Which SEC women’s basketball teams brought in the best freshman classes? We ranked them.

As the popularity of women’s basketball continues to skyrocket — and with the benefits of name, image and likeness now accessible to many student-athletes before they even step foot on their college campuses — more and more eyes are turning to the high school ranks.

Many elite prospects, at this point, have grown up with social media as a tool to demonstrate their talents and get their names out there. College coaches and loyal fans hopeful to one day see a recruit playing for their programs may now become aware of athletes as early as their middle school years.

The 2024 recruiting cycle is packed with talent fans have been excited about for years, and now, with the start of the 2024-25 season approaching, many of these prospects are preparing to step into sizable roles at the next level.

But what about within the SEC, which officially welcomed nationally ranked programs Oklahoma and Texas over the summer? How will the freshmen, entering what is considered by many to be the toughest conference in the sport, fare? Who, if anyone, will emerge as new faces of the sport, as Southern California’s Juju Watkins, LSU’s Mikaylah Williams, Texas’ Madison Booker and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo did last season?

Most importantly, how will the incoming class affect and lift their teams?

Seven incoming SEC freshmen were named McDonald’s All-Americans. Four earned 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year honors. More than 10 have experience with their respective national teams.

Below is our ranking of SEC teams’ incoming freshman classes in tiers. Individual player rankings are from espnW’s HoopGurlz site for the class of 2024. Teams are listed alphabetically in each tier.

This list is the first in a two-part series tiering the SEC’s women’s basketball teams. Rankings for the transfer portal classes will come next. Asterisks indicate an early enrollee.

Dominated the trail

FLORIDA — Incoming freshmen: No. 15 Liv McGill, No. 31 Me’Arah O’Neal, Kylee Kitts, Daviane Mindoudi Ongbakahoumb.

▪ The Gators assembled a 15-15 record last season despite having impressive talent both on the court — such as 2024 SEC Sixth Woman of the Year Leilani Correa and all-freshman honoree Laila Reynolds — and off — assistant coach Rhyne Howard, a former Kentucky star now in the WNBA. Though the season didn’t play out how the Gators wanted, an 11th-place finish in the SEC standings didn’t stop head coach Kelly Rae Finley from signing one of the top recruiting classes in program history. McGill, the crown jewel of the class, won gold this summer with USA Basketball’s U18 team and was named a McDonald’s All-American after a high school career at iconic guard-maker Hopkins High School (Minn.) that included a 2022 Minnesota Class 4A state championship and a return to the title game in 2023. McGill is the highest-ranking prospect to ever sign with the Gators.

Florida also inked fellow McDonald’s All-American Me’Arah O’Neal, the daughter of former LSU Tiger Shaquille O’Neal. She was considered the class’ third-ranked prospect from the state of Texas. The Gators didn’t stop there when it comes to family of SEC basketball stars. Kitts, the younger sister of South Carolina star Chloe Kitts, was a highly regarded prospect in the class of 2025 prior to reclassifying to get a head start on her college career. Ongbakahoumb, a native of Spain who has been playing professionally with Barcelona club Segle XXI, brings a sharp offensive mind to Florida’s incoming class.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Incoming freshmen: No. 3 Joyce Edwards, No. 14 Maddy McDaniel, No. 28 Adhel Tac.*

▪ Anyone counting out the reigning national champion Gamecocks as a serious contender to go back-to-back (and win a third title in four years) didn’t pay attention to last year’s impressive reload and must not be familiar with Edwards’ game. The 2024 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year, 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year and South Carolina native scored more points in her high school career (3,966) than any other player in her class. She opted to “stay home” following a high-profile recruiting battle that involved the nation’s most illustrious programs. Not only did Edwards grow up a South Carolina fan, but she also used to be a mop girl for the Gamecocks as a kid. If the concept of a highly touted, homegrown Gamecocks fan reminds you of any 2024 WNBA MVP candidates, you’re not alone. In fact, according to The State, Edwards spoke with South Carolina icon A’ja Wilson about “staying home to play for coach Dawn Staley and becoming a star” three days before announcing her commitment to play for the Gamecocks.

