The transfer portal has gained considerable steam now that the NCAA tournament is over. More than 1,100 players are in the portal, and the star power has grown considerably.

Georgia Amoore tops the list, but she made a quick decision to move from Virginia Tech to Kentucky. In Lexington, she’ll rejoin former Hokies coach Kenny Brooks, who will have to remake the Wildcats after nine players from their 2023-24 team entered the portal.

The expected purge hit Oregon State, with four starters from an Elite Eight team — Raegan Beers, Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, Talia von Oelhoffen — transferring. Beers is a potential star who could tilt the national balance of power in 2024-25. Washington State, the other Pac-12 school moving into the WCC next season, also lost its best player in Charlisse Leger-Walker.

Most of the players on this list haven’t picked their next destination. When those dominoes start to fall, the outlook for next season — as well as ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings — will change. Players in the portal can change their minds and return to their former schools, but that is the exception, not the rule.

The portal remains open through April. Expect more additions, but for now, here are the top 25 players potentially shopping for new programs.

Last updated: April 12

1. Georgia Amoore, 5-6, G, Sr., Virginia Tech Hokies

Committed to Kentucky Wildcats
Amoore’s move to Kentucky to follow Brooks was no surprise after four years together in Blacksburg. Brooks can rebuild the Wildcats around a proven leader, scorer and All-American-caliber point guard. She averaged 18.6 points and an ACC-leading 6.8 assists this season. Amoore, along with Elizabeth Kitley and Brooks, changed Virginia Tech basketball, and was a likely first-round pick had she entered the WNBA draft. A two-time All-American (third team this year, honorable mention last), Amoore will be a game-changer for Kentucky, especially if her presence draws more players to Lexington. She will already be joined by former Hokies teammate Clara Strack, a 6-foot-5 center.

2. Raegan Beers, 6-4, F, Soph., Oregon State Beavers

Beers is the most recent and most significant Beaver to enter the transfer portal. Beers led Oregon State in scoring (17.5 PPG) and rebounding (10.6 RPG) and the country in field goal percentage (66.4%). She was the Pac-12’s freshman and sixth player of the year in 2023 and was a third-team All-American this season. One of the best post players in the country, Beers recorded 16 double-doubles despite missing time late in the season with a broken nose.

3. Charlisse Leger-Walker, 5-10, G, Sr., Washington State Cougars

The most important player in Cougar history leaves after guiding the program through its most successful period. Three NCAA tournament trips and a Pac-12 tournament title are as much a part of Leger-Walker’s legacy as her three honorable mention All-American selections and career averages of 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. The New Zealand native suffered an ACL tear in January, which could impact her availability for the start of next season.

4. Lucy Olsen, 5-9, G, Jr., Villanova Wildcats

Only Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins averaged more points per game this season than Olsen. After the departure of Maddy Siegrist, Olsen thrived as the Wildcats’ new go-to player, jumping from 12.4 to 23.2 points per game and earning Big East most improved player honors. She also led the conference in minutes played and started all 105 of Villanova’s games over the past three seasons.

5. Timea Gardiner, 6-3, F, Soph., Oregon State Beavers

In Gardiner, Scott Rueck also has to say goodbye to the highest-rated high school player he ever brought to Corvallis. A McDonald’s All American out of Utah, Gardiner only played 15 games as a freshman because of injuries, but she had a breakout sophomore season, winning the Pac-12’s sixth player of the year. A good shooter (39.5% on 3-pointers) with size, Gardiner has two years of eligibility remaining.

6. Laila Phelia, 6-0, G, Jr., Michigan Wolverines

With the departure of so many upperclassmen, Phelia became Michigan’s No. 1 option in 2023-24. She delivered 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and ranked in the Wolverines’ top five in every major statistical category. Some of her best play of the season came in the Big Ten tournament, where she averaged 24.8 points in three games. Even with Phelia’s play, Michigan never broke into the top 25 this season and exited the NCAA tournament in the first round. Six Wolverines are now in the portal.

7. Deja Kelly, 5-8, G, Sr., North Carolina Tar Heels

While her play might have been streaky, Kelly was the leader on North Carolina teams that consistently performed, making four straight NCAA tournaments. That was after the Tar Heels missed five of the six tournaments before her arrival. Kelly — who ranks eighth in career scoring in Tar Heel history — averaged 16.3 points and 3.2 assists per game this season.

