The women’s college basketball transfer portal is closed. While there are some exceptions (coaching changes and grad transfers), we now have a much better idea of who is leaving their programs and who is staying put. As far as Lady Vols basketball, it is losing every player from last year’s roster, but also adding some notable names.
With the dust settling across the country, ESPN released its top-20 rankings for players to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Featured on the list are some notable names, both incoming and outgoing, from Tennessee.
ESPN lists outgoing UT transfer Talaysia Cooper as the No. 7 player in the portal. The former five-star recruit and the Lady Vols’ leading scorer is entering her final year of eligibility and will spend it at Ole Miss.
“Cooper fits the Ole Miss profile well,” Charlie Creme wrote in the ESPN article. “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.”
More From RTI: HIGHLIGHTS: What Lady Vols Basketball is Getting From Maryland Transfer Kaylene Smikle
Next, it’s an incoming Tennessee transfer. Though the list was compiled before her commitment to the Lady Vols on Wednesday, ESPN slotted Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle as the No. 14 player in the portal.
Smikle is coming off surgery on her knee that shut her down last season and will enter her final year of eligibility. However, two years ago, she proved to be one of the best scorers in the country.
“If Smikle is fully recovered from last season’s knee injury, some program will be getting one of the portal’s best scorers,” Creme wrote. “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.”
While they didn’t make the top-20 list, two outgoing Tennessee transfers were also put in the ‘also considered’ category. Former five-star recruits coming off their freshman seasons, Jaida Civil and Mia Pauldo, were both mentioned. Civil is joining Cooper at Ole Miss while Pauldo and her twin sister, Mya Pauldo, are headed to Rutgers.
