, a relapse after three consecutive top-half finishes to end their Pac 12 tenure. With just one member of the starting five returning, JR Payne and her staff will hope to glean production from a portal class loaded with mid-major talent. Wooten, the leading scorer of the group, scored 11.5 points a game for North Texas this season. Dutat, O’Connor and Walker sat around eight points a piece in 2024-25. Walker, who began her career with a season at Louisville, started all 36 games for K-State this year.
8. Houston
Incoming transfers: Amirah Abdur-Rahim, 6-foot-3 graduate senior forward (Texas A&M); Shun’teria Anumele, 5-foot-8 sophomore guard (Saint Louis); Amani Bartlett, 6-foot-3 graduate senior forward (LSU); Kyndall Hunter, 5-foot-7 redshirt senior guard (Texas A&M); Briana Peguero, 5-foot-7 senior guard (Troy); TK Pitts, 6-foot-1 senior guard (SMU); Jorynn Ross, 6-foot-3 junior forward (Arizona)
The skinny: Amidst a 14-year NCAA Tournament drought, Houston is hoping a change at the top can help reverse the program’s fortunes. Following his hiring in March of 2025, Matthew Mitchell invested in the portal. A trio of intrastate transfers will join the Cougars in Abdur-Rahim, Hunter and Pitts. Among the three, Pitts led the way in scoring with 6.3 points this year. Bartlett comes from a perennial powerhouse and Ross a team on the rise but they provided minor contributions to their squads. Although they undoubtedly improved via the portal, Houston could be in for another tough season in 2025-26.
9. Texas Tech
Incoming transfers: Sidney Love, 5-foot-8 senior guard (UTSA); Jada Malone, 6-foot-3 redshirt senior forward (Texas A&M); Gemma Núñez, 5-foot-7 senior point guard (Campbell); Mariam Sanogo, 6-foot-2 senior forward/guard (Canisius)
The skinny: It will be a family affair in Lubbock when the 2025-26 season begins as Sanogo joins her sister, Sarengbe, at Texas Tech. Mariam, who played a season with her sister at Odessa College and Northwest Kansas Technical college, averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for Canisius this year. Malone slashed 8.7 points/4.9 rebounds while shooting at a 62.9 percent clip for the Aggies. Love’s 10.3 points per contest paced the Red Raiders portal class but after a 4-14 conference finish this year, it would take an epic turnaround for Tech to finish above .500 in the Big 12 next season.
10. Iowa State
Incoming transfers: Evangelia Paulk, 6-foot junior guard (Wofford); Jada Williams, 5-foot-8 junior guard (Arizona)
The skinny: Under legendary head coach Bill Fennelly, Iowa State has reached 23 of 30 NCAA Tournaments. Aiming to sustain that success, Fennelly and his staff added a pair of impact transfers to a roster that already has one of the nation’s top players in 6-foot-3 junior center Audi Crooks. Both Paulk (12.8 points) and Williams (12.7) led their teams in scoring. In addition to scoring, Paulk led Wofford in rebounds (8.4) and steals (3.3). Look for the Cyclones to return to the top quarter of the conference in 2025-26.
Life After 22: Future Looks Bright for Iowa in a Post-Caitlin World
Caitlin Clark elevated Iowa to new heights. The program is still standing strong after her, with a new leader, an infusion of young talent and a reputation to uphold.
11. BYU
Incoming transfers: Lara Rohkohl, 6-foot-3 senior forward (College of Charleston)
The skinny: After the promotion of Lee Cummard to head coach, BYU managed just one portal acquisition. Cummard, who succeeded a tenure that struggled to rebound following the retirement of Jeff Judkins, will have his hands full in year one. Although the Cougars managed to retain 5-foot-10 sophomore guard Delaney Gibb, the team’s leading scorer in 2024-25 (17.4), little other production returns. Rohkhol, who began her career at Central Connecticut State, averaged just over 10 points and nine rebounds this season but will her addition be enough for the Cougars to compete in 2025-26?