Edwards — an early favorite for SEC Freshman of the Year and the only incoming SEC freshman to receive McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year honors and win a gold medal with USA Basketball — is joined in South Carolina’s 2024 class by five-star point guard and McDonald’s All-American McDaniel, who will probably play behind the experienced Raven Johnson and underwent surgery for a torn meniscus at the end of February, and elite, 6-5 forward Tac. Tac was an early enrollee in the spring, and redshirted while the Gamecocks dominated the competition all the way to a return to the top, a path not too dissimilar from now-junior forward Chloe Kitts’ two seasons ago.

TEXAS — Incoming freshmen: No. 9 Jordan Lee, No. 12 Justice Carlton, No. 38 Bryanna Preston.

▪ The Longhorns, a 2024 Elite Eight team, had to completely rework their offensive attack following the season-ending injury of All-America point guard Rori Harmon in December 2023. The answer? Former elite prospect and 6-1 freshman forward Madison Booker, who moved to floor general and subsequently became the first freshman to win (Co-)Big 12 Player of the Year honors. All that to say, Vic Schaefer isn’t just willing to push a freshman into the spotlight — he’s happy to do so. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that he signed a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in Carlton and Lee, plus point guard Preston, ahead of the Longhorns’ SEC debut.

Lee, one of many players on this list with USA Basketball experience, won gold this summer with the U18 roster months after leading St. Mary’s to an SJS Division I championship. The dynamic guard averaged 26.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game during her senior season with the Rams. Lee is also a two-time USA Junior Nationals Track and Field All-American and two-time California state champion in both the 1,600- and 800-meter races. Carlton, an alumna of touted Nike EYBL circuit team CyFair Elite in Texas, is the daughter of former Baylor and WNBA player Kacey Moffitt. Carlton owns seven program records at Seven Lakes High School (Katy, Texas), including points scored in a single game (46) and single season (1,020).

Big winners

OKLAHOMA — Incoming freshmen: No. 46 Zya Vann, No. 72 Caya Smith.

▪ SEC newcomer and reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year Jennie Baranczyk gave Sooner fans a lot to look forward to with the signings of Vann and Smith, the highest-rated prospects in the state of Oklahoma. The Sooners won the Big 12 regular season championship and achieved an overall record of 23-10 (15-3 Big 12), not to mention made several appearances on the 2023-24 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 women’s basketball awards list. The Sooners’ two-player signing class should bolster an already impressive squad poised to make waves in its SEC debut.

Vann, a 5-9 guard, is a three-time state champion out of Bethany High School (Edmond, Okla.). The younger sister of OU’s leading scorer, AP All-American and 2023-24 Big 12 Co-Player of the Year Skylar Vann, the incoming freshman averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.6 steals per game during her senior season of high school and was named the 2024 Class 4A state tournament MVP. Smith, a 6-1 forward out of Putnam City West (Oklahoma City), won state championships in both basketball (2024) and long jump (2023). The basketball title was her school’s first since 1981.

VANDERBILT — Incoming freshmen: No. 8 Mikayla Blakes, Trinity Wilson.

▪ After the SEC media projected the Commodores to finish last in the 2023-24 preseason rankings, Vanderbilt finished sixth and recorded a 20-win season (23-10 overall, 9-7 SEC), not to mention earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2013, 72-68, against Ivy League darling Columbia in the First Four. So it wasn’t as surprising as many might have thought, then, when top-10 prospect Blakes announced her commitment to play for Shea Ralph at Vanderbilt, becoming the highest-ranking recruit to do so. The 2024 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and 4.0 student at Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) was also a 2024 McDonald’s All-American, where she won the knockout competition. The Commodores return seven of their eight leading scorers for the 2024-25 campaign, and Blakes is expected to step in and make an immediate impact.

