South Carolina womenβs basketball clearly emerges as the biggest transfer portal winner ahead of the 2025β26 season, and here’s why this offseason shift could reshape the SEC and national title race:
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π₯ South Carolinaβs Transfer Haul
1. Ta’Niya Latson (G, Jr.) β from Florida State to South Carolina
Latson was the nationβs leading scorer in 2024β25, averaging 25.2 PPG .
Her scoring firepower fills a major gap in the Gamecocksβ backcourt, adding elite offensive consistency to Dawn Staley’s squad.
As ESPN notes: βLatson tops the transfer rankings β¦ her move β¦ gives South Carolina a whole new look and alters the races in the ACC, SEC and for the national championshipβ .
2. Madina Okot (C, Sr.) β from Mississippi State to South Carolina
The 6β²6β³ Kenyan center averaged an impressive 11.2 PPG and 9.6 RPG last season .
Okot brings strong rim protection, rebounding, and international versatilityβhelping fill out the frontcourt.
3. MiLaysia Fulwiley (G, So.) β although she transfers out to LSU, it created portal momentum .
Together, the additions of Latson and Okot significantly bolster South Carolinaβs depth, scoring, and physicality. Combined with returning stars, this makes them arguably the top portal team nationally.
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π Context from the Transfer Landscape
SEC Rivals React
LSU gains Fulwiley, but loses Latson and Okotβthis head-to-head shift favors South Carolina in a pivotal conference rivalry .
UConn Reloads
The Huskies added Serah Williams (6β²2β³ forward from Wisconsin) and Kayleigh Heckel (USC guard) . Both are top-10 portal additions, but UConn remains a challengerβnot a dominator of the portal.
Maryland and Other Contenders
Maryland secured three key transfers (Oluchi Okananwa, Yarden Garzon, Gracie Merkle), earning top portal plauditsβyet none provide the immediate scoring boost of Latson .
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π Why South Carolina Edges Ahead
Factor South Carolina Nearest Rival
Top-end talent β Latson β Natβl leading scorer UConn adds role players
Frontcourt stability β Okot β near double-double machine Maryland bullish, but less explosive
Conference impact SEC dominance with star-level upgrades SEC rivals split gains (LSU