8. Janiah Barker, 6-4, F, Soph., Texas A&M Aggies

The highest-rated recruit in Aggies history is leaving College Station. Barker was the No. 3 prospect in 2022, according to HoopGurlz, but has struggled to live up to those expectations and will seek a fresh start. In 49 games at Texas A&M (an injury limited Barker to 19 as a freshman), she averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Barker has the size and all-around skill set to be an impact player immediately at another major conference school. Finding the consistency she never found with the Aggies will be key.

9. Kaitlyn Chen, 5-9, G, Sr., Princeton Tigers

The precedent has been set. Abby Meyers at Maryland and McKenzie Forbes (Harvard), Kayla Padilla (Penn) and Kaitlyn Davis (Columbia) at USC are all Ivy League grad transfers who have made an impact in a major conference. With the Ivy not allowing players who have graduated to continue playing, Chen made it clear she plans to play after Princeton, and she has been in the portal since the fall. The 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year and assist leader this season, Chen could step into any contender’s backcourt and upgrade its playmaking.

10. Talia von Oelhoffen, 5-11, G, Sr., Oregon State Beavers

The veteran leader of the young Beavers leaves the program after four years. Statistically, Von Oelhoffen is coming off the worst season of her career with 10.7 points per game on 38.7% shooting. But she led an Oregon State team otherwise made up of freshmen and sophomores to a surprise season and an impressive run to the Elite Eight. Von Oelhoffen can play either guard spot and will have one year of eligibility after earning her degree from Oregon State.

11. Hailey Van Lith, 5-7, G, Sr., LSU Tigers

After a disappointing one season with the Tigers, Van Lith will finish her career at a third school. Despite her struggles attempting to transition to point guard, Van Lith averaged 11.6 points and a career-best 3.6 assists per game. That was after finishing third in the ACC in scoring in 2023 at 19.7 points per game and carrying Louisville to the Elite Eight, when she averaged 23.8 points in four NCAA tournament games. She played in three Elite Eights with the Cardinals and one at LSU.

12. Riley Nelson, 6-2, G, Fr., Maryland Terrapins

A torn ACL ended Nelson’s freshman season after just 16 games, and the former McDonald’s All American is now looking for a new school. She came off the bench to average 5.1 points per game but was expected to be a big part of the Terps’ future. She was the 18th-rated prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. Nelson is the 13th Maryland player to enter the transfer portal in the past five years.

13. Liza Karlen, 6-2, F, Sr., Marquette Golden Eagles

Coach Megan Duffy left two days after Karlen entered the transfer portal, and Marquette is now losing its top five scorers. This was easily Karlen’s best season. She was the Big East’s fourth-leading scorer (17.7 PPG) and sixth-best rebounder (7.9 RPG), with a career-high 25 3-pointers made.

14. Liatu King, 6-0, F, Sr., Pittsburgh Panthers

One of the most improved players in the country, King is leaving the Panthers after four years and will use her extra year of eligibility. After averaging 9.4 points per game as a junior, King exploded to 18.7 PPG this season, good for sixth in the ACC. Her 10.3 rebounds per game was second only to Kitley in the conference. Perhaps most impressive, King made 52.3% of her field goal attempts, all 2-pointers, on a Pitt team that finished 8-24 overall and tied for last in the ACC.

15. Ajae Petty, 6-3, F, Sr., Kentucky Wildcats

Veteran departures from the Wildcats’ roster came quickly after coach Kyra Elzy was fired. Petty, who made significant improvements from last year (5.7 PPG to 14.7 PPG) and was playing her best basketball at the end of the season, ranked third in the SEC in rebounding (10.6 RPG) and fourth in field goal percentage (50.7%). With more talent around her, Petty, who began her career at LSU, could be even better.

16. Taliah Scott, 5-9, G, Fr., Arkansas Razorbacks

With 29 and 25 points in her first two college games, Scott was in the same conversation as JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Madison Booker. The scoring remained (22.1 PPG), but the efficiency dipped and the turnovers rose. Injuries cost Scott some games in January, and then she ended her season in mid-February, citing family reasons before leaving the program altogether.

