Stanford Women's Basketball Lands First Member of 2026 Class

The future of Stanford women's basketball keeps coming together. Entering the season with one of the nation's top recruiting classes, expectations are high for the Cardinal entering the 2025-26 season, where the program hopes to return to prominence after a one season absence from the NCAA tournament.

In addition to the potential breakout of junior Nunu Agara, Stanford is also adding three five-star recruits to the program for the upcoming campaign.

While the focus is on this season, that hasn't stopped the Cardinal from looking even further to the future-- landing their first commitment in the class of 2026 on Sunday.

Jordyn Wheeler, a four-star prospect from Niagara Prep in Ontario, Canada, announced her verbal commitment to join the Cardinal on Sunday afternoon, choosing to come to The Farm over a handful of other high level Division I offers.

COMMITTED!!🌲❤️🤓 #stanfordwbb pic.twitter.com/Danu8d1NRH
— Jordyn Wheeler (@jordynwheeler_) August 3, 2025

A two-way guard, Wheeler could provide a spark from the jump and join a core group of players that includes five-star signees in Hailee Swain, Lara Somfai and Alex Eschmeyer.

Listed at 5-foot-10, Wheeler is known for her ability to play both elite on and off the ball basketball. A good ball handler, Wheeler has a good arsenal of moves that help her attack the basket and finish in the paint.

A strong shooter as well, Wheeler's jump shot and three point shot make her a good candidate to be a high leverage scoring option. When she doesn't have the ball, her high basketball IQ ensures that she will always be in the right spot to make a play, and she can also facilitate and create opportunities for her teammates.

Wheeler is the ideal fit for head coach Kate Paye's system. While an elite player in her own right, Wheeler is known for her team first attitude and is very good at moving the ball around and setting her teammates up for success. For a team like Stanford that is still trying to reestablish its identity, that trait could go a long way.

After nearly 40 years of pure domination under legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer, with appearances in the NCAA tournament every single season since 1988 and winning three national titles, the Cardinal struggled to replicate that last season, going 16-15 and struggling to really compete against any of college basketball's top teams.

But with the strong 2025 class coming in and Wheeler setting the tone for a strong 2026 class, the Cardinal should be back in the national spotlight in no time.

The Cardinal have yet to release their schedule for the upcoming season but based on past years, the program will most likely take the floor for the first time in late October, giving the fans a first look at their new-look squad.