Gutted But Not Starting Over: NC State Looks to Reload in the Portal as Rivals Duke and UNC Already Cash In
NC State kicked off the 2025-26 season with just 11 players on the roster, already scraping by as one of the thinnest squads in the Power Conference. Fast-forward to now, and by the time this transfer portal window slams shut, the Wolfpack will have waved goodbye to five key pieces in a single year. But with core returners Zoe Brooks and Khamil Pierre locked in, head coach Wes Moore is treating this as a reload, not a full rebuild. He’s hunting for the right complementary pieces to fit around that foundation through the portal.
Midseason, 6-foot-5 center Lorena Awou got suspended indefinitely before heading to Baylor. Then this April cycle hit: sophomore guard Zam Jones (breakout star averaging 14.6 points, ranked as high as No. 7 in the portal), sophomore forward Tilda Trygger (10.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, No. 13 in the rankings), guard Devyn Quigley, and junior center Mallory Collier all entered.
That’s more than 45 percent of last year’s roster gone in one season. Ouch.
Across Division I women’s basketball, it’s total chaos out there. Over 5,000 players league-wide, and more than 1,400 have jumped into the portal since it opened April 6, about 28 percent of everybody. But for NC State fans and coaches, this national frenzy hits different. The Wolfpack aren’t just riding the wave; they’re getting slammed by it.
National reporter Talia Goodman dropped the big stat on April 10: 40 of the Top 100 recruits from last season’s freshman class are already in the portal. Nearly half of those blue-chip kids who just got to campus are already shopping for a new spot. It’s a wake-up call that even the most hyped high school stars are treating college like a one-year trial run these days.
For Wes Moore, the plan is clear. He needs to add a starting center, a three point threat (two might be better), a defensive minded combo guard, and some depth to complement the veterans who are staying. Moore’s always been a grinder on the recruiting trail and a player developer, but the game’s different now. The portal doesn’t give you time to breathe. Schools that used to build patiently through high school classes are now sprinting through that 15-day April window and the summer scramble.
None of this is shocking in 2026. NIL deals, playing time gripes, scheme mismatches, coaching changes, it all adds up to the portal being the quickest ticket to a fresh start. What used to be a four-year loyalty thing now flips in 12 months. NC State’s situation just puts the new reality on blast: even a Power Conference team that made the NCAA Tournament last year can find itself needing to reload quickly around its remaining core.
Meanwhile, right down the road, rivals Duke and UNC are already cashing in on the portal chaos.
UNC landed its first big transfer commit, 6-foot-1 junior forward Achol Akot out of Oklahoma State. She put up 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds last season and fills a huge need inside for Courtney Banghart’s squad. Duke wasn’t far behind. They grabbed former Texas guard Aaliyah Crump, one of the strongest players available in the portal. Crump was the No. 5 high school recruit in the 2025 class, made the Final Four with the Longhorns as a freshman, and now she’s a Blue Devil under Kara Lawson.
Some folks are already wondering if Duke and UNC’s quick strike had something to do with a general manager already grinding behind the scenes before the window even opened. Either way, both programs look like they’re moving fast while NC State is in full reload mode.
The Wolfpack’s next few weeks in the portal will straight-up decide the next chapter. You can bet Moore and his staff are out there hunting proven transfers who can plug in and play right away, the same playbook that’s turned around programs like Ole Miss and TCU. Keep the right vets like Brooks and Pierre, add the right complementary portal talent, and you’ve got a shot at bouncing back quick in the ACC. Miss the mark, and it’s a longer road.
NC State fans, the emotional roller coaster is real. That old-school four-year “build it together” vibe feels like ancient history. But hey, the portal cuts both ways. It’s also a chance to bring in some battle-tested players who are ready to win now in Raleigh alongside the core that’s staying.
Portal window closes April 20, visits are heating up, and one thing’s for sure: the 2026-27 Wolfpack is gonna look nothing like the 11-player crew that suited up last fall. In today’s women’s college basketball, NC State isn’t just playing in the transfer portal game. They’re fighting to reload and keep up in it, while Duke and UNC are already stacking wins.
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