17. Grace VanSlooten, 6-3, F, Soph., Oregon Ducks

In two seasons in Eugene, VanSlooten averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds, but the Ducks went 31-36 in that time. Despite those struggles, VanSlooten only missed scoring in double figures four times this season and was a steady, and at times spectacular, rebounder. Her efficiency will need to improve, but that might come in a new environment.

18. Saylor Poffenbarger, 6-2, G, Soph., Arkansas Razorbacks

Like Scott, Poffenbarger entered the portal last Monday, the day it opened. The SEC’s second-leading rebounder (behind Angel Reese) at 11.2 RPG and the nation’s second-leading defensive rebounder (9.4), she will be moving to her third school (she played 12 games at UConn in 2021). Her offensive production faded at the end of the season (7.0 PPG in the last eight games), but Poffenbarger is also a solid defender who has two more years of eligibility.

19. Maddie Scherr, 5-10, G, Sr., Kentucky Wildcats

An injury cost Scherr the SEC tournament, and the coaching move prompted her to move on from Lexington. Her 12.5 points per game were a career high, but turnovers were on the rise as Scherr’s shooting percentage dropped. Her versatility could make her a high-end third or fourth guard for a top-25 team. The Kentucky native began her career with two years at Oregon before her two with the Wildcats.

20. Eniya Russell, 6-0, G, Sr., Kentucky Wildcats

Russell’s departure is another piece of the massive turnover at Kentucky. She arrived at South Carolina in 2020 — one year before Dawn Staley brought in the top recruiting class in the country — as the 43rd-ranked player, according to HoopGurlz. Her career never got off the ground in Columbia, but she broke out in her second year with Kentucky, averaging 10.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

21. Chance Gray, 5-9, G, Soph., Oregon Ducks

A native of Cincinnati and the 2022 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year, Gray averaged 13.9 points and 3.0 assists as the Ducks’ point guard. She was the No. 7 recruit in the country two years ago, but she and VanSlooten couldn’t make the 11-21 Ducks competitive in the Pac-12 this season. Durable and reliable, Gray started all 66 games she played at Oregon and could play either guard spot for her next team. Gray is among four Ducks to enter the portal this offseason.

22. KK Bransford, 5-10, G, Soph., Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Perhaps with the return of Olivia Miles to pair with Hannah Hidalgo, Bransford felt there might be a minutes crunch, so she will play her final two seasons elsewhere. The two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball became a valuable contributor as the first player off the bench for Niele Ivey, with the ability to play multiple positions. Her shooting (39.0%) and scoring (6.8 PPG) dipped her sophomore year, even with increased playing time.

23. Mama Dembele, 5-6, G, Sr., Missouri Tigers

Committed to South Florida Bulls
One of the first major commitments out of the portal, Dembele will play at South Florida next season. Dembele’s first three years at Missouri produced little, but scoring (10.2 PPG) and assists (6.5 APG) more than doubled this season. Her assists and steals (3.3 SPG) were each good for sixth in the country, and Dembele made the SEC all-defensive team. Her outside shooting has improved but is still a hole in Dembele’s game. She will need to take better care of the ball at her next stop (3.4 turnovers per game).

24. Kailyn Gilbert, 5-8, G, Soph., Arizona Wildcats

Where Gilbert ends up will be one of the interesting stories of the transfer season. As she was leading the Wildcats in scoring (15.1 PPG), Gilbert was also openly expressing her disdain for defense. Eventually, that and her ball dominance became too much, and Gilbert and Arizona parted ways in February. It might not help Gilbert’s marketability that the Wildcats got better after she left. If her approach changes, the talent is there to make a big impact for the next two years.

25. Izzy Higginbottom, 5-7, G, Jr., Arkansas State Red Wolves

Committed to Arkansas Razorbacks
Higginbottom stays in-state going from the Sun Belt to the SEC. She began her career at Missouri but didn’t have much success. Two years later, she became one of the best players in the Sun Belt. Her 22.1 points per game represent a nearly seven-point improvement. Her 36.8 3-point percentage will also be a welcome asset in Mike Neighbors’ system. The addition of Higginbottom lessens the blow of losing Scott and Poffenbarger.

Also considered: DeeDee Hagemann, Michigan State Spartans; Donovyn Hunter, Oregon State Beavers; Teonni Key, North Carolina Tar Heels; Paulina Paris, North Carolina Tar Heels; Jordan Obi, Pennsylvania Quakers; Terren Ward, Georgia Southern Eagles