Praised as the “best athlete in the family” by her father, Shaquille O’Neal, Me’Arah O’Neal announced on social media on Monday that she is transferring from one SEC school to another, leaving Florida for Kentucky.

Following a strong sophomore season with the Gators (13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks per game), O’Neal announced her intention to play elsewhere after coach Kelly Rae Finley’s firing. Florida went 5-11 in the SEC and finished in a tie for 12th place in 2025-26.

“After a lot of thought and intentionality with my next steps, I’ve made the tough decision to enter the transfer portal,” she wrote on Instagram. “With faith and high expectations, I’m ready to power forward and embrace wherever God takes me next.”

O’Neal’s siblings have also played college basketball, including older brother Shareef (UCLA, LSU), sister Amirah (LSU, Texas Southern) and brother Shaqir (Sacramento State).

“My baby is the best athlete in the family because she can do it all,” Shaquille O’Neal said about Me’Arah recently on his podcast. “She’s not an old-school player. She’s the new pick-your-type player, so I’m going to give her the title. She can shoot, she can dribble. She can’t be fazed when it comes to certain things.”

O’Neal will now play for coach Kenny Brooks at Kentucky, which made a run to the Sweet 16 in March.

The Wildcats return leading scorer and all-SEC first-team selection Clara Strack along with Asia Boone, who averaged 10.1 points and shot 36.5% from 3-point range. A trio of McDonald’s All-Americans — Maddyn Greenway, Savvy Swords and Emily McDonald — highlight a talented recruiting class. Kentucky will also have UConn transfer Ayanna Patterson on its roster this fall.

–Field Level Media