Charlie CremeApr 16, 2026, 08:50 AM ETCloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.Multiple Authors
The flood of players entering the transfer portal has slowed to a trickle as the two-week window approaches its close Monday. The stream of players leaving the portal with their next destinations in place has accelerated. Many of the biggest names are still pondering their futures, but rosters around the country are beginning to take shape with more clarity than they had a week ago.
TCU, which needed a rebuild after so much of this season’s roster exhausted eligibility, has already added five players. Ole Miss has done the same. Duke, Louisville and North Carolina have all made major additions that add significant intrigue to the 2026-27 ACC race.
Tennessee, which was left without any players on its roster within days of the portal opening, has added four incoming transfers as coach Kim Caldwell’s retooling of the Lady Vols takes shape.
UCLA, which just had its top six players all selected in the WNBA draft, has added Donovyn Hunter (TCU), Bonnie Deas (Arkansas) and Elina Aarnisalo, who returns to Westwood where she began her career before playing at North Carolina this past season. That gives coach Cori Close an experienced backcourt to pair with Sienna Betts for the Bruins’ defense of their national championship.
Georgia, after losing nine players to the portal, and Texas, which saw three potential starters leave, are programs still in recovery mode.
With more than half of our top 20 transfers still available, there is much more change still coming. In the meantime, we update our rankings.
Lee surprised many with her decision to leave the Longhorns. She started 38 games for a Final Four team and was Texas’ second-leading scorer (13.2 PPG). Lee is now the best two-way player in the portal. The California native will be highly sought after with her work as a perimeter defender and her basketball IQ. Texas has now lost three potential starters to the portal.
After the firing of coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, Virginia lost six players to the portal, but Johnson is the one that hurts the most. A Charlottesville native, Johnson was the heart and soul of the program. One of the best players in the ACC, who broke into the national spotlight with her sparkling NCAA tournament performance, Johnson helped the Cavaliers reach the Sweet 16. She ranked second in the ACC in scoring (19.5 PPG) and first in assists (6.3 APG).
This season Carnegie was one of the SEC’s most impactful transfers. In 2026-27, she’s likely to do the same in the Big Ten. Carnegie’s move to Iowa reunites her with former Georgia Tech teammate Chazadi Wright and will give the Hawkeyes one of the conference’s best backcourts. Carnegie’s ability to create shots for herself and teammates is something Iowa has lacked since the departure of Caitlin Clark. Her 18.4 points in SEC games was good for fourth in the league.
The 11 games Brown missed this season derailed the Cyclones’ season. Her versatility was the perfect complement to Crooks, but now they are both leaving Ames, Iowa. She was all-Big 12 honorable mention as a freshman and second-team all-conference last season, averaging 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists over her career. Brown has proved she can be impactful playing off the ball and should fit nearly any system.
The Tigers lost point guard Jada Richard to the transfer portal but might have upgraded with Williams. She will be entering her fourth year of college and brings more experience and was the bigger scorer this season (15.3 PPG). Williams’ quickness and court vision should be a good fit next to Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley. Jada Williams’ 7.7 assists per game with the Cyclones ranked third in the country.
Jones’ decision to leave the Wolfpack for Louisville further shifts the power balance in the ACC. Doubling her minutes, point production and assists, in her second season at NC State, Jones appears on the verge of becoming one of the conference’s top guards. She joins Imari Berry and Taj Roberts to form a dynamic backcourt that will have the firepower to score in a hurry. Jones ranked second at NC State with 14.8 points and 3.8 assists, and was sixth in the ACC in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).
Health was an issue for Crump in her lone season with the Longhorns, but the talent was clearly there. Now she takes that talent to Durham, where Crump can fill the void as a 3-point shooter and a perimeter defender left by the graduation of Ashlon Jackson. But with her size and pedigree as the No. 5 overall recruit in 2025, Crump has the potential to do even more. She averaged 7.9 points and 3.2 assists this past season.
The best mid-major player in the portal, Barbot is a two-time CAA player of the year who averaged 20.1 points per game, good for 17th nationally. She showcased her ability for the Power 4 conferences by scoring 36 points against Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Her sister, Taylor Barbot, was 12th in the country at 6.0 assists per game. Taryn and Taylor have played together for three years at Charleston, so expect a package deal.
