Gracie Merkle transfer portal: Top 5 landing spots for Penn State star ft. Kansas State

NCAA Womens Basketball: Penn St. at Southern California - Source: Imagn

Gracie Merkle is on the move again. After transferring to Penn State this past offseason, the star center entered the transfer portal again on Monday. Merkle led the Lady Lions in several key categories, including points (15.5 per game), rebounds (8.6 per game) and blocks (1.5 per game).

Unfortunately for Merkle, her efforts were not enough to get the Penn State Lady Lions into March Madness. As a result, their season ended on March 2 with a 75-70 loss to Rutgers. These are the five teams that could be a fit for her in the transfer portal.

Top five landing spots for Gracie Merkle in the transfer portal

#1 Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats are in the Sweet 16 of March Madness, partially because of the replay of center Ayoka Lee. However, Lee is in her fifth season and will not be back next season. As a result, the Wildcats could use a replacement. Merkle's height, 6-foot-6, makes her an appealing option to a team like the Wildcats that is losing a player of equal size in the offseason.

#2 Vanderbilt

One team that could be an interesting fit is the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt entered March Madness as a seven seed but lost in OT to No. 10 Oregon in the first round. Part of the reason the Commodores were unable to get over the hump was they did not have a traditional center. Gracie Merkle could fix that issue.

#3 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State was another seven-seed that lost in the first round of March Madness. The Cowgirls did have a center in Tenin Magassa, but she is out of NCAA eligibility after the conclusion of this season. As a result, Gracie Merkle could join the team to fill the void.

#4 Utah

The Utah Utes had a disappointing first-round exit to Indiana in the first round of March Madness. Although the team is set up with several strong guards for next season, it is lacking in its frontcourt. Adding one of the biggest players in women's college basketball, Gracie Merkle, would be a huge boost for the team.

#5 California

The California Golden Bears exited March Madness in the first round, and with both of their top forwards out of NCAA eligibility, the team does not look like it will be better next season. However, the Golden Bears can help their frontcourt problem by adding Gracie Merkle from the transfer portal.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by R. Elahi