The Commodores also signed 1,000-point scorer and 1,000-rebound grabber Wilson, a 6-3 forward out of Minnesota. Wilson is the daughter of former UConn Husky Brenda Marquis, a member of the 1995 NCAA title team.

High expectations

ALABAMA — Incoming freshmen: No. 36 Eris Lester, Leah Brooks, Chloe Spreen.

▪ After three consecutive 20-win seasons, Kristy Curry and Alabama are showing no sign of slowing down. This year, a pair of respected guards and a four-time Alabama state champion forward join the efforts.

Lester eclipsed 1,000 career points as a sophomore at Orange Park High School (Jacksonville, Florida) but spent her senior season playing alongside and against some of the nation’s top talent at Montverde Academy. While with the Eagles — who posted a 24-4 record and finished the 2023-24 season as the No. 3 team in the country per MaxPreps — Lester, a 5-11 guard, ranked third in points (6.9) and assists (1.1) per game. Brooks, the signing class’ homegrown prospect, is a 6-3 playmaker out of Hazel Green High School who won four consecutive Alabama High School Athletic Association 6A state titles and was named the 2024 6A state championship MVP. Spreen, formerly ranked within the class of 2024’s top-100 prospects, is a 1,000-point scorer out of Bedford North Lawrence (Indiana). and the 2024 Miss Indiana Basketball recipient. During the Stars’ 20-5 season last year, Spreen led the team with 20.4 points per game on 42% shooting from the field and averaged 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

KENTUCKY — Incoming freshmen: No. 40 Lexi Blue, Tanah Becker, Clara Silva.

▪ Although Kenny Brooks didn’t have much time to build his first Kentucky recruiting class, he fared quite well, bringing former Virginia Tech commits — top-40 prospect Blue and 6-7 Portuguese center Silva — with him to Lexington. He also inherited Becker, a 2020 silver medalist with Canada’s U16 roster who initially committed to former head coach Kyra Elzy and opted to sign with the Wildcats following the coaching change.

Both Blue and Silva are expected to take on significant roles during the 2024-25 season as the Wildcats enter a new era under Brooks. Blue is a five-time state champion with Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Florida), and the highest-ranking prospect to sign with UK out of high school since former center Tionna Herron, the No. 69 prospect in the class of 2022. Silva begins her college career after three professional seasons with Unicaja in Málaga, Spain, and has years of experience with the Portuguese junior national team.

She’s 6-foot-7. She plays in Portugal. What is Kentucky basketball getting in Clara Silva?

TENNESSEE — Incoming freshman: No. 37 Kaniya Boyd.*

▪ One of two SEC programs with a brand-new coach to start the 2024-25 season, Tennessee’s roster changed drastically following the hiring of former Marshall coach and rising star Kim Caldwell. Interestingly enough, Boyd, the Lady Vols’ lone signee under former head coach Kellie Harper, was already on campus as an early enrollee before Harper was fired — and she elected to stay.

A product of Centennial (Nevada), the 5-9 combo guard sustained a serious knee injury that caused her to miss the final season of her high school basketball career. However, prior to her injury she was considered one of the most explosive shooting guards in the class of 2024 and averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game during her junior season with the Bulldogs. She is the first high school prospect to sign with Tennessee since the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Strong pickups

GEORGIA — Incoming freshmen: No. 67 Indya Davis, No. 71 Mia Woolfolk, No. 74 Trinity Turner, No. 96 Summer Davis.

▪ It never hurts to sign four top-100 recruits. Especially if your program is looking to bounce back after a difficult 12-18 (3-13 SEC) season and having to say goodbye to its two leading scorers.

