Ten Players Virginia Women's Basketball Should Target in the Transfer Portal

Virginia Tech's 2025-26 season was one of the program's best in recent memory: a 23-10 record, a 12-6 mark in ACC play, and a return to the NCAA Tournament. But the offseason has delivered a gut punch. Mackenzie Nelson and Carys Baker, the team's starting point guard and second-leading scorer, respectively, have both announced they're entering the portal. Kayl Petersen and Sophie Swanson are also departing, adding to the depth losses. Carleigh Wenzel is returning and former Tennessee forward Alyssa Latham is already committed, but there are major holes to fill. Here are 10 players Virginia Tech should be calling.

1. Kymora Johnson, G — Virginia

Johnson led Virginia with 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per game last season, and her efforts helped the team upset Georgia and Iowa in the first two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament before the team fell to TCU in the Sweet Sixteen. She scored 28 points in both the first and second rounds of the event. A Charlottesville native entering the portal following UVA's coaching change, Johnson is the best player available in the women's portal right now. She fills Virginia Tech's most critical need at point guard with the departure of Nelson, and the in-state recruiting angle gives Megan Duffy a real chance.

2. Audi Crooks, C — Iowa State

Crooks finished second in the nation in scoring this year, averaging 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 64.9 percent from the floor as a junior. She's the biggest name in this portal class and will draw interest from the very best programs in the country. Virginia Tech should make a call anyway. Latham is already committed in the frontcourt, but a player who scores 26 a night at 65 percent from the floor doesn't come available often.

3. Jada Williams, G — Iowa State

Williams played and started in all 32 games for the Cyclones, averaging 15.3 points, 7.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, ranking in the top five nationally in both season assists and assists per game. She's a former McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit who has grown into one of the best point guards in the country. Losing Nelson left a gaping hole at the one, and Williams is the most direct replacement available in this portal class. Her ability to score and create at an elite level makes her one of the most important calls Megan Duffy makes this offseason.

4. Talaysia Cooper, G — Tennessee

The junior guard has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining and led Tennessee in scoring this season with an average of 16 points per game. She posted 16.0 points and 3.6 assists per game on 42.9 percent shooting from the field, and contributed 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest. She's the best two-way guard available beyond Johnson and the kind of player who changes a program's ceiling.

5. Addy Brown, F — Iowa State

Brown was a star in Ames, averaging 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game over her career. The do-it-all forward has one year of eligibility left. A lower-body injury limited her to 21 games this past season, but her two-time All-Big 12 resume speaks for itself. She does everything: score, rebound, distribute. With Baker's scoring and versatility gone, Brown is the closest thing available in this portal class to a direct replacement.

6. Zamareya Jones, G — NC State

Jones made a significant leap in year two, finishing as NC State's third-leading scorer while averaging 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game and shooting 42.1 percent from three. She arrived in Raleigh as a McDonald's All-American and the No. 17 overall recruit in her class. With two years of eligibility left and a complete offensive game, she's one of the best guard options in the entire portal.

7. Lanie Grant, G — UNC

Grant's team-high 41.9 percent 3-point shooting percentage was the second-highest in a single season in program history, second in the ACC and third in the country. She's a Virginia native from Midlothian who committed to UNC at 14 years old and skipped her senior year of high school to enroll early. She's now entering the portal with two years of eligibility and one of the purest shooting strokes in the ACC.

8. Tilda Trygger, C — NC State

Trygger, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for NC State this season. Virginia Tech's frontcourt needs proven contributors alongside Latham as the team reloads, and Trygger is an ACC-tested interior presence with major upside still ahead of her. At 6-6 with two years of eligibility remaining, she gives Duffy size that would immediately make the Hokies more physical in the paint.

9. Divine Bourrage, — LSU

Bourrage, a five-star recruit in the class of 2025, saw limited time on a talented Tigers team. A native of Iowa, the other schools she considered before committing to LSU were Arizona, Baylor, Illinois, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. She played behind one of the deepest rosters in the country and her production doesn't reflect what she can do. For a program that needs guards with long-term upside, landing a five-star talent who already has familiarity with Virginia Tech is a no-brainer recruitment.

10. Deniya Prawl, G — Tennessee

Prawl, the No. 17-ranked recruit in the class of 2025 from Toronto, will also be exiting Rocky Top. Like Bourrage, she played limited minutes on a roster that wasn't built to give freshmen starring roles. She's 6-2 with guard skills, a profile that's increasingly rare and increasingly valuable in the women's game. Three years of eligibility in Blacksburg could turn her into exactly the kind of versatile wing scorer Virginia Tech is losing this offseason.