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Talia von Oelhoffen Announces USC Transfer with Panini NIL Deal

All-Pac-12 guard joins loaded Women of Troy roster with National Championship aspirations

Michael Ehrlich

Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen presses toward the basket as the Oregon State Beavers host Eastern Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 22, 2024, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen presses toward the basket as the Oregon State Beavers host Eastern Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 22, 2024, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The rich get richer this transfer portal season as USC adds All-Pac-12 performer Talia von Oelhoffen to their star-studded women's basketball roster for next season. The former Oregon State guard announced her move to Los Angeles via a NIL partnership with Panini America, showcasing her new USC uniform officially first the first time in two PRIZM cards.

"I couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to play for Coach Lindsay and her staff," von Oelhoffen shared. "They’re incredible people and coaches, and I know they’re going to let me be authentically myself while pushing me to be my best, both on and off the court. I’m really excited about the girls I will be playing with and the vision that LG has for our squad. We have an opportunity to be something really special and I’m looking forward to embracing all of the challenges that come with making a run for a national championship. I think we have all the pieces, and it’s going to be so fun learning each other and putting them all together."

Anchored by All-American and Freshman of the Year JuJu Watkins and senior Rayah Marshall, von Oelhoffen joins the Pac-12's most improved player and fellow All-Pac-12 honoree Kiki Iriafen - formerly of Stanford - as the newest transfers to the Women of Troy, adding two experienced high performers to the nation's top recruiting class.

So how did the Panini announcement come to life so quickly? "They have been long-time supporters of Talia and her basketball career even before she entered the transfer portal, so when the idea of a potential partnership for her big announcement came up, it was a no-brainer on both sides," said von Oelhoffen's agent, Kailey Edwards of WME. "Big shoutout to Scott Prusha and the whole Panini team for helping us turn this around in 48 hours, truly amazing."

The former Beaver averaged over 10 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds while leading the Beavers to the Elite Eight, defeating No. 2 seed Notre Dame before facing eventual national champion South Carolina.

In April, she revealed her top-four potential transfer destinations with a now-viral tweet inspired by her love for video game, Fortnite.

"I thought it would be special to let fans into what my process was like, so they’re hearing from me instead of any outside speculation or rumors," she added. "I wasn’t really sure I wanted to release my top 4 unless we did it in a cool or unique way. When I came up with the Fortnite idea and saw the first draft of the graphic made based off of it, I knew it’d be a creative and different way to let me people into my process a little bit. It got a really positive response, and I was happy to be able to control my own narrative in terms of how my process was playing out."

Continuing to innovate in the announcement space, it was only fitting that von Oelhoffen would make her transfer decision news in a unique way with her Panini deal. In addition to USC, she joins Panini's recent roster additions of women's basketball stars that includes top WNBA draft picks and former college superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

With National Championship aspirations now growing even greater for the Women of Troy, von Oelhoffen and USC will be near the top of next season's rankings.

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Michael Ehrlich

MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com