After averaging more than 15 points per game in consecutive seasons — but no NCAA tournament appearances to show for it — Agara will finish her career in College Park. Limited as a 3-point shooter but outstanding in the lane, Agara shot 51.3% on 2-point field goal attempts and pulled down 8.7 rebounds per game. Not being the No. 1 option and a primary focus of the defense might help Agara’s efficiency and her WNBA draft standing.
A native of Sweden, Trygger spent the first two years in the United States in Raleigh. She was productive with 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds after being more of a role player as a freshman. With good shooting range and improved physicality, Trygger has a high ceiling and has all-conference potential for her final two seasons.
In one of the latest and more surprising portal decisions, Richard is looking to move on from Baton Rouge. Despite the Tigers recovering quickly with Jada Williams’ transfer in, losing Richard is a blow. By season’s end, she was one of LSU’s steadiest players. In 34 starts, Richard averaged 9.5 points and 3.2 assists and was a 40.8% 3-point shooter. Richard might be looking for an opportunity in which she can get more than this season’s 7.4 shot attempts per game.
The least surprising player in the portal, St. Rose could not stay at Princeton because of Ivy League rules prohibiting redshirts. She missed most of the 2024-25 season with a knee injury, so St. Rose has eligibility left that she can’t use with the Tigers. St. Rose could help any national contender at either guard spot after averaging 15.8 points on 47.9% shooting this season.
If Smikle is fully recovered from last season’s knee injury, some program will be getting one of the portal’s best scorers. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2025 after averaging 17.9 points. Smikle also averaged 17.9 in 2022-23 as a freshman at Rutgers but then played only 15 games the following season. Health is the reason Smikle isn’t higher in these rankings.
Needing a low-post threat after the graduation of Sacha Washington, the Commodores got one of the best in the portal. Shea Ralph’s team had a first-hand look at what Woolfolk can do when she scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in Georgia’s stunning upset of Vanderbilt in mid-February. Woolfolk also had 29 against Oklahoma going up against Raegan Beers and 27 in an NCAA tournament loss to Virginia. Her 13.9 points per game ranked second on the Lady Bulldogs to Carnegie.
Mark Campbell’s portal rebuild at TCU this year starts with Somfai. Though not a shooter the caliber of Marta Suarez, Somfai can fill some of that role. She attempted 124 3-pointers as a freshman at Stanford (29%). With three years of eligibility remaining, Somfai averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds and heads what might be the transfer portal’s best class so far. Campbell has restocked the backcourt with Lanie Grant (North Carolina), Jadyn Wooten (Oklahoma State) and Bella Hines (LSU).
A 28-game starter for a Final Four team this season, Carlton appeared to gain more and more of Vic Schaefer’s trust as the season progressed. Her strength is elite and she uses it to score from close range against taller defenders. Carlton averaged 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds that included a 15-point effort in the SEC tournament championship game. Her physicality made her an ideal fit for Texas, and her loss is a big one for the Longhorns.
Crooks is the best of the available transfers and also the most intriguing. While she’s a nearly unstoppable post presence and ranked second in the nation in scoring (25.8 PPG), Crooks doesn’t fit every system and has limitations. Incorporating her could require coaches to alter their approach. Crooks could be the big scorer that a contender needs to take that next step, but a program’s willingness to make big philosophical changes for just the one season she has left might shrink Crooks’ market.
Landing McGill was huge get for Cowgirls’ coach Jacie Hoyt, who needs to replace nearly 65 points per game lost to the portal and players with no more eligibility. The only player in the country to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists this past season, McGill was the cornerstone of the Gators for two seasons and probably will be for Oklahoma State. McGill, who played at the same high school as Paige Bueckers, can score in variety of ways and will one of the Big 12’s best players next season.
Cooper fits the Ole Miss profile well. She’s long, athletic, can defend all over the floor and has significant SEC experience with both South Carolina and Tennessee. One of the few Lady Vols who consistently produced in Kim Caldwell’s unorthodox system in Knoxville, Cooper might still benefit from more consistent minutes. She averaged 16.0 points per game and shot an improved 34.3% from 3-point range. Cooper will likely be a foundational piece of coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s rebuild of the Rebels’ roster.