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 East women’s classes.
1. Butler
Incoming transfers: Caroline Dotsey, 6-foot-2 junior forward (Maine); Nevaeh Jackson, 6-foot junior guard (Valparaiso); Saniya Jackson, 6-foot redshirt sophomore guard (Valparaiso); McKenna Johnson, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard (Minnesota); Kennedy Langham, 5-foot-7 junior guard (Samford); Mallory Miller, 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore forward (Arizona State); Gabby Wilke, 6-foot-2 sophomore forward (South Dakota)
The skinny: Headlined by twin sisters Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson, a Butler portal class stocked with mid-major talent will hope to turn it around after a 5-13 finish in conference a season ago. Nevaeh is the incoming group’s leading scorer, coming off a campaign that saw her average 13.8 points per game (second on Valparaiso).. Although a knee surgery held Saniya out of her sophomore season, she poured in 9.5 points per game as a freshman and added 3.3 rebounds. A pair of high-major additions will join the Bulldogs in the fall, and despite a lack of production at their previous stops, each should have the opportunity to make an immediate impact at Butler. Johnson, the No. 60 recruit in ESPN’s 2024 Top 100 rankings, averaged just over six minutes per game as a freshman. Her explosiveness showed when given the opportunity, dropping 15 points in a Jan. 8 win over Rutgers.
2. Saint John’s
Incoming transfers: Daniela Abies, 6-foot senior forward (Miami); Brooke Moore, 6-foot junior guard (Liberty); Shaulana Wagner, 5-foot-10 graduate senior guard (Troy); Sa’Mya Wyatt, 5-foot-11 sophomore forward (Austin Peay)
The skinny: Heading into their 14th season under head coach Joe Tartamella, the Red Storm look to bounce back from a sub-.500 2024-25 that followed consecutive top-four finishes. Tartamella and his staff brought in a pair of stat stuffers in Wagner and Wyatt. Wagner suited up for a season at Xavier and Wabash Valley before playing the last two at Troy. Last year she averaged career-highs in scoring (9.0 points per game), rebounds (5.5) and assists (6.7) while helping the Trojans to a third-place finish in conference and an NIT Championship berth. Wyatt, who started all 31 games as a true freshman last season, averaged a team-high 12.8 points along with 5.6 rebounds. Abies and Moore converted minimal attempts at a high clip, but will need to show an ability to produce consistently if given an increased opportunity.
3. Providence
Incoming transfers: Teneisia Brown, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (Fairleigh Dickinson); Payton Dunbar, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard (Virginia); Sabou Gueye, 5-foot-9 graduate senior guard (Florida A&M); Eseosa Imafidon, 6-foot-5 junior center (Louisville); Nalani Kaysia, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (George Mason)
The skinny: Although a pair of high-major additions may catch the most eyes, the trio of Brown, Gueye and Kaysia put up monster numbers for their respective squads last season. Brown, a senior who began her career with two seasons at Merrimack and has shown significant improvement each year, topped career-high averages in points (15.1), rebounds (9.7) and field-goal percentage (52.6). Kaysia matched Brown’s rebounding average at 9.7 per contest while Gueye slashed 11.3/5.1/2.7 in her sole season at Florida A&M. Dunbar, the 2023 MaxPreps Player of the Year, will look to unleash her potential as she earns more time on the floor.
4. UConn
Incoming transfers: Kayleigh Heckel, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard (USC); Serah Williams, 6-foot-4 senior forward (Wisconsin)
The skinny: With a slew of returners from last year’s National Championship team and a top-20 recruiting class headed to UConn, the Huskies had minimal need for portal additions. Legendary coach Geno Auriemma and his staff did make two, however, signing the No.6 overall player in TPR’s rankings in Williams and a former top-15 recruit in Heckel. Williams averaged a double-double over her last two seasons at Wisconsin, pouring in 18.3 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per contest in that span. Given the chance to learn behind prolific scorer and superstar JuJu Watkins, Heckel averaged more than six points per game as a true freshman. Although the returning Azzi Fudd will undoubtedly control the pace of the backcourt, Heckel has the talent to work her way into Auriemma’s rotation in her first season as a Husky. Look for UConn to cruise to its 13th consecutive Big East title in 2025-26.
5. Georgetown
Incoming transfers: Destiny Agubata, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard (West Virginia); Brianna Byars, 6-foot junior forward (Cincinnati); Cristen Carter, 6-foot-4 junior forward (Butler); Indya Davis, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (Georgia); Summer Davis, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard (Georgia); Laila Jewett, 5-foot-10 graduate senior guard (UCF); Khia Miller, 5-foot-10 junior guard (East Carolina)
The skinny: After back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state of Michigan for Indya and Summer Davis, the two committed to Georgia. The sisters never found their footing in Athens, but they will play a key role in turning around a Hoya squad that finished 4-14 in the Big East in 2024-25. An intra-conference addition, Carter averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting just under half of her appearances. Agubata and Byars had minimal impact on their respective Big 12 teams and will look to carve out a more significant role with Georgetown.
