Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Amani Bartlett react as former LSU forward Sa'Myah Smith announces new destination

Sa'Myah Smith, a former LSU forward, entered the transfer portal on March 31, a day after LSU's Elite Eight loss to UCLA. Smith, ranked as a top-10 transfer prospect by ESPN, announced her commitment to the Virginia Cavaliers on Instagram on Sunday.

"Psalm 27:3🙏🏽5️⃣ #wahoonation🧡💙 “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow," Smith captioned the post.

LSU stars Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Amani Bartlett reacted in the Instagram comment section to Smith committing to the Cavaliers.

"Ugh, guess I'm a Virginia fan now," Johnson wrote.

"Congratulations lil one, I'm super proud of you. Do your big one," Bartlett wrote.

"tmu cinco!" Williams wrote.

Players' IG comments (IG/_sa.myahh_)

Player's IG comments (IG/_sa.myahh_)

Sa'Myah Smith praised by Cavaliers coach

Sa'Myah Smith averaged 6.6 points on 56.5% shooting from the floor, 6.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists for the LSU Tigers last season. Her production exploded during the NCAA Tournament, and she averaged 13.8 ppg on 64.0% shooting from the field, 10.3 rpg, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in four games.

Virginia Cavaliers coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton praised Smith's pedigree in her announcement statement on Monday.

“I’m super excited and overjoyed about the addition of Sa’Myah,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “She understands what it takes to win at the highest level, and is a national champion. Her athleticism and motor are off the charts.

"She is a versatile athlete who defends, rebounds and can score from 15 feet and in. Her ceiling is extremely high, and I can’t wait to get to work with her.”

Sa'Myah Smith was the No. 1 prospect in Dallas and the No. 57 overall talent in the class of 2022, according to ESPN.

Smith has extensive NCAA Tournament experience, having played in the Elite Eight twice. She was a key part of the team that won the 2023 national championship. She was named to the 2023 SEC All-Freshman team after a stellar first season in Baton Rouge.

Smith had a disrupted sophomore season after a stellar start to the season before she tore her ACL after just seven games, leading to her receiving a medical redshirt ahead of her last season in Baton Rouge. Sa'Myah Smith has two years of eligibility left.