LSU Signs Nation's Top Center & In-State Prospect Caroline Bradley

BATON ROUGE, La. – Coach Kim Mulkey and LSU women’s basketball announced Wednesday the signing of elite five-star center Caroline Bradley.

“It means a lot when Louisiana’s best choose to stay home and wear the purple and gold,” Mulkey said. “We’ve been recruiting Caroline since my first year at LSU, and I’m thrilled that she’s officially a Tiger. Her talent speaks for itself. She’s the best high school post player in the country, and she’ll make a tremendous impact in our frontcourt and program throughout her time in Baton Rouge.”

Bradley, a native of Oak Grove, La., enters her senior season at Oak Grove High School. The 6-foot-6 center has the size on the interior that makes it difficult for opponents to keep her off the glass on either end of the court. She is comfortable playing through contact and is able to detect double teams effectively, allowing her to make passes to open teammates.

Landing a major in-state recruit like Bradley will remind LSU fans of when current assistant coach Seimone Augustus chose to stay home and play for the Tigers in 2002, as well as when current LSU senior guard Mikaylah Williams made a similar decision.

ESPN ranks Bradley third in the country and first among post players.

Bradley joins a long list of talented post players recruited by Mulkey, who has coached 16 WNBA draft picks at the position. During her time at Baylor, Mulkey guided 12 players to the league, which includes Sophia Young, Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox. At LSU, Mulkey has coached four post players who went on to the WNBA, including Aneesah Morrow and Angel Reese.

Associate head coach Bob Starkey is no stranger to coaching elite post players in the women's and men's game. Starkey, who has nearly 40 years of collegiate coaching experience, has developed 16 post players that have been drafted to the WNBA or NBA, including Sylvia Fowles, Theresa Plaisance and LaSondra Barrett on the women's side and Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts on the men's side.

Bradley, who has been named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year twice, averaged 27.0 points and 16.9 rebounds per game during her junior season, leading the Tigers (27-4) to the Division III Non-Select Tournament semifinals. She also averaged 3.4 blocks, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals. A three-time Class 2A First Team All-State selection and two-time LSWA Miss Basketball, Bradley concluded her junior year with 2,431 career points and 1,670 career rebounds in her prep basketball career.

Bradley has represented Team USA at the U16 and U17 levels. In 2025, she was named to the USA Women’s U16 National Team after trials in Colorado Springs and attended the Women’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Tampa. She helped the U16 team win gold at the FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup in Irapuato, Mexico, averaging 7.5 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds.

Bradley attended the 2026 Women’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Phoenix and was named to the USA Women’s U17 National Team after four days of trials in Colorado Springs. Bradley helped Team USA win its fourth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup in July. Bradley contributed six points, nine rebounds and one block.

Bradley also excelled in softball at Oak Grove High School, earning First-Team All-State honors as a utility player in 2026 after batting over .400. She helped lead her team to a state championship that May.

“When looking for a place to call home, I looked for a place that was built on traditions and culture and knew how to win,” Bradley said. “Coach Mulkey and her staff worked super hard to build a relationship with not only me but my family. They care about me, not only as an athlete but as a person. I know that I will be challenged and developed over the next four years and I’m super excited to be a part of a family that’s bigger than basketball.”

Bradley will join the LSU program for the 2027-28 season in her freshman year in Baton Rouge.

(Release via LSU Athletics)