UConn signs 2026 post Olivia Vukosa

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On Wednesday, UConn women’s basketball officially signed its lone 2026 commitment: Olivia Vukosa, a 6-4 post player out of Christ The King High School in New York rated by ESPN as the No. 3 player in her class.

“We think Olivia is one of those players that we’ve had so much success with,” Geno Auriemma said in a release. “She’s a big kid who can move, she has skills, she’s smart. She works really hard at both ends of the floor. She comes from a great program. I think she’s the kind of basketball big kid that the game demands today. She’s a terrific kid and comes from a great family. We’re really lucky, and we’re excited to have her here.”

Vukosa picked the Huskies over South Carolina, LSU, Ohio State and Texas back in October. Nicknamed “The Big O”, she goes to the same high school that produced the likes of Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Chamique Holdsclaw. However, Auriemma compared her to a different New York native: Stef Dolson of Port Jervis, who played at UConn from 2010-14.

“She's a competitive kid and skilled — like really skilled, probably the most skilled kid coming out of high school for her size — in the mold of kids that we've had in the past, like a Stef Dolson kind of kid,” Auriemma said after the win over Loyola Chicago on Wednesday. “A kid that can dribble, can pass and shoot, wants to play defense, gets up and down the floor quickly.”

Entering her senior season, Vukosa is on the watch list for the 2025-26 Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year. As a junior, she brought home plenty of hardware after averaging 19.4 points, 17.9 rebounds, 5.5 blocks and 3.8 assists. Vukosa earned 2024-25 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year and 2024-25 New York MaxPreps High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year while helping Christ The King win a Catholic High School Athletic Association Tier 1 New York City Tournament title.

On the international stage, Vukosa represents Croatia, where all four of her grandparents were born. She most recently played in the 2025 FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket Division B, putting up 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds.

While Vukosa is the only member of UConn’s 2026 recruiting class at the moment, that could still change. The Huskies are finalists for Jerzy Robinson (No. 5), Addison Bjorn (No. 10) and Sara Okeke (unranked out of Spain). Beyond that, UConn can always look in the transfer portal for new additions, too.

“We don't have a lot of incoming players as of this point right now but that's just the world today,” Auriemma said. “I mean, sometimes your best recruiting happens in April now.”

As it stands, the Huskies have two scholarships still open for the 2026-27 season.

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