Jada Richard didn’t need much time to explain why she left LSU.
At SEC Media Days on Tuesday, the former Tigers point guard said her decision to enter the transfer portal in April and sign with Ole Miss came back to one thing: her faith.
"I would say everyone that knows me knows that I'm strong in my faith, strong in my faith in God," Richard said at SEC Media Days, "and I'm not ashamed of it. I would just say that when you're that in tune with yourself, that's what drives my life, and a lot of people may not understand, but it's not for anyone to understand.
"The only thing that matters is that I'm here at Ole Miss, and I think that's what we should focus on."
Richard, an Opelousas native, started 34 games last season as a sophomore at LSU. Kim Mulkey and her staff expected her to be back and take on a similar role in 2026-27, but the 5-foot-7 guard changed course and wound up with the Rebels.
Mulkey later told The Advocate in July that LSU was “certainly caught off guard” by the move.
The transfer itself fits the current moment in women’s college basketball. LSU lost five players from its 2025-26 roster to the portal, including starter Kate Koval, who left in August, earned an NCAA waiver and ended up at Baylor after LSU announced it had signed Russian center Anna Minaeva.
More than 20 players also moved from one SEC program to another this offseason. Mulkey and her staff were among those active in the market, bringing in former Florida guard Laila Reynolds a year after landing MiLaysia Fulwiley, the All-SEC senior guard who left South Carolina in 2025.
Richard is also part of a larger pattern of point guards leaving their home-state schools for neighboring-state programs, following Zya Vann’s April move from Oklahoma to Texas.
Still, Richard’s departure from LSU was a surprise. And now she’s projected to step right into a major role at Ole Miss.
Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said Tuesday that Richard is expected to start at point guard and be “the leader of the team.”
“For me, it was a no-brainer once she got in the portal,” McPhee-McCuin said, "that I would want to recruit her. Just because I believed in her before she even got to college."
That history mattered. McPhee-McCuin recruited Richard when she starred at Lafayette Christian Academy, and Richard said she wanted a winning situation after entering the portal. Knowing the Ole Miss coach well helped make the decision easier.
Richard called McPhee-McCuin the “common denominator” behind her new teammates choosing Ole Miss. The Rebels have nine transfers on their 2026-27 roster.
"She's gonna keep it 100%," Richard said. "She don't really care how you feel about it, and that's something that kind of reminded me of myself."
Richard also said she plans to coach after her playing career is over, and believes she can have a future with McPhee-McCuin beyond the court.
"She's somebody that I feel like I can kind of see myself in," Richard said.
LSU moved quickly after losing Richard, turning to former Iowa State point guard Jada Williams, one of the top players in the portal. Williams is set to run the point for a remodeled roster built around All-SEC guards Mikaylah Williams and Fulwiley.
Richard will see her former team again on Feb. 1 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. She said Tuesday that she’s “excited” to be at Ole Miss, and part of that comes from believing the Rebels “has a chip on its shoulder.” She said she noticed that same edge when she was “on the other side of the fence” at LSU.
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