Wild & Crazy Portal Speculation - 2026

[chuckiepoo]

I think poor Sam seems to be in a situation where any players he gets that look good are off to the portal to play for someone else. I don't know what his NIL situation is, but he has lost enough top players to the portal to have a really top notch competitive team down there. I'm thinking it is going to happen again after this season as the portal grabs his two or three top players. Probably got a year or two more before Miss St gets someone else.

Finding and developing is not his problem. It’s been retention. They need an NIL booster.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Finding and developing is not his problem. It’s been retention. They need an NIL booster.

Hard to blame that on the coach

 

[VolBall09]

I’m throwing Strack in here if she hasn’t been already. She’s extremely talented, range on her shot and superior size.

Kentucky is underachieving so far and she looked checked out last night. Noticed she frequently seemed frustrated with her teammate’s decision making. She is by far their most talented player this season but has not be utilized well.

Last night she only had 7 attempts and Barker was out and Spearman was in foul trouble. Sinful to not get her more looks with both of our “bigs” essentially out.

 

[HypeVol2020]

Francis and Strack to go with Edwards and Latham would be tough since we are speculating. Along with Coop, Mia, Mya, Kaniya, Jaida, Deniya, Lauren and Gabby. Grab a shooter and you’re good to go.

 

[volsagain]

Francis and Strack to go with Edwards and Latham would be tough since we are speculating. Along with Coop, Mia, Mya, Kaniya, Jaida, Deniya, Lauren and Gabby. Grab a shooter and you’re good to go.

Those players on one team would go undefeated no doubt. No need for another shooter . Dream on

 

[VolBall09]

Francis and Strack to go with Edwards and Latham would be tough since we are speculating. Along with Coop, Mia, Mya, Kaniya, Jaida, Deniya, Lauren and Gabby. Grab a shooter and you’re good to go.

That would be a SQUAD.

 

[VolBall09]

Allie Turner of Gonzaga is the shooter we need to target.

She’s 47% (career 46%) from three on 6 attempts a game with 54 made threes on the season already (54-116).

She is a sophomore, 5’8” guard. Would not be a great defensive matchup in the SEC but for that kind of shooting you can forgive almost anything. Run her to the corner and let her shoot it in transition.

Made 105 threes as a freshman on 46% shooting.

 

[LVFL78]

AND... I looked through NCAA statistics for tall Fr or So players who ranked high for dbl-dbl, rebounds, or blocks who MIGHT join "Big Oh" to fill the holes that are going to be left by Janiah and Zee. Then I gave them to ChatGPT to create a "Bigs Portal Watchlist." For your speculative amusement:




BIGS PORTAL WATCHLIST – Speculative (6'3"+ Targets for Tennessee) (UPDATE: Madison Francis)

Note on Madison Francis: She’s listed at 6'2" (so she misses the 6'3" cutoff), but she plays like a frontcourt “big” and her block rate is absurd, so she belongs on the watchlist anyway. ([ESPN.com][1])

Player	School	Ht	Pos	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	Fit w/ Caldwell	Portal Triggers
Me’Arah O’Neal	Florida	6'4"	G/F	19	24.5	13.4	7.4	1.4	1.7	Hybrid 4 potential; runs, rebounds, scores without plays	Role clarity, team ceiling, NIL leverage
Lauren Whittaker	Gonzaga	6'3"	F	18	26.6	19.6	9.9	1.1	0.5	High-motor scorer/rebounder; more 4 than 5	Power-conf exposure, NIL jump (otherwise unlikely)
Uche Izoje	Syracuse	6'3"	C	17	25.2	13.4	8.6	1.5	2.9	Excellent rim protection; sprint-and-recover profile	Defensive anchor opportunity, winning upgrade
Alyssa Koerkenmeier	Saint Louis	6'6"	C	18	25.0	9.6	8.4	1.3	2.3	SEC-ready rim protector; plays in bursts well	Classic mid-major → high-major move
Elodie Lutbert	Tarleton St.	6'6"	C	14	18.1	9.6	6.0	0.5	1.9	Projectable size/blocks; pace adaptation needed	Platform upgrade, development resources
Elsa Lemmilä	Ohio State	6'6"	C	16	21.8	6.9	6.1	1.6	1.8	Runs floor, defends rim; minutes-dependent fit	Rotation volatility, role squeeze
Clara Silva	TCU	6'7"	C	17	23.2	10.4	8.1	1.2	1.8	True size + production; pace/foul mgmt key	Feature role, blue-blood interest
Raevin Washington	Duquesne	6'5"	F	16	16.0	4.9	4.4	0.5	1.7	Energy defender; developmental offensive fit	Up-level opportunity, clearer pathway
Lara Somfai	Stanford	6'3"	F	18	24.0	9.9	9.4	0.8	0.8	Elite rebounder; spacing/speed questions	Culturally unlikely, but role/season outcome driven
Madison Francis	Mississippi State	6'2"	F	18	28.3	13.1	7.4	1.4	3.1	Elite fit on defense: rim protection travels (3.1 bpg). In Caldwell pace, she’d be a terror as a sprinting 4 who blocks shots, rebounds, and finishes early offense.	Low likelihood unless a major trigger hits: coaching/staff change, NIL/market escalation, or role conflict. A freshman producing like this typically stays put if happy.

