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 built a data-based algorithm to rank every transfer class throughout 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 ACC women’s classes.
1. Miami
Incoming transfers: Vittoria Blasigh, 5-foot-9 junior guard (USF); Amarachi Kimpson, 5-foot-8 junior guard (UNLV); Mya Kone, 6-foot-2 junior forward (FIU); Candace Kpetikou, 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore center (Washington State); Ra Shaya Kyle, 6-foot-6 graduate senior center (Florida); Jessica Peterson, 6-foot-2 graduate senior center (SMU); Gal Raviv, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard (Quinnipiac).
The skinny: Led by first-year coach Tricia Cullop, Miami stumbled to a 16th-place finish in the ACC in 2024-25. With the departure of the Cavinder twins, Cullop and her staff attacked the portal. Kyle and Peterson have experience in the portal (Kyle started her career at Purdue, Peterson at Fresno State), and both are coming off career years. Kyle averaged 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Gators, while Peterson averaged a double-double ( 10.3 points and 12 rebounds a night at SMU. In the backcourt, the additions of Blasigh, Kimpson and Raviv will hope to offset the production that left South Beach with the Cavinder twins. Raviv, a freshman at Quinnipiac this year, led her team in points (17.9), rebounds (5.5) and assists (4.3).
2. SMU
Incoming transfers: Anaya Brown, 6-foot-1 senior forward (UT Martin); Kyla Deck, 5-foot-9 senior guard (North Texas); Grace Hall, 6-foot-2 redshirt senior forward (Penn State); Jzaniya Harriel, 5-foot-10 redshirt senior guard (Stanford); Elise Hill, 5-foot-7 junior guard (Tulsa); Miriam Ibezim, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Oakland); Sahnya Jah, 6-foot junior forward (Arizona); Zahra King, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (California); Paulina Paris, 5-foot-9 senior guard (Arizona); Mailien Rolf, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (Arizona); Tyi Skinner, 5-foot-5 graduate senior guard (Arizona State); Ayanna Thompson, 6-foot-1 senior guard (Ole Miss)
The skinny: After finishing tied for last in the program’s first season within the ACC and losing its six leading contributors, SMU brings in a conference-high 12 transfers to rebuild. Brown, Hill, Deck, Skinner and Paris are likely to form the Mustangs’ starting five during the 2025-26 season, each of which are four-star transfers according to TPR. Hall and Harriel both look the part of veteran role players bringing much needed size and versatility while the youthful Arizona additions in Rolf and Jah give SMU a core to build on. Thompson arrives from a prestigious Mississippi program where she made 82 appearances over three seasons and gained invaluable experience. And King, a former top-100 prospect according to ESPNW, will have the opportunity to learn from a plethora of talented veterans after a limited freshman season with California.
3. Clemson
Incoming transfers: Rusne Augustinaite, 6-foot junior guard (Georgia Tech); Demeara Hinds, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (Wake Forest); Taylor Johnson-Matthews, 5-foot-9 senior guard (DePaul); Morgan Lee, 6-foot-5 senior center (Marist); Hadley Perriman, 6-foot-2 senior guard (Tulsa); Rachael Rose, 5-foot-7 senior guard (Wofford)
The skinny: In a 2023-24 season headlined by monstrous scoring numbers from Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (31.6 ppg) and USC’s JuJu Watkins (27.1 ppg), Wofford’s Rose flew under the radar. And yet, Rose finished No. 7 in the nation at 22.3 points per contest for the Terriers. Although an injury held Rose to just six games this season, her ability to get buckets at a high-rate will undoubtedly boost a Tigers offense that finished 15 of 18 in conference with 66 ppg. With the additions of Augustinaite and Hinds, second-year coach Shawn Poppie bolstered the squad’s high-major experience. Johnson-Matthews and Lee, who each started all but one game this season, averaged 14.5 and 12.6 points per contest, respectively.
