Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
It’s the halfway point of the basketball transfer portal, and LSU finally made a splash in the portal pool. Well, the women did at least.
It was a big day elsewhere at some premier programs paying staggering amounts for a few top players. The numbers are shocking.
Numbers to Know
Sunday was the end of the first weekend of official visits, and naturally it saw the biggest number of commitments with 43. As of Monday morning there are now 113 players that have found new homes. That’s a dramatic increase of nearly 100 players since Friday morning, but it’s also still just 10.8 percent of the total players in the portal which currently stands at 1,046.
Bourbon Money > Oil Money
Those schools in Texas with oil money seem to have deeper pockets than everyone else when it comes to football spending. Bourbon is the oil of Kentucky, and if you’ve ever met anyone from the hill country there you wouldn’t be surprised if they drink both.
Last year Kentucky reportedly spent $22 million on its roster. Part of that was a response to in-state rival Louisville kicking off the portal cycle by claiming they were planning on spending north of $15 million. At the time that was a staggering number.
This year will be no different, and basketball and bourbon boys from the Bluegrass State aren’t playing around when it comes to writing checks. On Sunday Louisville landed two massive prospects that several SEC schools were hoping to get. Former Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad and the No. 1 overall player in the portal, Flory Bidunga, both committed to the Cardinals on the same day. What’s the price for two top 20 players at the two most coveted positions on the market? It’s apparently $9 million, which is more than what one-third of SEC teams spent on their rosters a season ago.
Word around the streets is Shelstad and Bidunga got paid more than the total NIL budget for about 70% of teams in D1 last year. Allegedly $9 million for the two.
We keep saying this is unsustainable, and yet there is no end in sight. https://t.co/wpEJsXH0lz
— Dave (@SJUDave) April 12, 2026
Bayou Bye Byes
LSU lost multiple talented underclassmen to the portal this cycle which was a big surprise to a lot of people including Kim Mulkey. Divine Bourrage was the first of the group to find a new home after announcing that she will leave for Illinois. Bella Hines became the fifth player to sign with TCU in this cycle which is tied for the most of any Power Five team in the country.
Kim Mulkey didn’t lament losing three talented freshmen. Instead, she went to work replacing them. The Tigers replaced the youngsters with two upperclassmen starters that combined for over 27 points per game including a first team All-Big 12 selection.
Welcome to the Boot, Laila Reynolds and Jada Williams.
LSU just got its answer at PG 👀
Jada Williams to Baton Rouge after 15.3 PPG & top-5 assist numbers nationally.
Big-time pickup for LSU! #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/4sB4xOmREK
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) April 12, 2026
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