Olivia Miles transfers to TCU: Ex-Notre Dame star makes huge transfer portal move after forgoing WNBA Draft

Former Notre Dame star and highly touted transfer Olivia Miles committed to TCU on Tuesday, sources confirm to CBS Sports and 247Sports. 

Miles made headlines at end of the college basketball season when she elected to forgo this year’s WNBA draft — where she was projected to be the No. 2 overall pick — to return to school. However, instead of staying with the Irish, Miles hopped into the transfer portal in hopes of finding a new home. 

Miles’ unprecedented move cut deep for the Irish. The senior played her entire college career in South Bend, starting 95 of her 101 appearances for Notre Dame. On the season, she was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 15.4 points on over 48% from the floor and 40% from 3. Together, she and superstar Hannah Hidalgo formed a championship-caliber backcourt for the Fighting Irish.

Not only did Notre Dame lose an immense amount of talent when Miles decided to hit the portal, as her move also started a mass exodus for the program. Graduate senior center Kylee Watson, junior guard Emma Risch and former five-star freshman Kate Koval decided to enter the transfer portal alongside Miles. In fact, Koval landed in the laps of Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers a day before Miles announced her commitment to the Horned Frogs. 

Notre Dame now only has four scholarship players from the 2024-25 season on its roster — Hidalgo, freshman forward Leah Macy, and senior guards KK Bransford and Cassandre Prosper.

Miles joins a resurgent TCU team that has navigated the transfer portal with precision in recent history. This is the third consecutive year that coach Mark Campbell and the Horned Frogs have landed a big fish from the portal. Last offseason, TCU brought in guard Hailey Van Lith. They paired Van Lith with former transfers Madison Conner and Sedona Prince, both of whom signed onto TCU the year prior. This trio was able to carry TCU to the Elite Eight and allowed Van Lith to rebound after a turbulent season with LSU. 

However, Prince and Conner have exhausted their eligibility while Van Lith is looking toward the WNBA. That leaves the floor open for Miles to take center stage in Fort Worth. Also, grabbing a top transfer portal prospect like Miles may make TCU more attractive to other recruits. This gives the indication that Campbell and the Frogs are not done retooling their squad as they look to make another deep run next postseason.