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4. Georgia Tech
Incoming transfers: Catherine Alben, 5-foot-7 senior guard (Charleston Southern); Jada Crawshaw, 6-foot junior forward (Long Beach State); La’Nya Foster, 5-foot-9 junior guard (Austin Peay); Erica Moon, 5-foot-6 redshirt sophomore guard (Texas A&M); Savannah Samuel, 6-foot-1 graduate senior guard (Boston College); Brianna Turnage, 6-foot-1 senior guard (Florida State); Talayah Walker, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (Penn State)
The skinny: In 2024-25, Georgia Tech made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022, but with head coach Nell Fortner announcing her retirement earlier this offseason, much of that roster departed for the portal. New head coach Karen Blair hit the ground running in the transfer portal and was able to bring in a trio of former mid-major stars who will headline for the Yellow Jackets next season. Alben arrives from Charleston Southern where she was a two-time All-Big South selection and led the Buccaneers in scoring with 16.6 points per game this past season. After being selected as ASun Rookie of the Year in 2023-24, Foster was even more productive with Austin Peay in 2024-25. Crawshaw was a double-digit scorer primarily coming off the bench for Long Beach State as a sophomore who showcased strong two-way ability. Rounding out the class, Turnage, Samuel and Moon all arrive from within the high major ranks and will see opportunities for increased playing time with a move to Georgia Tech.
5. Florida State
Incoming transfers: Tatum Greene, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard (Boston College); Allie Kubek, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (Maryland); Emma Risch, 6-foot-1 junior guard (Notre Dame); Jasmine Shavers, 5-foot-8 senior guard (Texas Tech); Sole Williams, 5-foot-9 junior guard (Texas A&M)
The skinny: Despite the departure of the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson, for South Carolina, transfer acquisitions by coach Brooke Wyckoff and her staff have the Seminoles eager for a twelfth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. It starts with the addition of Shavers, the apparent scoring replacement for Latson, who averaged 14.9 points a night for Texas Tech this season. Kubek, a fifth-year who began her career with two seasons at Towson, played crucial minutes for a Maryland squad that fell just shy against South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. Greene, Risch and Williams have started just 30 games combined but are accustomed to high-major competition.
6. Louisville
Incoming transfers: Skylar Jones, 6-foot junior guard/forward (Arizona); Reyna Scott, 5-foot-10 senior guard (Oklahoma); Laura Ziegler, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Saint Joseph’s)
The skinny: With Louisville managing to retain its star freshman Tajianna Roberts, head coach Jeff Walz didn’t need to do a ton of work in the portal in order to surround her with talent. But the acquisitions these Cardinals did make throughout the offseason all look to be potential impact pieces heading into the 2025-26 campaign. St. Joe’s star forward in Ziegler was a top-5 available transfer this offseason according to TPR. The three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection averaged a double-double of 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this past season. Jones started 25 out of 32 games as a sophomore for Arizona, averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting at a 49 percent clip. Joining the backcourt rotation will be Scott who already seems an ideal point guard complement to run the offense and counter Roberts’ scoring prowess.
7. Notre Dame
Incoming transfers: Malaya Cowles, 6-foot-3 graduate senior forward (Wake Forest); Vanessa de Jesus, 5-foot-8 graduate senior guard (Duke); Iyana Moore, 5-foot-8 graduate senior guard (Vanderbilt); Kelly Ratigan, 5-foot-8 junior guard (Loyola (MD)); Gisela Sanchez, 6-foot-4 graduate senior forward (Kansas State)
The skinny: Looking to build around Hannah Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard whose 23.8 points per game in 24-25 led the team and ranked No. 5 in the nation, the Irish brought in a transfer class loaded with experience. Among the four graduate transfers, Moore led the way in scoring with 12.4 ppg. Her 23 point performance against the Lady Volunteers in the SEC Tournament helped Vanderbilt to the quarterfinals and later an NCAA Tournament appearance. Ratigan, who attended high school just minutes from Notre Dame’s campus at Saint Joseph High School, started 49 of 62 career appearances for Loyola Maryland.
