FIBA U19 World Cup Gold Medalist Jersey Wolfenbarger joined the LSU Tigers for the 2024-25 season under coach Kim Mulkey. Starting for the first time against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in her 11th game for the Tigers, the forward proved her worth.

Jersey recorded a game and career-high of 18 points and 15 rebounds, with her first double-double of the season, leaving their rivals, Arkansas, to feel the sting of her departure. The game might as well have defined Jersey Wolfenbarger and here’s everything you need to know about the 6-5 forward.

A good start for Jersey Wolfenbarger

Jersey was born to two former athletes and grew up in the Fort Smith city of Arkansas. Thanks to that, the two played a key role in shaping her career, offering not just support but also a blueprint for success. She tried a little bit of everything from Track to Volleyball, and Ballet before eventually ending up loving basketball.

Jersey attended Fort Smith Northside High School, where her goal was to win the state championship “We want to win more than one” her coach Ricky Smith mentioned. In her Junior season, the forward averaged 18.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. In 2019, she guided her team to victory by hitting a buzzer-beater in the state championship. She did it again in 2020 — her final season in high school — when the team went 26-2, and she averaged 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 blocks, as they won the state championship for a second consecutive time.

“At the end of the day, I have always centered my goals around team success!” she had said of her feats. Months in, ESPN HoopGurlz 2021, ranked her 7th top recruit the No.1 wing player. Picking Arkansas Razorbacks, she left behind some advice. “The work you did in high school got you here but this is a new journey. You will need to find new ways to train, rest, and recover in order to continue to get better!” she said. But what came next, wasn’t as desirable.

The forward faces a setback

After playing 30 games, starting 23 of them, and averaging 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, with the Razorbacks, Wolfenbarger earned a spit on SEC’s All-Freshman Team. Jersey hit a career-high 16 points twice that season — once in a game against Sam Houston and again in a matchup with Central Arkansas. But that was most of the glory there.

In her Sophomore Year (2022-23), the forward appeared in 35 games, out of which she started in only three, averaging  3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Wolfenbarger would soon decide the program was not the right fit for her and consider transfer. But Coach Mike Neighbors assured there were no hard feelings.

“Jersey is good. It was very amicable. She’s going to be a great player for somebody someplace. It just didn’t work out here,” he had said in November 2023. A few months later, she entered the tranfer portal.

Wolfenbarger confident in her new home

The five-star recruit planned to enter the transfer portal once it opened up in March, and Kim Mulkey did not seem to have second thoughts about signing her. “Having recruited Jersey out of high school, I am very familiar with the skillset she brings to Baton Rouge,” the HC said. “She will bring size to our frontcourt combined with the ability to stretch the floor with her perimeter game. I can’t wait to get Jersey to Baton Rouge and get to work!”

Jersey comes to LSU with two years of eligibility. “Coach Mulkey and her staff offered me a second chance to turn my dreams into reality,” Wolfenbarger said. “That’s an opportunity you can’t say no to.” In her time with Arkansas, she spent most of her two seasons with the Razorbacks in the playing rotation, but she struggled to settle into a consistent role on the team.

Jersey Wolfenbarger’s move to LSU is a fresh start and a big opportunity to unlock her full potential under Coach Kim Mulkey. She averaged 6.8 points in the first twelve games, shooting career-high 63.6% from the field. Quite a bit of potential to unlock.