Sydney Parrish, Kate Koval, Mia Mastrov react as former Notre Dame hooper Kylee Watson poses in Villanova threads

Former Notre Dame forward Kylee Watson was one of a host of Fighting Irish stars to enter the transfer portal when it opened last month. Two weeks ago, Watson, who had entered the portal with a 'Do Not Contact' tag, announced that she had joined the Villanova Wildcats from the portal.

On Sunday, Watson posted pictures on Instagram of herself posing in the Wildcats' threads for the first time. She captioned the snippets:

"new threads :)" Kylee Watson wrote.

Several basketball players, including Indiana Hoosiers guard Sydney Parrish, former Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, Fighting Irish center Lauren Ebo and former California Golden Bears guard Mia Mastrov reacted to Kylee Watson's pictures.

"OMG These are so HOT," Sydney Parrish wrote.

"Great stuff," Sonia Citron wrote.

"Face card is tea, coffee, matcha!!" Lauren Ebo wrote.

Player's comments on IG

Kylee Watson reveals why she left Notre Dame

Kylee Watson started her career as a bench option for the Oregon Ducks for two seasons (2020-2022) before moving to Notre Dame and becoming a starter for coach Niele Ivey. It was in a team that had superstars like Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles.

Watson was part of a huge migration from South Bend after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were eliminated from the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Sweet 16 stage by the TCU Horned Frogs.

She entered the transfer portal alongside teammates Olivia Miles, who joined the Horned Frogs, Kate Koval, who joined the LSU Tigers, and Emma Risch, who joined the Florida State Seminoles.

Watson missed the whole 2024-25 season with an ACL injury sustained during last year's ACC Tournament and ended her Notre Dame career averaging 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 31 games played. When she entered the portal, she revealed her reasons for leaving South Bend.

She wrote a heartfelt message on X to Fighting Irish fans during her departure, pinpointing her reasons for entering the transfer portal.

“I love Notre Dame. I love Coach (Niele) Ivey, and I love the entire program,” Kylee Watson wrote. “This decision was not about leaving something, but instead embracing something new for my final year of college basketball.

“I will be graduating with a Notre Dame degree this Spring and leave here with relationships that go way deeper than this sport. This program is part of the reason I am who I am today, and I am truly indebted to everyone a part of it and to this school."

Kylee Watson was Villanova coach Denis Dillon's first transfer via the portal and has one year of eligibility remaining.