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. Xavier
Incoming transfers: Mya Moore, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Cleveland State); Mariyah Noel, 5-foot-11 junior guard (Ole Miss); Savannah White, 6-foot-2 senior guard/forward (Indiana State); Audia Young, 5-foot-9 redshirt junior guard (Auburn)
The skinny: An abysmal 2024-25 season saw the Musketeers finish 1-17 in conference, and unfortunately for Xavier fans, a portal class that lacks star power likely will not be enough to end an NCAA Tournament drought that has persisted since the 2010-11 season. Billi Chambers and her staff made a pair of SEC additions, but with no starting experience from either guard, can the Musketeers expect significant production? White, who began her career with a season at Wisconsin, averaged 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season for Indiana State, both of which marked career highs.
7. DePaul
Incoming transfers: Devin Hagemann, 5-foot-6 sophomore guard (East Carolina); Aizhanique Mayo, 5-foot-9 redshirt junior guard (Xavier); Kate Novik, 5-foot-9 junior guard (Morehead State) Justis Odom, 6-foot-2 graduate senior forward (Lindenwood); Michelle Ojo, 6-foot graduate senior forward (Delaware); Faith Okorie, 6-foot redshirt sophomore forward (George Mason)
The skinny: The Blue Demons were very active in the portal this offseason following a middle-of-the-pack finish in the Big East. Among the incoming group, Novik led the way on the stat sheet. A native of Belarus, Novik paced Morehead State in scoring (13.5 points per game), rebounds (6.0), assists (4.9) and steals (2.5). For Odom, a winding path through the collegiate ranks has landed her at her first high-major stop. After a season each at Garden City Community College and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Odom worked her way to the Big East while averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds over two seasons at Lindenwood. Hagemann, Mayo and Ojo contributed significant scoring outputs to their teams, averaging 5.5, 7.3 and 5.7 points per game, respectively.
8. Creighton
Incoming transfers: Grace Boffeli, 6-foot-1 graduate senior forward (Northern Iowa)
The skinny: Staring up at a seemingly insurmountable juggernaut in UConn, the Blue Jays will look to keep the pressure on the Huskies after a second-place finish last year. Creighton made just one portal addition despite losing its top two scorers from 2024-25. Boffeli, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL just three games into the season, averaged 11 points and 7.9 rebounds over 115 games as a Panther. As a junior for Northern Iowa, Boffeli uncorked career-high averages in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (9.2). With the backcourt leading the way in scoring for Creighton a season ago, Boffeli has the chance to make an immediate impact as a starter.
9. Seton Hall
Incoming transfers: Jordana Codio, 6-foot-1 senior guard (Texas); Cam Rust, 6-foot-1 sophomore forward (Penn State); Mariana Valenzuela, 6-foot-2 senior forward (Florida State)
The skinny: A trio of former top-100 recruits committed to coach Anthony Bozzella and Seton Hall this offseason. Although the talent is there, the production has yet to follow; Valenzuela led the group at 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last year. For a Pirates squad that finished third in the Big East in 2024-25, significant jumps from each of these additions are needed to compete with Creighton and UConn.
10. Villanova
Incoming transfers: Kelsey Joens, 5-foot-10 junior guard (Iowa State); Kylee Watson, 6-foot-4 graduate senior forward (Notre Dame)
The skinny: Unfortunately for Wildcats fans, the departure of 5-foot-11 junior guard Maddie Webber for Illinois offset a pair of solid portal pickups for Denise Dillon and her staff. Webber averaged 13.3 points per contest for Nova last season, starting each game. Looking to help replace that production from the backcourt, Joens committed to Villanova after averaging 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds over a pair of seasons at Iowa State. Watson, who brings a winning pedigree from two seasons at Oregon and Notre Dame, snatched a career-high five rebounds per game to go along with 6.2 points per contest.
11. Marquette
Incoming transfers: Jordan Meulemans, 6-foot junior guard (Butler)
The skinny: Returning each member of the starting five from a year ago, Marquette appears intent on making it back to the NCAA Tournament after falling just shy. The Golden Eagles acquired just one player via the portal. In Meulemans, Marquette added a sharpshooter with experience as a starter in the Big East. Although a knee injury held her out of the 2024-25 season, Meulemans’ 42.4 percent mark from beyond the arc ranked fourth in the conference in 2023-24.
