UConn transfer Qadence Samuels signs with NC State

Qadence Samuels has a new home. After transferring from UConn in April, the Forestville, Maryland native signed with the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday. She’ll have two years of eligibility left.

“[Transferring] was a good move for her because she loves to play,” Geno Auriemma said of Samuels after UConn’s championship parade. “I think she’ll get an opportunity someplace to play.”

Samuels, a 6-2 guard, arrived in Storrs as the 41st-ranked prospect in the class of 2023 and always showed flashes of talent but never earned consistent playing time with the Huskies.

Her best performance actually came against NC State during her second career game — 14 points in a losing effort — but she never built on it. Samuels reached double-figures twice in her first two contests but she only hit that mark twice more as a freshman. She contributed to UConn’s surprise Final Four run in 2024 with a big 3-pointer in the Elite Eight victory over USC in 2024 but it proved to be all downhill from there.

As a sophomore, Samuels ended up at the bottom of a loaded backcourt depth chart and couldn’t climb out. She just played 183 minutes — less than half her freshman year total of 423 — and scored a season-high eight points in the opener vs. Boston University.

Still, Samuels departs as a national champion and will join an NC State program that’s seen plenty of success in recent years. The Wolfpack have reached the Sweet Sixteen in six of the last seven tournaments and even made a run to the Final Four in 2024. They also won the ACC regular season crown in 2022 and 2025 then captured the ACC Tournament title in 2021, 2022 and 2023.