Where Will LSU Guard Hailey Van Lith Transfer? Evaluating Potential Destinations

Van Lith entered the Transfer Portal on Thursday with a few programs certainly entering the mix.

LSU guard Hailey Van Lith entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Thursday after one season in Baton Rouge, sources confirmed to LSU Country, but now the coveted free agent is set to have several potential suitors.

Van Lith, a former Louisville star who took America by storm with her elite-level scoring ability, hits the market once again after transferring to LSU a season ago.

After a disappointing lone season in Baton Rouge, the former All-America honorable mention now looks for a new home for her final season of eligibility. Van Lith will exercise her COVID year after already playing four seasons of college ball.

A prominent figure in the NIL space, Van Lith is the face of the Adidas women's basketball campaign, and will certainly draw attention to whichever program she selects.

She decided not to enter the WNBA Draft while electing to remain in college. A player who believes she has the intangibles to succeed at the next level, she will look for a program that will allow her to be her on the floor and boost her draft stock once again.

“You have to kind of look at what type of player you are,” Van Lith said. “There’s some people that have to capitalize in college because they’re not a pro-type player. Their likability is going to stay in college. And I think for me, that’s not the case. I’m a pro-type player. The deals will follow, like Angel said. The one downfall is visibility. And the amount of times we play on ESPN and ABC and all these major television channels, that becomes a lot less when you go to the WNBA where it’s at right now. You’re not going to be in the media as much, but from a brand aspect, as long as you do what you need to do and keep up that part of your life, then brands, they’re going to follow you when you go to the league.”

Now a free agent once again, let's look into a few programs that will almost certainly reach out to the coveted guard:

The Obvious: South Carolina, Stanford and Iowa Come to Mind

During her recruiting process a year ago, Van Lith told Bleacher Report that South Carolina and Stanford were the other two contenders battling for her services before she selected LSU.

There was a connection with the Cardinal given Van Lith played USA 3x3 ball with All-American Cameron Brink. Now that Brink is headed pro, will it play a role in Stanford being a potential option? Time will tell.

Another program that was on her radar is Dawn Staley's Gamecocks. The powerhouse program would certainly have open arms in bringing in a scoring threat like Van Lith and it's clear her camp had interest a year ago.

The third clear-cut option would be Iowa. National Player of the Year guard Caitlin Clark will depart for the 2024 WNBA Draft as the obvious No. 1 pick in the draft and the Hawkeyes will be looking to find a bucket-getter to score for their program.

The "Wild Card" Programs: USC, UCLA and Ohio State

Van Lith is a West coast player. She grew up in Washington and had PAC-12 interest during her recruitment process years ago. Could she look to head back to the coast and transfer to a school like UCLA or USC?

The Trojans took America by storm this season with Freshman of the Year JuJu Watkins leading the charge. An elite-level scorer, she could pair well with Van Lith next season if the opportunity presented itself.

The other West coast school that comes to mind is UCLA. A program that will be looking for a scoring replacement, Van Lith could enter the mix for them during the Transfer Portal process this offseason.

Lastly, Ohio State could be a program to monitor. A program losing scoring this offseason, Van Lith could look into the Buckeyes as a school that will allow her to player her game as a lethal bucket-getter, but again, time will tell.

It's been less than 24 hours since Van Lith entered the portal, and speculation will certainly begin during her process, but these handful of schools will certainly have interest in the coveted guard this offseason.