Coach Yo, Ole Miss Land Huge Portal Player: Tennessee Transfer Guard Talaysia Cooper is a Rebel
OXFORD, Miss. — Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin doesn’t rebuild — -she reloads. And she did that today in a BIG way, landing a very strong guard in Tennessee transfer Talaysia Cooper via the transfer portal.
Outstanding Tennessee transfer guard Talaysia Cooper has committed to Coach Yo and Ole Miss! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x8wQX71DB7
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) April 8, 2026
Cooper is a junior from Turbeville, SC, and has spent the last two years with the Lady Volunteers. She started her collegiate career at South Carolina before transferring to Tennessee. In what many considered a down year for the Volunteers, Cooper was absolutely the star of the show.
She averaged 16 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. She only had four games in which she didn’t reach double digits, quite similar to the dominating run that Cotie McMahon had this past season. Against Ole Miss on February 17, she tallied 30 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Cooper was named to the 2024-25 SEC All-Defensive Team and was a five-star recruit out of high school.
We had a chance to visit with Cooper this morning and asked her what made her choose Coach Yo and Ole Miss.
“Coach Yo is a great coach. She produces pros. I love how competitive she is and how passionate she is about the game. I feel like that’s what I need in my life right now with this being my last year. And I feel like that’s going to help me be who I want to be.”
Talaysia Cooper on Coach Yo
Cooper is a very good guard who can kick out to the wing if needed. Pairing her with a returning Sira Thienou makes a very dangerous backcourt for Ole Miss, with Cooper being a dangerous scorer and Thienou excelling at playmaking. Undoubtedly, if Cooper keeps this up, she will be yet another star player for head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.
This is the transfer in for Coach Yo, but certainly not the last. The portal has just opened, and we expect to see Yo and the Rebels do some damage!
Follow along with The Rebel Walk to get all of the latest on the transfer portal!
Luke Dunavant
Luke Dunavant is a junior at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Journalism, with an emphasis in Sports Media and a minor in Sports Management. He is originally from Hernando, Mississippi, and graduated high school from Magnolia Heights. His favorite sports are basketball, football, and soccer. Growing up, he played baseball, football, and soccer at different points, immersing himself in the world of sports. He tries to always bring the same passion he had playing sports into covering them.
