The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Katrina McClain Award Thursday, and Tennessee’s Fatmata “Fats” Janneh is on that list.
The Katrina McClain Award, now in its 10th year, recognizes the top power forward in NCAA Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the two-time All-American, 1987 National Player of the Year and Class of 2012 Hall of Famer.
A 6-foot-2 native of London, England, Janneh is one of six SEC players listed as candidates for the award, which honors the best power forwards in women’s college basketball and highlights the elite talent in the sport. Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2026-27 season. Janneh joins teammate Kaylene Smikle, a 6-foot fifth-year guard, who was announced as a member of the 20-player preseason watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award on Wednesday. That story is available here.
Janneh transferred to UT after playing last season at Texas A&M. She finished second for the Aggies in scoring (11.4 ppg.) and first in rebounding (9.7 rpg.) in 2025-26. Her rebounding average ranked fifth among SEC players and 37th nationally, and her 7.04 defensive boards per game were second in the SEC. She scored in double figures 18 times for A&M, had 10 or more rebounds on 16 occasions and tallied 12 double-doubles, including eight in SEC play.
The No. 46 ranked player in the USA TODAY Sports portal rankings, Janneh also averaged 1.4 steals and 1.1 assists and shot 43 percent from the field, 33 percent on threes (29-88) and 83.8 percent on free throws. She put up 12.7 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. in SEC play, while posting shooting percentages of 45.2, 40.0 and 78.0.
During her collegiate career, which began with two seasons at St. Peter’s, Janneh has appeared in 85 games, starting 83 of them. She averaged 13.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest over that span and shot 41 percent from the field, 30 percent on threes (91-305) and 74 percent on free throws.
Janneh has scored in double figures 61 times and had 10+ rebounds on 45 occasions over her first three college seasons, including 16 outings where she scored 20 points or more and two with 20+ rebounds. She tallied 39 combined double-doubles during her time at SPU and A&M.
Before making the move to Texas A&M, Janneh earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference First Team Honors in 2024-25 and MAAC All-Rookie team accolades in 2023-24. As a sophomore, she averaged 18.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest, paced NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds (282) in 2024-25 and scored in double figures on 26 occasions with 19 double-doubles. As a freshman, she produced 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per outing, scoring in double figures 17 times with eight double-doubles in 2023-24.
On Tuesday night, Janneh led all rebounders with 13, as the Lady Vols raced past Florida A&M, 132-63, in an exhibition game at Food City Center. She and her teammates open the regular season at home on Monday night, as Duquesne comes to Knoxville for a 6:30 p.m. contest. The match-up will be available for streaming on SECN+.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, Oct.30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where winners will be selected. The selection committee for the Katrina McClain Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2027 McClain Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
For more information on the 2027 Katrina McClain Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #McClainAward on X and Instagram.
KATRINA McCLAIN AWARD CANDIDATES
Grace Oliver, Boston College
Toby Fournier, Duke
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield
Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga
Cearah Parchment, Illinois
McKenna Woliczko, Iowa
Jaliya Davis, Kansas
Me’Arah O’Neal, Kentucky
Carys Baker, Louisville
ZaKiyah Johnson, LSU
Nunu Agara, Maryland
Madison Francis, Mississippi State
Khamil Pierre, NC State
Sa’Mya Smith, Oklahoma
Sophie Glancey, Santa Clara
Chloe Kitts, South Carolina
Lara Somfai, TCU
Fatmata Janneh, Tennessee
Sarah Strong, UConn
Skylar Forbes, West Virginia