8. Virginia
Incoming transfers: Tabitha Amanze, 6-foot-4 senior forward (Princeton); Danelle Arigbabu, 6-foot-4 graduate senior (West Virginia); Raiane Dias Dos Santos, 5-foot-9 redshirt senior guard (Florida State); Romi Levy, 6-foot-3 graduate senior guard (South Florida); Sa’Myah Smith, 6-foot-2 redshirt junior forward (LSU); Caitlin Weimar, 6-foot-4 graduate senior forward (NC State)
The skinny: Star sophomore and Virginia’s leading-scorer Kymora Johnson returns, and alongside her a healthy Paris Clark and one of the ACC’s top freshmen from last season in Breona Hurd. With three of the Cavaliers’ four leading contributors back heading into the 2025-26 season, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton was meticulous in the portal to fill out the rest of her rotation. Weimar spent this past season with the Wolf Pack and never appeared due to injury, but prior to that she was 2023-24 Patriot League Player of the Year and two-time Defensive Player of the Year with Boston University. Smith brings National Championship pedigree from LSU where she earned a ring as a freshman but more recently averaged 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Weimar, Amanze, Arigbabu and Levy will be four of the tallest players in the ACC giving this team tons of size, interior defense and two-way ability at the forward spot. Joining Johnson and Clark in the backcourt, Dos Santos rounds out the class with some additional high-major experience having made 31 appearances in her lone season with Florida State.
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Hoops HQ’s partners at the Portal Report have ranked the Big East’s transfer crop from 1 through 11. Here’s how they ordered the classes and why.
9. Wake Forest
Incoming transfers: Mary Carter, 6-foot-3 redshirt junior guard (Cal Poly); Grace Oliver, 6-foot-1 sophomore forward (Colorado); Raven Preston, 5-foot-11 redshirt junior guard (Elon)
The skinny: After losing three of five starters to the portal, the offseason outlook appeared bleak for a Demon Deacons squad that finished 2-16 in conference play this season. Preston, who started all 57 of her appearances with Elon, averaged 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season, both of which were good for team-highs. Carter shined in a starting role this season, averaging just under 13 points and six rebounds a night. Unfortunately for Wake, their portal additions will be unlikely to influence major improvement for the upcoming season.
10. Pittsburgh
Incoming transfers: Fatima Diakhate, 6-foot-5 redshirt junior forward (Georgia); Angel Jones, 5-foot-4 senior guard (Coppin State); Carla Viegas, 5-foot-9 junior guard (Florida State)
The skinny: Pitt lost a top-35 scorer in the nation this offseason with All-ACC First Team selection Khadija Faye out of eligibility. To try and replace her production in the aggregate, head coach Tory Verdi brought in three experienced additions from the portal that will set the tone for a seven woman freshman class. Jones was a two-time All-MEAC honoree for Coppin State where she averaged 15.2 points and 3.5 assists per game but how will she handle the transition to a high major conference? Viegas will team alongside her in the backcourt as a three-point specialist having shot 43 percent from deep on 146 attempts as a sophomore. Diakhate will be called upon to help bolster the frontcourt with a returning Lauren Rust after a season in which she managed to start 28 out of 29 games for Georgia in the SEC.
11. California
Incoming transfers: Naya Ojukwu, 6-foot-1 sophomore forward (Morgan State); Mjracle Sheppard, 5-foot-10 junior guard (LSU); Sakima Walker, 6-foot-5 graduate senior center (South Carolina)
The skinny: Fresh off their first NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Charmin Smith, the Golden Bears uncorked a trio of portal moves. Walker, who began her career with two seasons at Rutgers before spending the last pair at South Carolina, has yet to earn consistent starting minutes. Sheppard was on the court for 15 minutes per game over a season each at Mississippi State and LSU. She averaged just under four points per game for the Tigers this season. Ojukwu played just 15 games this season due to injury, but led the team in scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (9 rpg). If the newly acquired trio can contribute meaningful minutes, Smith and her Golden Bears should be in excellent shape for a repeat trip to the Big Dance.
12. Boston College
Incoming transfers: Lily Carmody, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard (Butler); Kiera Edmonds, 6-foot-2 redshirt sophomore forward (Houston); Erin Houpt, 5-foot-6 redshirt senior guard (San Diego State); Kayla Rolph, 6-foot-2 senior forward (William & Mary)
The skinny: Boston College just finished its third consecutive season with a record under .500 and followed that up by losing tons of talent to the portal. While head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee was able to recoup some of the lost minutes with four transfers, will it be enough to push the Eagles back into ACC contention? None of the four averaged more than 6.8 points per game, the leader of the group being Carmody who made 32 appearances in her freshman campaign with Butler. Rolph was solid on the interior for William & Mary where she managed 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with steady improvement each season but is she ready for the ACC? Houpt showed signs of mid-major stardom over her first two years with Mercer but struggled to find that same offensive output with a move to San Diego State. Edmonds started her career with Wagner and was one of the NEC’s best freshmen but was forced to redshirt the 2024-25 season at Houston. The Eagles will need to hope a season sitting on the Cougars sidelines has helped to develop her into a high-major contributor.
