Former Iowa State Basketball Star Picks LSU in Transfer Portal

The NCAA women’s transfer portal includes a ton of Iowa State Cyclones players who are looking for a change of scenery.

Only three players from the 2025-26 roster who had eligibility remaining decided to stick in Ames for another season. Nine players, including stars Audi Crooks, Addy Brown and Jada Williams, are all departing.

While visits are being set up by Crooks and Brown as they evaluate their options, Williams has already decided on where she will be playing basketball for the 2026-27 campaign. As she shared on her X account, Williams has committed to play with the LSU Tigers.

Her departure is a massive loss for the Cyclones and a huge addition for LSU. After spending the first two seasons of her collegiate career with the Arizona Wildcats, she spent one year with Iowa State before entering the portal for the second time in as many years.

Jada Williams heading to LSU in transfer portal

Iowa State Cyclones' guard Jada Williams shooting over Oklahoma State Cowgirls forward Achol Akot. — Iowa State Cyclones' guard Jada Williams (8) takes a shot over Oklahoma State Cowgirls forward Achol Akot (11) during the second quarter in the senior day women basketball at Hilton Coliseum on February. 25, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Williams certainly made the most of her stop in Ames. She saw an increase in touches, with her usage rate reaching 29.3% after being at 20.5% as a freshman and 25.2% as a sophomore.

That led to her producing some big-time numbers, averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 assists in 29.8 minutes per game. Her efficiency wasn’t always the best with a .413/.303/.805 shooting split with 3.5 turnovers per game, but she is certainly dynamic when on the court.

Her 7.7 assists and 46.9% assist rate were both first in the Big 12. She is capable of being a two-way impact performer as well, averaging 1.2 steals per game in her career with 0.9 Defensive Win Shares this past campaign.

It will be interesting to see if Kim Mulkey and the Tigers can get Williams to return to the level of defensive production she had with Arizona. Her Defensive Box Plus/Minus was 1.2 as a freshman and 2.5 as a sophomore, but was neutral at 0.0 with the Cyclones.

BATONNNN ROUGEEEE ITS UPPPPPPPP🎬 #committed pic.twitter.com/1v3ywnD7sX
— Jada Williams💫 (@cbgjada2) April 12, 2026

Getting her back near her Wildcats level on defense, combined with the offensive production she provides, would cement her status as one of the best point guards in the country after earning a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Williams is the second Iowa State women’s basketball player to commit to a new program in the transfer portal. Her former teammate, Alisa Williams, is heading to the Big Ten to play for the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Cyclones have secured one commitment thus far in the transfer portal from Mya Babbitt, formerly of the Kent State Golden Flashes.