[1]: Madison Francis - Mississippi State Bulldogs Forward - ESPN "Madison Francis - Mississippi State Bulldogs Forward - ESPN"

Quick Take:
• Best system fits: Izoje, Koerkenmeier, Silva
• High-ceiling gambles: Lemmilä, Lutbert
• Hybrid options: O’Neal, Whittaker
• Low-probability but intriguing: Somfai

This is pure early-cycle speculation — real clarity comes after conference tournaments and coaching/NIL dominoes fall.

Madison Francis – Fit/Portal Reality Check:
• The numbers are loud: 13.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.1 bpg in 28.3 mpg (18 GP). That block rate is “game plan changes because of her” territory. ([ESPN.com][1])
• For Tennessee: she profiles less like a traditional post replacement and more like a Caldwell-style chaos big—run, rotate, contest, rebound, repeat.
• But: freshman stars rarely portal without an external shove. If she’s unhappy, it’ll leak through minutes/role comments, staff turnover, or an obvious NIL arms race—otherwise this is more “fun to talk about” than “probable.”

Lauren Whittaker
Uche Izoje
Lara Somfai
Madison Francis

Those 4 would be good.. the rest would be garbage in the SEC...

Lady Vols need a scoring PG, 2 Elite Shooters, and 2 Post Players

 

[LadyVolsDiehard]

ONeal would be huge in the portal there would be a NIL battle for her. She certainly doesn't need money cause her Dad is loaded, but you would think she would want to play for a better program with a chance to win a title. I just hope if she gets in the portal it is not LSU.

Agreed! Would LOVE to get O'Neal she's playing top tier this season but I don't want to miss out on other bigs if she kept us waiting in a portal battle. Hopefully we get 2 solid bigs (that can board play effective defense and score inside) and we definitely need 2-3 solid shooters (not just from 3 but also mid range and can be a quick trigger).

 

[glv98]

Madison Francis can check out the incredible facilities that could be hers Thursday night!

 

[RetroVol]

It has been suggested that some elite shooters would not go amiss. Here, courtesy of the NCAA stats pages and Claude, are some prospects from P4 conferences. Obviously, some are not likely to enter the portal, but...

```
POWER 4 CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Guards 5-10+ and Forwards 6-0+, Shooting 35%+ from 3 (Non-Seniors)
Total: 7 players

GUARDS

Name	Team	Conf	Class	Height	G	3FGM	3FGA	3P%	3PA/G
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	SEC	Jr.	6-0	21	54	116	46.6	5.52
Rusne Augustinaite	Clemson	ACC	Jr.	6-0	21	52	125	41.6	5.95
Chloe Sotell	Missouri	SEC	So.	6-0	23	49	123	39.8	5.35
Abbey Schreacke	Missouri	SEC	Jr.	6-0	23	46	119	38.7	5.17
Syla Swords	Michigan	Big Ten	So.	6-0	19	46	126	36.5	6.63
Aaliyah Chavez	Oklahoma	SEC	Fr.	5-10	20	61	173	35.3	8.65
Jordan Lee	Texas	SEC	So.	6-0	21	43	122	35.2	5.81

By Conference:
SEC: 5 | ACC: 1 | Big Ten: 1 | Big 12: 0

 

[VolBall09]

It has been suggested that some elite shooters would not go amiss. Here, courtesy of the NCAA stats pages and Claude, are some prospects from P4 conferences. Obviously, some are not likely to enter the portal, but...

```
POWER 4 CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Guards 5-10+ and Forwards 6-0+, Shooting 35%+ from 3 (Non-Seniors)
Total: 7 players

GUARDS

Name	Team	Conf	Class	Height	G	3FGM	3FGA	3P%	3PA/G
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	SEC	Jr.	6-0	21	54	116	46.6	5.52
Rusne Augustinaite	Clemson	ACC	Jr.	6-0	21	52	125	41.6	5.95
Chloe Sotell	Missouri	SEC	So.	6-0	23	49	123	39.8	5.35
Abbey Schreacke	Missouri	SEC	Jr.	6-0	23	46	119	38.7	5.17
Syla Swords	Michigan	Big Ten	So.	6-0	19	46	126	36.5	6.63
Aaliyah Chavez	Oklahoma	SEC	Fr.	5-10	20	61	173	35.3	8.65
Jordan Lee	Texas	SEC	So.	6-0	21	43	122	35.2	5.81

By Conference:
SEC: 5 | ACC: 1 | Big Ten: 1 | Big 12: 0

Swords would be so fun to have. She is such a hustler.

Sotell as well. She’s a three and D player who will rebound.

 

[LadyVolsDiehard]

Uche Izoje would be an amazing pickup in portal! She's a double-double. Great size, move well without the ball, solid speed and isn't a lazy big.