5 women's basketball redshirt players that can have breakout years next season ft. Ashlyn Watkins

Heading into next season, some redshirts will be looking to make a splash. Whether due to injuries, team strategy or some combination of both, some players missed either all or most of last season and used a redshirt year. Here's a rundown on some of women's basketball's most interesting redshirts fom a year ago and how they might impact 2025-26.

Top 5 women's hoops redshirt breakout candidates

Kylee Watson missed the 2024-25 season due to injury, but will look to make a senior impact at Villanova. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

5. Kylee Watson, Villanova

Another transfer from Oregon and then Notre Dame, Watson started for the Fighting Irish in 2022-23 and 2023-24. She tore her ACL at the end of the 2024 season and missed last year. The 6-foot-4 Watson averaged 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Irish in 2023-24. She transferred to Villanova for her last season of eligibility.

4. Maddie Scherr, TCU

A transfer from Oregon and then Kentucky, Scherr might get overlooked based on all the talent the Horned Frogs added this offseason, but she shouldn't. A back injury held her out of 2024-25, but at Kentucky, she averaged 11.6 and 12.5 points per game in two seasons. She's a capable wing scorer and distributor for the Horned Frogs this season.

3. Laila Phelia, school undetermined

Phelia is a 6-foot guard who was a two-time All-Big Ten pick at Michigan. She averaged 16.8 points per game there in 2023-24. Phelia transferred to Texas, but after an off-season eye surgery for a detached retina, she had further eye issues. She played in only nine games at Texas (scoring 6.4 ppg) and preserved her redshirt and entered the portal. Wherever she lands, she's a player to watch.

2. Charlisse Leger-Walker, UCLA

A high-scoring transfer from Washington State, Leger-Walker tore her ACL on January 28, 2024 at her old school. She struggled to work back into game condition and was ruled out for the season by Cori Close and the Bruins. At Washington State, Leger-Walker had 1,743 points, including 199 3-pointers. She could be an exciting part of the Bruins this season.

1. Ashlyn Watkins, South Carolina

Watkins was a significant contributor to the 2023-24 national title team at Carolina. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. But a tumultous offseason led into an early January injury in 2024-25.

Watkins actually played in 14 games, which is slightly more than the 30% threshhold in which redshirted players can compete. But there's been some discussion of her ultimately being allowed a redshirt anyway. She averaged 7.2 points and 6.1 boards per game when she did play. Watkins has at least one year of college eligibility left, but the potential redshirt would add another.

Which of our redshirt standouts are you excited to see? Share your take below in our comments section!