Enter the Bulldogs’ 2024 class, which features both the 2023 (Indya Davis) and 2024 (Summer Davis) Michigan Gatorade Players of the Year. The twin guards out of West Bloomfield High School know how to win, having lost just eight games over the course of four seasons while racking up 88 wins and a 2024 state championship. During their 27-1 senior season, Indya averaged 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game, while Summer contributed 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.2 steals per contest. Woolfolk, a 6-3 forward out of Manchester High School (Virginia), also helped lead her team to a state title during her senior season. En route to a 27-2 record with Manchester, Woolfolk averaged 20.0 points and 9.7 rebounds. Turner, a 5-6 guard out of Dr. Phillips High School, brings a pair of Florida Class 7A state championships to the Bulldogs’ signing class and recorded 1,998 points and 1,005 rebounds during her high school career.

LSU — Incoming freshman: No. 90 Jada Richard.

▪ It sounds funny to say that LSU will probably still be a force in the SEC after the graduation of WNBA top-10 pick and reigning SEC Player of the Year Angel Reese, but it’s true. Though the majority of changes to the Tigers’ roster came via the transfer portal, Kim Mulkey also made sure to sign 2024 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year Jada Richard out of Lafayette Christian Academy. In doing so, Mulkey ensured that for the second straight recruiting cycle the best of Louisiana is headed to LSU — 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year Mikaylah Williams, the former No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2023, was also the highest-ranked prospect in the state.

Richard, a 5-7 guard, is a four-time state champion and a three-time state title game MVP who scored nearly 3,000 points in high school. Also her class valedictorian, Richard averaged 26.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.1 steals during her senior season.

OLE MISS — Incoming freshmen: Heloisa Carerra, Fatu Djaló, Jite Gbemuotor, Sira Thienou.

▪ This offseason, Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin successfully convinced four intriguing and experienced prospects of the athletic department’s beloved phrase — “The ‘Sip is the move.”

A graduate of IMG Academy, Carerra originally hails from São Paulo, Brazil, and played for her home country in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Basketball U19 World Cup, during which she pulled in 4.3 rebounds per game. After a strong senior season with the Ascenders, Carrera was named the most improved player at the IMG Academy banquet. Djaló, a 5-10 guard from Aviero, Portugal, was on her country’s roster during the 2023 U18 Women’s European Championship and averaged 11.4 points. This summer, she led the U20 roster in scoring with 10.0 points per game at the Women’s EuroBasket. Nigerian-born forward Gbemuotor is 6-foot-2 and played with Slovenia’s U18 squad in the FIBA European Championship in 2022 and 2023. She also averaged 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals this season while playing for Cinkarna Celje in the WABA League. Thienou, a consistent three-level scorer and graduate of Shining Stars Academy (Virginia), averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup while playing for Mali.

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Incoming freshmen: No. 43 Tahj-Monet Bloom, Anaisha Carriere, Shakirah Edwards.

▪ It’s not possible to recreate the exact presence, leadership and production of 2024 All-SEC second-team selection Jessika Carter, who was drafted by the New York Liberty in the second round of the WNBA draft. Nonetheless, head coach Sam Purcell and his staff brought in three freshmen (and five transfers) for the new-look Bulldogs’ 2024-25 campaign, which will probably be led by last year’s leading scorer, JerKaila Jordan, and junior guard Debreasha Powe.

According to Mississippi State, Bloom is the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Purcell. The 6-2 forward had several stops in high school but graduated from DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Florida) and helped the team to a 20-7 overall record during her senior season. Bloom averaged 8.5 points on a team-high 56% shooting from the field, and recorded 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Carriere, a 6-2 guard out of Harrison Central High School (Mississippi) is a 1,000-point scorer and considered to be the top-ranked Mississippi prospect in the class of 2024. Florida native Edwards, a 5-10 guard and graduate of Rutherford High School (Panama City, Florida), led the Rams in points (15.2), rebounds (5.7), steals (3.3) and blocks (1.7) per game.

TEXAS A&M — Incoming freshman: No. 60 Taliyah Parker.

▪ Though the Aggies return half of their top six leading scorers from last season — including leading scorer Aicha Coulibaly — they needed to add some guard depth after graduating Endyia Rogers.

