The transfer portal has transformed college football.
Teams are able to improve with just a few signings. Players have more freedom to find the best opportunities, and everyone has a capable quarterback now.
Who are the best players at their new schools? Here are the 25 most important transfers – other than the quarterbacks, who get their own special mention.
26: Winningest Programs Yet To Make the CFP
25: ACC Key Questions
24: Big 12 Key Questions
23: Big Ten Key Questions
22: Top 2027 NFL Draft Prospects
21: SEC Key Questions
20: What’s Next in Realignment?
19. Ranking all 30 New Head Coaches
18. Who Has the Easiest Schedules?
17. Who Has the Hardest Schedules?
16. Who Might Be the Next Indiana?
15. Group of Six Teams with Best CFP Shot
14. 5 Teams Due For a Letdown
13. 5 Programs Under the Most Pressure
12. 26 Bold Predictions
11. 5 Teams We’re Disrespecting
10. 5 Hottest Head Coaching Prospects
9. Biggest Games of the Season
8. Coaches On Hot Seat
7. Teams About to Surprise
6. 10 New Superstars
5. Top Quarterback Battles
We could’ve done an entire list just on the quarterbacks, so let’s start this off by lumping them all into one quick-hit list.
The ten best quarterback transfers: 1) Darian Mensah, Miami (Duke); 2) Josh Hoover, Indiana (TCU); 3) Sam Leavitt, LSU (Arizona State); 4) Dylan Raiola, Oregon (Nebraska); 5) Byrum Brown, Auburn (USF); 6) Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (North Texas); 7) Rocco Becht, Penn State (Iowa State); 8) DJ Lagway, Baylor (Florida); 9) Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech (Indiana); 10) Colton Joseph, Wisconsin (Old Dominion)
The 25 best non-quarterback transfers are …
Former School: Auburn
The massive 6-8, 354-pound tackle started at Virginia Tech, left for Auburn, and now he’ll be the starting left tackle for the Seminoles.
– Florida State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Wake Forest
Part of the all new Red Raider defensive front, the 6-4, 300-pound former Demon Deacon has the quickness to be a terror of an interior pass rusher.
– Texas Tech 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Boston College
The new No. 1 target for the Sun Devils averaged over 20 yards per catch in his three years at Boston College.
– Arizona State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: North Texas
A dominant force in his freshman season at North Texas, he cranked out an American Conference-high 1,434 yards with 25 touchdowns and caught 32 passes with four scores.
– Oklahoma State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Wisconsin
The all-around playmaker on the weakside made 119 tackles with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss over the last two seasons for the Badgers.
– Ohio State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Oregon
While not quite the dangerous inside prospect that fellow new tackle Francis Brewu (Pitt) is, the 6-5, 330-pounder has NFL run-stopping upside. He made 18 tackles last year for Oregon.
– Notre Dame 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Washington
A good big back for Washington over the last two seasons – averaging close to five yards per carry, and running for 523 yards and five scores last year – he’s about to be a workhorse for Cal to take the heat off QB Jeron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
– Cal 2026 Team Preview
Former School: NC State
How do you replace wide receiver superstars like Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane? You go get a 6-2, 200-pound outside target coming off a big season averaging over 16 yards per catch. He’ll blow up in the Trojan attack.
– USC 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Alabama
One of the new stars for the Buckeye defensive interior – along with UCF’s John Walker on the nose – made 48 tackles and ten tackles for loss over the last two years for part of the Crimson Tide rotation.
– Ohio State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: NC State
A next-level offensive tackle prospect who started growing into an all-star for NC State, he’s a fantastic signing for South Carolina. One problem – he hurt his knee playing basketball this offseason. He’d be way higher, but he’ll likely miss at least the season opener.
– South Carolina 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Michigan
A big recruit for Alabama, he was fine, but last year he took off for Michigan, where he averaged over seven yards per carry with ten scores. He should be a statistical superstar.
– Georgia Tech 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Tennessee
Somewhat quietly on a national scale, Kentucky had a wonderful run in the transfer portal under new head coach Will Stein. The 6-6, 325-pounder from Tennessee will take over the last tackle gig.
– Kentucky 2026 Team Preview
Former School: NC State
The woeful Texas running game has the backs to do more. Raleek Brown from USC is a good one, but Smothers should be the star. The former NC State back had over 1,900 yards from scrimmage with 15 touchdowns as a big-play star over the last two years.
– Texas 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Pitt
A 6-1, 285-pound ultra-quick interior presence, he’s a key part of the improved Fighting Irish defensive front after making 51 tackles with 2.5 sacks and ten tackles for loss at Pitt.
– Notre Dame 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Auburn
Consistently great over his two years at Georgia Tech and one at Auburn, he might not be a deep threat, but he’s an ultra-quick inside target with 162 catches for just over 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns so far.
– Florida 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Duke
There’s no replacing Caleb Downs, but Moore is Duke-smart, a great open-field tackler, and he’s coming off his best season of his three with four picks and 71 tackles last year for the ACC champion.
– Ohio State 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Ole Miss
A big get for Nebraska, he was just okay in his two years. He moved over to Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin, and … boom. 44 tackles, nine sacks. Not only is LSU getting a great pass rusher, but it’s taking him away from the Rebels.
– LSU 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Cal
Uluave didn’t make every tackle for Cal over the last three years, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Now he brings his 237-tackle, six-sack, 21.5-tackle-for-loss resume over to BYU.
– Cal 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Colorado
A 6-5, 307-pound superstar of superstar tackle recruit for Colorado, he’s got the size, NFL upside, talent, and experience to be special on the left side for LSU. He was good for an awful Buffalo line, but watch him shine for the Tigers.
– LSU 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Boise State
One of the best players outside of the power programs over the last three years, he’s a brilliant tackling safety with 235 stops, five picks, 12 broken-up passes and 18 tackles for loss with the Broncos.
– LSU 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Missouri
He started at Georgia, moved to Missouri, and after three years in college football and coming off a nine-sack season for the Tigers, he’ll bust out and be special as Miami’s new star pass rusher.
– Miami 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Michigan State
As a huge fan of former Hoosier receiver Elijah Surratt, and considering Omar Cooper was a first-round pick (early struggles with the Jets aside), for whatever this is worth, Marsh is better than those two were. The slippery-explosive playmaker caught 100 passes in his two years at Michigan State, and now … look out.
– Indiana 2026 Team Preview
Former School: San Diego State
All the 6-2, 250-pounder did was generate 19.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss over the last two years for the Aztecs. Now watch what happens when defenses have to deal with all the other stars on the Red Raider defensive front – including Adam Trick from Miami University on the other side.
– Texas Tech 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Minnesota
Elite as a safety, elite as a kick returner, and elite as a punt returner, he’s an elite talent at everything he does. No safety in America has the same all-around combination of ball-hawking ability and toughness against the run – you know, sort of what safeties are supposed to do.
– Oregon 2026 Team Preview
Former School: Auburn
Texas certainly gave Arch Manning a slew of good wide receivers to work with, and he spread the ball around last year. Now he has a true No. 1 who needs the ball in his hands as much as possible. Coleman is a possible top-ten all-around draft pick next year, with great size, good speed, and now he’s about to explode.
– Texas 2026 Team Preview
Leave a Comment