The Big 12 offseason was a feeding frenzy. Everyone knows about the splashy moves involving the preseason All-Americans and the five-star freshmen, but championships have never been built on hype alone. In the NIL/Portal Era, trophies are won with the transfers nobody's talking about in October but everyone remembers in March.

While the portal churned out over 1,000 names this offseason, we zeroed in on five under the national radar U-Haul customers who could swing the Big 12 race. These aren't just gap-fillers or depth pieces. They're game-changers arriving at the perfect time for programs in transition, teams reloading after key departures, or squads one piece away from contention.

From a national champion ready to become a star to an efficiency savant who might decide a conference title, these five transfers deserve far more attention than they're getting. Here's who you should be watching when the Big 12 tips off.

1. Last-Tear Poa, Arizona State (from LSU)

Last-Tear Poa's name may have faded from the headlines, but her impact on LSU’s 2023 national championship run was undeniable. The Australian guard knocked down two clutch threes and drew a pair of charges on Caitlin Clark in the title game, helping seal the Tigers’ first-ever crown. Poa appeared in all 36 games that season, leading the team at the free-throw line (87.9%).

Now, she arrives in Tempe as the centerpiece of Molly Miller’s Arizona State rebuild. The Sun Devils, coming off three Big 12 wins and a complete roster overhaul, need a leader with championship credentials. Poa fits the bill. After averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 assists while transitioning into a larger role at LSU last year, she’s set to take the reins as Arizona State’s primary ball-handler and defensive anchor. Miller's up-tempo, aggressive system demands poise and tenacity.

Poa’s knack for delivering in high-pressure moments gives a credibility boost to Miller’s new era and could help the Sun Devils play spoiler this spring. In a program desperate for a fresh identity, Poa is the perfect culture-setter.

2. Evangelina Paulk, Iowa State (from Wofford)

While everyone marvels at Iowa State's frontcourt featuring Preseason Player of the Year Audi Crooks and Preseason All-Big 12 selection Addy Brown, don't sleep on what Evangelina Paulk brings to the Cyclones' championship equation.

Paulk recorded a triple-double with 10-plus steals last season, one of just two players in the country to accomplish that feat at any level. She swept both SoCon Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors while leading Wofford in scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounding (8.4), and steals (95). That's not padding stats against weak competition; that's domination.

The transition from Wofford to the Big 12's meat grinder is significant, but coach Bill Fennelly didn't bring Paulk to Ames to sit. With Emily Ryan's pass-first orchestration gone, Iowa State needs athletic wings who can create in transition, defend multiple positions, and take pressure off their star post players. Paulk checks every box.

If she gels with new point guard Jada Williams (Arizona) before Big 12 play begins, Iowa State's depth suddenly looks Final Four-caliber. The Cyclones are picked second in the conference for a reason. Paulk might be the piece that gets them over the Final Four hump.

3. Tess Heal, Kansas State (from Stanford/Santa Clara)

Lost in Kansas State’s massive roster overhaul is the arrival of one of the nation’s most efficient scorers. After losing four starters and adding five freshmen, Jeff Mittie desperately needed a veteran who could stabilize the offense. He found exactly that in Australian standout Tess Heal.

Heal’s statistical profile from Stanford jumps off the page: she was the only Division I player last season to shoot at least 50% from the field (.503) and 45% from three (.493) while appearing in 30 games. Before transferring to Stanford, she was a two-time All-WCC First Team guard at Santa Clara, averaging 18.6 points and 4.5 assists.

Her game isn’t flashy, but it’s relentlessly efficient. Next to the table-setting Taryn Sides, Heal can space the floor, create in the halfcourt, and deliver the kind of basketball IQ a rebuilding roster desperately needs. Kansas State could finish anywhere from unranked to a surprise Sweet Sixteen team. The determining factor will be how quickly Heal’s steadiness transforms a roster that must rediscover its identity.

4. Zyanna Walker, Colorado (from Kansas State)

While Kansas State reloads, Zyanna Walker quietly switched jerseys…and could flip the script for Colorado. The 5-foot-11 combo guard earned All-Big 12 Defensive Team honors at Kansas State while averaging 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

However, the numbers don't capture all of Walker's winning-culture contributions. Her pesky on-ball defense (1.9 combined steals and blocks) can disrupt elite offenses. That’s exactly what Colorado needs in a conference loaded with dynamic scoring guards. JR Payne even credited Walker and returning starter Frida Formann with helping recruit Colorado's five-transfer haul this offseason, a chemistry boost that should accelerate the roster's integration.

Sliding into the starting lineup alongside sharpshooter Desiree Wooten (North Texas), Walker gives Colorado a defensive identity that was occasionally missing last season. The Buffaloes finished 9-9 in Big 12 play last year before a second-round WBIT exit to Gonzaga.

Colorado's culture has long been toughness-first. Walker amplifies that identity and gives the Buffs a closer in tight games.

5. Lana White, Utah (from Virginia Tech)

Sometimes the best transfers are the ones coming home. Lani White began her career in Salt Lake City before playing at Virginia Tech, where she averaged 9.6 points per game in the ACC. Now she's back, and the timing couldn't be better for a Utah program desperately needing instant offense.

White shot 50% from three-point range on 70 attempts last season with the Hokies. That lethal efficiency makes her Utah's most reliable scoring option from day one. Gavin Peterson, navigating his first full season after taking over mid-year last season, needs veterans who can create their own shot and knock down perimeter looks. White checks both boxes. Her ACC experience and ability to shoulder heavy minutes gives the Utes a fighting chance to stay relevant in a conference that sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Peterson will lean heavily on White's veteran savvy to mentor a roster featuring promising freshman LA Sneed while helping Maty Wilke transition from role player to primary option. If White recaptures her best form, Utah's projected eighth-place finish might be too conservative.