-
Max Olson
College football’s offseason transfer window opened one week ago, and coaches across the country have only 6,200 Division I players in the portal to choose from at the moment.
Portal season being compressed to a two-week period, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, this year has sped up an already dizzying process, with hundreds of players making decisions daily. A dozen FBS programs have already secured commitments from 20 or more players in the portal.
Who’s thriving amid the daily chaos of nonstop roster addition and subtraction? Midway through this portal window, here are 10 programs off to impressive starts in building up their rosters for 2026.
Indiana Hoosiers
Commits (12): QB Josh Hoover (TCU), RB Turbo Richard (Boston College), WR Nick Marsh (Michigan State), TE Brock Schott (Miami), DL Tobi Osunsanmi (Kansas State), DL Joshua Burnham (Notre Dame), DL Joe Hjelle (Tulsa), DL Chiddi Obiazor (Kansas State), DB Preston Zachman (Wisconsin), DB Jiquan Sanks (Cincinnati), P Billy Gowers (Hawaii), LS Drew Clausen (Iowa State)
Entering the first year of the Curt Cignetti era at Indiana, the portal class was powered by James Madison transfers. Last year, the Hoosiers won the battle for Fernando Mendoza and turned him into a Heisman Trophy winner while also adding 15 transfers who have earned starts during their undefeated season. The Hoosiers’ hit rate on evaluating and recruiting portal talent has been remarkable.
Can they keep it up for Year 3? The early results suggest Cignetti’s squad will have the goods to contend for another Big Ten title.
Hoover, a 31-game starter at TCU, is an overqualified successor to Mendoza with all the tools necessary to have a prolific year in Indiana’s system, especially if he can cut down his turnover total. Marsh, ESPN’s No. 3-ranked transfer receiver, made Indiana his first and only visit and was sold on the opportunity to put up big numbers with Hoover.
Osunsanmi, another top-50 transfer, looks poised for a breakout year in Bloomington after an injury-shortened junior season at K-State. The Hoosiers must replace senior running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black and secure a proven newcomer in Richard, who put up 962 total yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Sanks and Zachman, who will be a seventh-year senior, should be valuable pickups as experienced starting safeties.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Commits (14): QB Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), WR Donte Lee Jr. (Liberty), WR Kenny Johnson (Pitt), WR Jalen Jones (Alabama State), TE Jett Carpenter (Nevada), DL Mateen Ibirogba (Wake Forest), DL Trey White (San Diego State), DL Adam Trick (Miami (Ohio)), DL Julien Laventure (Akron), DL Bryce Butler (Washington), DL Jojo Johnson (Oregon State), DL Amarie Fleming (Allen), LB Austin Romaine (Kansas State), DB Davin Martin (UTSA)
Joey McGuire and general manager James Blanchard viewed their transfer portal additions and resulting Big 12 championship in 2025 as proof of concept. Now, they’re out to prove Texas Tech is no one-hit wonder.
Rocco Becht (Iowa State), QB Alex Manske (Iowa State), RB Carson Hansen (Iowa State), RB James Peoples (Ohio State), WR Brett Eskildsen (Iowa State), WR Chase Sowell (Iowa State), WR Karon Brookins (Iowa State), WR Zay Robinson (Iowa State), TE Benjamin Brahmer (Iowa State), TE Gabe Burkle (Iowa State), TE Cooper Alexander (Iowa State), OL Trevor Buhr (Iowa State), OL Will Tompkins (Iowa State), OL Kuol Kuol II (Iowa State), OL Vaea Ikakoula (Iowa State), DL Alijah Carnell (Iowa State), DL Alexander McPherson (Colorado), DL Armstrong Nnodim (Oklahoma State), DL Keanu Williams (UCLA), DL Dallas Vakalahi (Utah), DL Siale Taupaki (UCLA), LB Caleb Bacon (Iowa State), LB Cael Brezina (Iowa State), LB Kooper Ebel (Iowa State), DB Marcus Neal Jr. (Iowa State), DB Jamison Patton (Iowa State), DB Hunter Sowell (Iowa State), DB Omarion Davis (Boston College), Ibn McDaniels (Syracuse)
After spending a decade at his last school, new Penn State coach Matt Campbell is going through an offseason unlike any he has experienced. Whoever took this job would be playing from behind on Day 1, between having just two signees in the high school recruiting class and a roster of returning players who would need to be re-recruited to stay. For Campbell and his coaches, the short-term solution is importing a ton of talent from Iowa State.
The list of Cyclones joining them in Happy Valley includes 13 players who started games in 2025 and a trio who earned All-Big 12 honors in Hansen, Brahmer and Neal. There was no doubt that Becht, a 39-game starter, and many of Iowa State’s top juniors would look to finish their careers with Campbell. The new staff had to find defensive linemen elsewhere in the portal and have done a nice job addressing that need. Campbell is one of several coaches attempting to pull off an Indiana-style fast roster flip this offseason, with the help of veteran players he trusts to set the culture. The immediate success or struggles of these bold Year 1 experiments will be fascinating to follow.
