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Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson, the leading scorer in the country this season at 25.2 points per game, is entering the transfer portal, her agents told ESPN on Thursday. The Seminoles' season came to an end in the second round of the Women's NCAA Tournament when they lost to LSU.
Per Andraya Carter, Florida State had been preparing for such a scenario due to Latson's incredible play and her ability to command a major NIL deal. While Latson will keep an open mind about a return to Tallahassee, the Seminoles are likely looking at a rebuild even if she does come back due to the impending departures of seniors Makayla Timpson and O'Mariah Gordon -- their second- and third-leading scorers.
Latson is the best player in the portal thus far and will be highly sought after by many of the top programs. As we wait for her to make a decision, here are some potential landing spots.
Florida State
FSU has to be included on the list. Perhaps Latson and her camp are just paying lip service to the program, but if she was 100% gone, she would have said that.
Latson has spent three seasons playing for coach Brooke Wyckoff, who has helped turn her into one of the best players in the country. While Latson may not compete for a national title if she goes back to Tallahassee, she'll have the ball in her hands all the time and will get to showcase her skills for WNBA teams in a system where she's comfortable.
There's certainly a case to be made that if she wants to protect her draft stock she should stay at Florida State.
South Carolina
Shortly after the news broke that Latson was entering the portal, South Carolina's Raven Johnson was already starting her recruiting pitch. Johnson played with Latson in high school at Westlake in Atlanta, where the duo won multiple state championships.
"I'd tell her, let's run it back," Johnson said. "I'm definitely gonna try to get her to come here. I'm gonna be in her ear. I would be happy. We all would be happy to play with her."
Dawn Staley has built the Gamecocks, who are vying for back-to-back national championships and their third title in four years, into one of the premier programs in the country. Any player would be interested in playing for her, and Latson also has the personal connection with Johnson. Plus, if there's anything the Gamecocks really need, it's a go-to scorer, and Latson would obviously fill that role.
USC
JuJu Watkins went down with a torn ACL in USC's second-round win over Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament earlier this week. The injury is a devastating blow to the Trojans' national championship hopes, not just this season, but next season as well.
The program has not announced a long-term timeline for Watkins' recovery, but there's a good chance she misses the entire 2025-26 campaign. Even in a best-case scenario, she would likely not be back on the court until sometime in January or February.
No one in the country can replace what Watkins does on both ends of the floor, but Latson would give the Trojans, who are also losing Kiki Iriafen to the WNBA, a legitimate No. 1 option on the offensive end. It's unclear if either party would be interested, but in theory Latson makes a lot of sense as a one-year stop-gap for Lindsay Gottlieb and Co.
Texas
When Latson was going through the recruiting process in 2021, she took an official visit to Austin and had Texas among her final choices. Vic Schaefer was in charge then and remains the Longhorns' coach. He would ostensibly still have interest in coaching Latson after all.
The bigger question is whether Latson would want to join the Longhorns. If she does, the on-court fit is obvious.
Texas earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but are not considered one of the primary title contenders due to its offense. The Longhorns have the lowest 3-point rate in the country and really struggle to score outside of the paint on a consistent basis. While Latson is not a prolific outside shooter, her ability to create her own shot from the perimeter would give the Longhorns a major boost on the offensive end. Plus, Texas is set to lose multiple guards in Rori Harmon and Shay Holle.