13. North Carolina
Incoming transfers: Nyla Harris, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Louisville)
The skinny: Harris has seen great success in three matchups with her future school, averaging over 10 points and seven rebounds per contest against the Tar Heels. An Orlando, Fla., native, Harris poured in career-high numbers as a sophomore for the Cardinals with 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a night. She will join a UNC squad that finished 13-5 in conference this season and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. With 5-foot-7 junior guard Reniya Kelly and 5-foot-10 senior guard Indya Nivar returning to Chapel Hill next season, expect the Tar Heels to be right back in the mix for a conference title.
14. Virginia Tech
Incoming transfers: Melannie Daley, 5-foot-11 graduate senior guard (Northwestern); Kilah Freelon, 6-foot-1 senior forward (Texas Tech); Sophie Swanson, 5-foot-10 junior guard (Purdue)
The skinny: Virginia Tech was able to retain its two leading scorers from last season and by nature of that didn’t have to do a ton of the transfer portal. However, the additions head coach Megan Duffy did make will be very complementive of what’s already on the roster. Daley, a graduate senior guard, is the ideal veteran piece to help lead a youthful squad coming off a season in which she averaged 11.7 points per game. Swanson showed steady growth over her two seasons with Purdue and most recently contributed 8.9 points per game. She’ll be afforded the opportunity to continue improving alongside the Hokies’ retuners. If Freelon can return to her sophomore year self where she was averaging 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, she’ll see consistent minutes in Tech’s frontcourt.
15. Syracuse
Incoming transfers: Oyindamola Akinbolawa, 6-foot-5 senior center (Auburn); Aurora Almon, 6-foot-4 sophomore forward (Miami (Fla.)); Dominique Darius, 5-foot-10 graduate senior guard (USC); Laila Phelia, 6-foot graduate senior guard (Texas)
The skinny: After an excellent start to Felisha Legette-Jack’s tenure as the head coach of her alma mater, finishing 44-21 over the first two seasons, the Orange suffered a 12-18 record in 2024-25. Hoping to rebuild momentum from an NCAA Tournament appearance in 23-24, Syracuse acquired a quartet of high-major transfers via the portal. Phelia owns the most scoring experience of the four; she averaged over 16 points per game from 2022-24 as a Michigan Wolverine. An eye injury suffered during the summer forced Phelia to medically redshirt after eight games at Texas. For Darius, who spent the first three years of her career at UCLA, Akinbolawa and Almon, the Orange will look to unleash their potential.
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16. NC State
Incoming transfers: Qadence Samuels, 6-foot junior guard (UConn)
The skinny: Though last season’s ACC regular-season Champions lost two veterans to the WNBA Draft, with a rising freshman class eager to contribute, the Wolfpack were fairly quiet in the portal. However, the program’s lone addition is marked by a 2024-25 National Champion in Samuels who made 69 appearances for UConn over two seasons. She was solid as a freshman, averaging 5.0 points per game but with her minute share being eaten up as a sophomore she departed for the portal. Samuels can expect to see some increased playing time this season and will have the opportunity to pair with 2024-25 All-ACC First Teammer Zoe Brooks.
17. Duke
Incoming transfers: Hailey Johnson, 5-foot-11 graduate senior (Pepperdine)
The skinny: With three of five starters set to return to a Duke team that reached the Elite Eight, coach Kara Lawson and her staff used the portal minimally. Johnson, who averaged under a point per game during her time at Pepperdine, will look to carve out a role in a guard-heavy Blue Devils rotation. Emilee Skinner, a composite five-star according to 247 out of Ridgeline High School, was ultimately Duke’s biggest get of the offseason.
18. Stanford
Incoming transfers: None
The skinny: In Stanford’s first season of ACC membership, the program managed a respectable 16-15 record and will retain most of that roster. With the University’s high academic standards, though, the program often struggles to recruit transfers and thus we won’t see anybody added via the portal this offseason. Realistically though, head coach Kate Paye didn’t need to because the program welcome’s in the 2nd-ranked recruiting class in the nation with three five-star prospects according to 247Sports.