Ole Miss Rebels
Commits (8): OL Carius Curne (LSU), DL Jonathan Maldonado (Nevada), DL Michai Boireau (Florida), DL Jehiem Oatis (Colorado), LB Keaton Thomas (Baylor), LB Chris Jones (Southern Miss), DB Jay Crawford (Auburn), DB Sharif Denson (Florida)
Pete Golding was always a talented recruiter for Ole Miss as defensive coordinator. Now, he’s really cooking as the new head coach. The Rebels needed to stock up on defense while still focusing on preparing for another College Football Playoff game, and he quickly took care of business with a rapid run of commitments. Crawford was a two-year starting corner at Auburn, Thomas was one of the top linebackers in the Big 12 at Baylor and Maldonado could be one of the biggest steals among pass rushers who hit the portal. Curne following Frank Wilson from LSU to Oxford was a nice win, as well.
More importantly, though, Ole Miss continues to stack wins in the fight to retain its roster for 2026, with All-America running back Kewan Lacy and eight more players who started games in 2025 publicly pledging they plan to return and keep playing for Golding. With the season over, the battle continues in trying to keep returning players out of the portal. The Rebels need to make some moves at QB, too, now that the NCAA has denied Trinidad Chambliss’ waiver seeking an additional year of eligibility.
Texas A&M Aggies
Commits (14): TE Richie Anderson (Fresno State), TE Houston Thomas (UTSA), OL Tyree Adams (LSU), OL Trovon Baugh (South Carolina), OL Coen Echols (LSU), OL Wilkin Formby (Alabama), DL Anto Saka (Northwestern), DL Ryan Henderson (San Diego State), DL Brandon Davis-Swain (Colorado), LB Ray Coney (Tulsa), DB Rickey Gibson III (Tennessee), DB Tawfiq Byard (Colorado), K David Olano (Illinois), LS Shea Freibaum (Oklahoma State)
This is what it looks like when a program is committed to keep competing. Mike Elko and his coaches were looking for experienced big men when the portal opened, and they have succeeded in winning quite a few battles for them.
The Aggies have added four SEC starting offensive linemen via the portal to reload up front. They signed Saka, who had only three sacks this season at Northwestern but was considered one of the most talented pass rushers in the portal by personnel sources, to help replace Cashius Howell. Gibson and Byard are experienced starters who’ll bolster the secondary, and Olano converted two game-winning field goals for the Illini this season.
If the Aggies win out for Cam Coleman, it would be one of the biggest recruiting victories of the Elko era and would raise expectations for a program that’s determined to finally win an SEC title and make a deep CFP run in 2026.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Commits (19): QB Cutter Boley (Kentucky), QB Mikey Keene (Michigan), RB David Avit (Villanova), RB Marquis Gillis (Delaware State), WR Omarion Miller (Colorado), WR Reed Harris (Boston College), WR Raiden Vines-Bright (Washington), TE Anthony Miller (Tulane), TE Kristian Ingram (Portland State), OL Tana Alo-Tupuola (Georgia Tech), LB Owen Long (Colorado State), LB Ramere Davis (Northern Arizona), LB Emar’rion Winston (Baylor), DB Ashton Stamps (LSU), DB Lyrik Rawls (Kansas), DB Caleb Chester (Texas), K Carson Smith (Austin Peay), P Nick McLarty (Ohio State), LS Grayson Curtis (New Mexico State)
Coach Kenny Dillingham would have loved another year with Sam Leavitt, Raleek Brown and Jordyn Tyson, but he had no doubt he could find high-caliber replacements who could keep the Sun Devils’ offense rolling in 2026.