12. Cincinnati
Incoming transfers: Mary Carden, 6-foot-6 sophomore center (Oral Roberts); Mya Perry, 5-foot-11 senior guard (FAU)
The skinny: An NCAA Tournament drought that expands over three conference changes (C-USA, Big East, AAC, Big 12) and 22 seasons plagues the Bearcats. Looking to shift a seemingly unstoppable tide, former Bearcat captain and head coach Katrina Merriweather made a pair of portal moves. Perry began her career with a season at Ohio State, just down the road from Reynoldsburg Summit where she holds the all-time scoring record. After averaging less than four minutes per game as a freshman, Perry transferred to FAU where she scored a career-high 15.5 points per contest. Carden averaged 1.8 points and 1.9 rebounds a night for Oral Roberts as a freshman. Unfortunately for Bearcat nation, the drought appears likely to continue in 2025-26.
“I Have Not Enjoyed It”: Kansas State Follows Historic Season With Great Uncertainty
Kansas State said goodbye to several key players from last year’s Sweet 16 team. The Wildcats hope their one constant — head coach Jeff Mittie — can keep the wins coming.
13. Kansas State
Incoming transfers: Izela Arenas, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard (Louisville); Jenessa Cotton, 6-foot-2 sophomore forward (Duke); Tess Heal, 5-foot-10 senior guard (Stanford); Ramiya White, 6-foot-5 sophomore center (Virginia Tech)
The skinny: Coming off a Sweet Sixteen appearance, the best finish of the Jeff Mittie era, K-State entered the portal with intent. The top scorer of the four ACC transfers, Heal started her career with two seasons at Santa Clara. After a sophomore season in which she averaged 19.5 points per contest, Heal became a highly sought after transfer and committed to Stanford. There, she averaged eight points a game off the bench, showing the ability to get it done at the high-major level. Although the remaining three lack experience, expect Mittie and the Cats to be back in the Big Dance come March.
14. Utah
Incoming transfers: Kamryn Mafua, 6-foot-1 sophomore forward (Cal); Lani White, 6-foot senior guard (Virginia Tech)
The skinny: Despite the midseason hiring of head coach Lynne Roberts to the Los Angeles Sparks, the Utes did not skip a beat on their way to a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. This smooth transition, thanks in large part to the experience of new head coach Gavin Petersen with the program, propelled Utah into an offseason filled with roster change. White, who averaged 9.6 points a night for Virginia Tech this season, will play a key role in replacing the production left by the team’s top scorer, Gianna Kneepkens, who transferred to UCLA. Mafua saw limited time as a freshman at Cal, but ranked as the No.52 recruit in the ESPNW Class of 2024.
15. Kansas
Incoming transfers: Lilly Meister, 6-foot-3 senior forward (Indiana)
The skinny: A Jayhawks roster that returned all five starters had little need for transfer acquisitions this offseason. However, Brandon Schneider and his staff did make one. Meister, the No.86 recruit in 2022 according to All Star Girls Report, started a career-high 17 games this past season. The Minnesota native recorded 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Hoosiers in 2024-25, including a key 11 points in a 76-68 opening round victory over Utah.
16. UCF
Incoming transfers: Kristol Ayson, 5-foot-8 graduate senior guard (Tulsa); Audreonia Benson, 5-foot-7 junior guard (Pensacola State College); Jacorriah Bracey, 5-foot-9 graduate senior guard (Southern Miss); Kayanna Cox, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (SMU); Jasmynne Gibson, 6-foot-1 sophomore forward (North Florida); Leah Harmon, 5-foot-6 sophomore guard (Miami (Fla.)); Logan Reed, 6-foot redshirt freshman guard/forward (Texas A&M Corpus-Christi); Savannah Scott, 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore center (Auburn)
The skinny: Although UCF acquired eight transfer commitments, which tied a conference-high (Arizona), they fell to last in the rankings due in large part to nine portal departures. Leading the way was Kaitlin Peterson, a 5-foot-9 senior guard who led the team at 21.4 points per game and committed to Ole Miss. The Knights gained a wide variety of high-major talent, but for a team that finished 4-14 in conference this season, it likely won’t be enough. Ayson and Gibson were productive for their respective teams; Ayson dropped 7.4 points while Gibson averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.