Joni Taylor’s sole freshman is in-state guard Parker, a 6-1 standout who ended her high school career at South Grand Prairie (Texas) on a high with a record of 33-4 (including a perfect 15-0 district mark) and a 2024 UIL 6A state championship appearance. Parker chose the Aggies from a final eight of Baylor, Duke, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Southern Cal and Texas A&M. She was rated as high as a top-10 prospect in the class of 2024 back in 2022, and she transferred to South Grand Prairie from Putnam City West (Oklahoma) after her sophomore year of high school. Parker suffered a season-ending knee injury relatively early on in her junior season but still received Texas 6A all-region recognition. As a senior with the Warriors, Parker averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Helpful additions

ARKANSAS — Incoming freshmen: Jada Bates, Danika Galea, Pinja Paananen, Phoenix Stotijn.*

▪ Mike Neighbors and the Razorbacks are in a season of change, to say the least. After an underwhelming 6-10 conference slate, Arkansas lost its top five scorers, including SEC All-Freshman Team selection and former five-star prospect Taliah Scott. In an attempt to replace the massive production lost in the offseason, Neighbors signed four freshmdn — three of whom are international prospects with FIBA experience.

Bates, a Georgia native, is a big guard who chose the Razorbacks over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and others. As a senior with McEachern, Bates led the team in points (16.0) and rebounds (6.0) during a 20-9 campaign. Galea, a 6-3 center from Malta, is the only incoming SEC freshman with senior national team experience and helped lead her country’s U18 roster to gold last summer while averaging 29.0 points and 19.0 rebounds. Paananen, a 6-2 forward, has represented Finland at the U16, U18 and U20 levels. She also played professionally for Forssan Alku in the Naisten Korisliiga in Finland during the 2023-24 season, during which she averaged 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds. Stotijn, a 5-9 guard, enrolled at Arkansas in January but did not see the floor during SEC play. In 2023, Stotijn averaged 15.0 points and 2.4 assists with the Netherlands U18 team at the 2023 FIBA Women’s European Championship.

AUBURN — Incoming freshmen: Syriah Daniels, Jordan Hunter.

▪ As Johnnie Harris continues to guide the Tigers in the right direction — finishing 20-12 (8-8 SEC) last season — she signed a pair of Alabama natives and high school flag football state champions in 6-0 guard/forward Daniels and 5-8 guard Hunter to join Auburn’s backcourt following the graduation of leading scorers Honesty Scott-Grayson and JaMya Mingo-Young.

Daniels scored more than 2,000 career points during her high school career at Auburn High School, and was a first-team All-State selection during her senior season after leading the Tigers to the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A Final Four. Daniels, the daughter of former Auburn basketball players Marquis Daniels and Shana Askew Daniels, dominated her senior season with a team-high 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game. Hunter, the 2024 Auburn 7A Player of the Year, averaged 19.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a senior at Hewitt-Trussville. She is a three-time AHSAA state runner-up.

MISSOURI — Incoming freshmen: Londyn Oliphant, Ma’Riya Vincent.

▪ Last season, the Tigers finished on a 12-game losing streak and a last-place spot in the SEC standings. Head coach Robin Pingeton went into Texas and signed a pair of AAU program FAM Elite teammates in 5-6 point guard Oliphant and 6-0 forward Vincent, hoping to build upon the momentum of the Tigers’ 2024 SEC all-freshman honoree, Grace Slaughter.

Oliphant was a Texas first-team All-State honoree this season with Prestonwood Christian Academy, for whom she averaged 14.1 points and 4.1 assists. She led the Lions in scoring, assists and steals and helped guide the team to a 28-8 record. Vincent, a left-handed playmaker, committed to Missouri over a year ago, declaring for the Tigers ahead of her junior season with Cypress Springs. Vincent played the guard position for the Panthers, and averaged 13.5 points on 46% shooting from the field during the team’s 30-3 season.

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