NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n College sports are completely different now than it was when Shaquille O\u2019Neal spent his days dunking basketballs for the LSU Tigers<\/a> before he entered the NBA.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neal played three seasons at LSU before he chose to go pro. He was later selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic<\/a> in the 1992 draft.<\/p>\n ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Florida Gators forward Me’arah O’Neal walks on the court against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 4, 2026.<\/span> (Matt Pendleton\/Imagn Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n With the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and the increased usage of the transfer portal, there is hardly an athlete nowadays who doesn\u2019t at least think about changing up schools. O\u2019Neal\u2019s daughter became the latest college athlete to switch schools on Monday.<\/p>\n Me\u2019Arah O\u2019Neal announced she will transfer to the Kentucky Wildcats<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful\u2014I know that very well. (Psalms 139:14),” she wrote on Instagram announcing her commitment.<\/p>\n Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper attempts a shot while guarded by Florida forward Me’Arah O’Neal in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 1, 2026.<\/span> (Saul Young\/News Sentinel\/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n O\u2019Neal played two seasons with the Gators, increasing her playing time in 2025-26. She averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Florida finished 18-15 on the year but failed to make the NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they made the Elite Eight. Kentucky finished 25-11 and defeated the James Madison Dukes and West Virginia Mountaineers before falling to the Texas Longhorns.<\/p>\n Shaquille O\u2019Neal previously praised his daughter as being the standout basketball player in his family.<\/p>\n Shaquille O’Neal honors the flag during the women\u2019s basketball game at the Steven C. O’Connell Center Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 29, 2026. His daughter, Florida forward Me’arah O’Neal, is on the team.<\/span> (Alan Youngblood\/Gainesville Sun)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “My baby is the best athlete in the family because she can do it all,” he said, via ESPN<\/a>. “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.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/florida-gators-mearah-oneal-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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