Coaches are known for their lofty and loud statements. But sometimes their words come back to haunt them. Such is the case with LSU head coach Kim Mulkey after players have disproven her transfer portal prediction.
“They’re all coming back except Divine,” said Kim Mulkey before adding, “so I am blessed that all of those great players are coming back.”
While Divine Bourrage is entering the transfer portal, three more LSU players are joining her, much to Kim Mulkey’s surprise, especially after her bold claims about the LSU roster’s future last week.
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Other LSU stars Jada Richard, Kailyn Gilbert, and Bella Hines are now joining Divine in the transfer portal, which will be a blow to the program’s hopes of challenging for the National Championship this year under long-time head coach Kim Mulkey.
Jada Richard’s transfer will hurt LSU the most, with the 21-year-old averaging 26.2 minutes in the rotation in the 2025-26 season. Kailyn Gilbert played only 5 times last year and will use her redshirt year to enter the transfer portal. Meanwhile, Bella Hines grew into her role at LSU in her freshman year and was expected to take another step in her development next season.
Alongside these three, Kim Mulkey will be without seniors Amiya Joyner and Flau’jae Johnson, who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility, with the latter of the top-rated players entering the WNBA Draft.
These departures will deplete the LSU Tigers roster, meaning Kim Mulkey will have to delve into the transfer portal to replace all the outgoing stars. Additionally, Mulkey’s statement backfiring could be a sign of something brewing in the dressing room that the head coach might not be aware of.
The 63-year-old coaching veteran has proven her ability to develop a squad into a competitive team time and again, and the four-time NCAA Tournament champion will have to do it all over again, by the looks of it. There does seem to be a dearth of talent available in the transfer portal, though.
LSU’s super-sophomore team set for the shredders
The 2025 recruiting class at LSU was unanimously adjudged to be the best in women’s basketball for the year, boasting stars like Grace Knox, ZaKiyah Johnson, Bella Hines, and Divine Bourrage.
This prompted widespread praise for Mulkey and LSU’s recruitment department, with Brandon Clay of 247 Sports highlighting the absurdity of what the program had achieved.
Clay said, “LSU didn’t just recruit; they raided the top of the board. This class provides the length and shot-making ability that was the missing piece in their quest to return to the top of the mountain.”
Kim Mulkey passed on the praise to her staff, stating, “This is a historic day for our program. To sign four of the top players in the country in one class is a testament to the hard work of our staff and the championship culture we’ve built here at LSU.”
Fast forward a year and two out of four will be moving away from the program, having entered the transfer portal ahead of the new season. Both Bella and Divine are highly rated guards and will need to be replaced within the LSU setup.
While the frontcourt is set to be bolstered in the transfer portal, Kim Mulkey has to weave her magic to ensure the LSU Tigers have depth in the guard roles by the time the season starts. And it all begins with finding replacements for the super-sophomores.
Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers were hoping the super-sophomore squad would step up and fill the void left by the players who either graduated, headed to the WNBA, or entered the transfer portal. MiLaysia Fulwiley is expected to become part of the starting five, and Mulkey will have to delve into the transfer portal, with Kim Mulkey admitting that she will be ‘selective and aggressive’ in the market.
LSU’s focus will be to convince Kaleena Smith to commit to the program, with the point guard being the best-rated recruit in the 2027 high school class. But for immediate relief in the guard area, Kim Mulkey could look to Jada Williams and Kymora Johnson in the transfer portal.
