Ex-Stanford Cardinal Lands with Tennessee Lady Vols After Transfer Portal Exit

Another former Stanford Cardinal has found a new home for the upcoming season. Enduring a major exodus that is raising some questions with seven players entering the transfer portal, Stanford women's basketball has seen several stars leave the program.

One of the first players to enter her name into the portal was former four-star recruit, Harper Peterson, and she now has a new home.

The first player to enter the portal for the Cardinal, Peterson has already found a new program to play with in 2026-27, committing to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Saturday.

A former standout at Whitney High School in Rocklin, Peterson had a very limited role in two seasons at Stanford, appearing in only 19 games in that span and leaving averaging 0.9 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists in only 3.7 minutes per game played.

As a sophomore this season, Peterson played even less, appearing in only nine games, and averaged less than one point, rebound and assist per game. Injuries have played a role in her limited playing time, which has led to her still having three years of eligibility remaining.

Peterson's decision to transfer is likely because of a desire for a bigger role, which the Lady Vols can offer. Finishing 16-14 and losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Vols also saw many of their stars transfer and have no players from this year's team set to return, either through graduating seniors, or the transfer portal.

Now, Peterson goes somewhere where she not only will have a bigger role, but she could have a very good chance at starting depending on how the roster comes together.

For Stanford, Peterson joins a long list of players who are leaving the program. Lara Somfai, Nunu Agara and Chloe Clardy are just a few of the names that are currently in the portal, with only Somfai finding a new home thus far.

Coming off of another disappointing season where they missed the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, the Cardinal have a lot of work to do to return to national prominence—or even relevance.

So far, the Cardinal have yet to land a transfer and only have five players on the roster set to return. Recruiting wise, the Cardinal have two players committed, both coming in as four-star guards in Jordyn Wheeler and Elyse Ngenda. Tennessee, also dealing with major roster turnover, have four players, including Peterson, on their roster and are in desperate need of more help.

Winners of eight national titles under the legendary Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols have made the NCAA tournament every year since their last national championship in 2008, but have not made a Final Four since, and have not returned to being the powerhouse they once were. But adding a player like Peterson is a big first step towards reaching that goal.

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