The trio of wideouts the Sun Devils have brought together is impressive. Miller and Harris are two of the top wide receivers in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings, with Miller earning All-Big 12 honors this season at Colorado. Vines-Bright, a Tempe native, is coming off a productive freshman season at Washington. Boley has SEC starting experience and three more years of eligibility, and two top FCS transfers are coming in to help bolster the running back room. Stamps and Rawls were good pickups as well, as they bring valuable experience to the secondary.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Commits (33): QB Drew Mestemaker (North Texas), RB Caleb Hawkins (North Texas), RB Ayo Adeyi (James Madison), WR Wyatt Young (North Texas), WR Justin Bowick (Illinois), WR Miles Coleman (North Texas), WR Terrence Lewis (North Texas), WR Israel Polk (Akron), TE Donovan Green (LSU), TE Bodie Boydstun (Southwestern Oklahoma), OL Johnny Dickson III (North Texas), OL Joseph Hanson (Coastal Carolina), OL Desmond Magiya (North Texas), OL Tyler Mercer (Kansas), OL Braydon Nelson (North Texas), OL Jacob Sexton (Oklahoma), DL Keviyan Huddleston (North Texas), DL Jerry Lawson (Louisville), DL Fatafehi Vailea II (North Texas), DL Billy Walton III (SMU), DL Braylon Rigsby (Texas Tech), DL James Williams (Florida State), LB Tate Romney (Arizona State), LB Ethan Wesloski (North Texas), DB Quinton Hammonds (North Texas), DB Maurion Horn (Texas Tech), DB Evan Jackson (North Texas), DB Kollin Lewis (North Texas), DB Kanijal Thomas (Kansas State), K Sam Keltner (SMU), P Lachie Pozzobon (Stephen F. Austin), LS Nolan Akins (SMU), LS Caden Yates (North Texas)
Pretty long list, isn’t it? Eric Morris and his coaching staff had a lot of work to do as soon as they accepted the Oklahoma State job. The program currently has 63 scholarship players from its 2025 roster in the transfer portal. That’s an unprecedented amount of attrition in a single offseason (though several more FBS programs are about to surpass 50) that requires incredibly high-volume portal recruiting in a short period of time.
It’s no surprise, then, that Oklahoma State has loaded up with North Texas transfers who were eager to follow their coaches to the Big 12. The staff convinced Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young to turn down big-time offers from other programs and stick together for 2026 to help lead this rebuild. The Cowboys are off to a good start, too, in digging through the larger pool of available players and finding value and upside. This is a historic roster flip underway that should be fun to watch this fall.
Oklahoma Sooners
Commits (10): RB Lloyd Avant (Colorado State), WR Trell Harris (Virginia), WR Parker Livingstone (Texas), TE Rocky Beers (Colorado State), TE Hayden Hansen (Florida), OL E’Marion Harris (Arkansas), OL Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), DL Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA), LB Cole Sullivan (Michigan), CB Dakoda Fields (Oregon)
The Sooners had a few clear roster needs to address after the first College Football Playoff appearance of the Brent Venables era. They’ve already taken care of most of them. Trell Harris, an All-ACC wideout at Virginia who put up 847 receiving yards this season, was a strong acquisition and will help lead Oklahoma’s receiver room, and Livingstone shocked a lot of teammates and fans by moving to play for Texas’ rival.
Oklahoma needed quality additions at tight end and found great answers in Beers, an All-Mountain West performer this season, and Hansen. E’Marion Harris brings two years of SEC starting experience from Arkansas, primarily at right tackle, and Sullivan was a starter by the end of his sophomore season at Michigan.
Clemson Tigers
Commits (8): DL London Merritt (Colorado), DL Markus Strong (Oklahoma), DL Kourtney Kelly (West Georgia), LB Luke Ferrelli (Cal), DB Donovan Starr (Auburn), DB Elliot Washington II (Penn State), DB Jerome Carter (Old Dominion), DB Corey Myrick (Southern Miss)
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Dabo Swinney took a lot of grief over the years for his resistance to portal recruiting. The trio of transfers he brought in a year ago — Will Heldt, Tristan Smith and Jeremiah Alexander — all paid off and started games this season, with Heldt emerging as an All-ACC performer. Now, the Tigers are fully going for it this year, signing a strong group of defensive contributors to help get things fixed after a disappointing 7-6 season. Ferrelli was the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year at Cal this season as a redshirt freshman. Carter and Myrick were two of the top safeties in the Sun Belt, and Merritt and Starr are two promising freshmen who were ESPN 300 recruits a year ago. Clemson is off to a good start.
Cal Golden Bears
Commits (10): RB Adam Mohammed (Washington), RB Ashten Emory (UTEP), RB Carter Vargas (UC Davis), WR Ian Strong (Rutgers), WR Chase Hendricks (Ohio), TE Dorian Thomas (New Mexico), OL Jacob Arop (South Dakota), OL Mykeal Rabess (FIU), DL Solomon Williams (Texas A&M), DB Kingston Lopa (Oregon)
New Cal coach Tosh Lupoi says he has been logging around 3½ hours of sleep a night while preparing for Playoff games with Oregon and building his first staff and roster in Berkeley. The tireless efforts in portal recruiting are clearly paying off. The Bears needed to get star freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele re-signed for 2026 and then get him surrounded with a stronger supporting cast. The job’s not done, but Lupoi has certainly made progress.
The playmakers Cal has signed to support Sagapolutele were all highly productive this season. Mohammed produced 1,081 all-purpose yards and five TDs as a sophomore at Washington. Hendricks led the MAC in receiving with 1,037 yards, and Thomas led all Group of 5 tight ends in receptions (56) and receiving yards (560). Strong is a big 6-foot-3 target who had 762 yards as Rutgers’ No. 2 receiver. Williams and Lopa were priority targets on defense and important recruiting wins.
