Max OlsonFeb 17, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCovers the Big 12Joined ESPN in 2012Graduate of the University of NebraskaFollow on XMultiple Authors
Josh Hoover airs it out for 8-yard touchdown pass (0:25)Josh Hoover airs it out for 8-yard touchdown pass (0:25)
The 2025 season offered the ultimate proof that elite portal recruiting can put a program in national championship contention. Miami, Ole Miss and Oregon reached the College Football Playoff semifinals thanks in part to all their success recruiting top transfer talent. But they couldn’t stop an undefeated Indiana squad, one powered by a Heisman Trophy winner and 16 more starters brought in via the portal.
Now that the offseason transfer window has officially closed with more than 3,200 FBS scholarship players making moves in January, here’s a look at the key portal pickups to know for each Way-Too-Early Top 25 team.
The Aggies needed to replace star receiver KC Concepcion during this portal cycle and landed a big-time weapon in Horton to pair with Mario Craver. The 6-4, 208-pound wideout has caught 112 passes for 1,301 yards and 14 touchdowns over his time at Miami and Alabama and was ESPN’s No. 5-ranked transfer receiver. Horton will have an opportunity in College Station to prove he’s a true No. 1 option after ranking third on the Crimson Tide in targets in his lone season with Alabama.
The 5-11, 200-pound cover man broke out as one of the Big 12’s top defensive playmakers in 2024 with interceptions in four consecutive games for the Cyclones and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a redshirt sophomore. Williams’ junior year was cut short by a torn ACL five games into the season. When he’s back to 100%, he’ll be an impact defender for new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson and a Trojans secondary that must replace senior starter DeCarlos Nicholson.
Richardson made the move up from Division II Washburn to the SEC in 2025 and impressed right away as Diego Pavia’s leading receiver with 806 yards and seven TDs on 46 catches while also contributing 427 yards as a kickoff returner. He was the No. 4 wide receiver in ESPN’s transfer rankings and will have every opportunity to be new Cardinals QB Lincoln Kienholz’s go-to receiver in a passing attack that must replace the production of top wideouts Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy.
Hoover gives the Hoosiers an extremely qualified successor to Heisman winner and projected No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza. He’s a 31-game starter whose 9,629 career passing yards and 71 passing touchdowns rank first among all FBS passers who are officially returning in 2026. Hoover was previously committed to the Hoosiers as a high school recruit in 2021. Now he’s finally making the move to Bloomington to team up with receivers Charlie Becker and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh for another high-scoring passing attack. Hoover will have an opportunity to continue an incredible run of quarterback production under coach Curt Cignetti and his staff, with five of their QBs earning conference Offensive Player of the Year honors since 2019.
The Longhorns were not messing around in January when it came to pursuing the top playmakers in the transfer portal. They won a fierce recruiting battle against Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Alabama for Coleman, the No. 2 player in ESPN’s transfer rankings. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound junior caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 TDs over his two seasons at Auburn. Coleman has obvious first-round pick potential and is hoping to put together a big year in chasing a national title with coach Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning. The arrival of Coleman plus two of the best running backs in the portal in Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) raises already high expectations for Texas ahead of Manning’s second year as the starter.
Gray was one of the top young defensive linemen available in the portal after starting three games for the Ducks during his redshirt freshman season. The 6-6, 336-pound interior lineman recorded 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and a blocked field goal while primarily playing a rotational role (around 15-20 snaps per game) behind A’Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander. The Irish are hoping he’s ready to take the next big step in his career and play a major role for a defensive front that has added some big-time transfer talent with Gray, Francis Brewu (Pitt) and Keon Keeley (Alabama).
Williams could end up being one of the breakout stars of this portal cycle if he can put it all together in Athens. The No. 88 overall recruit in the 2024 ESPN 300 played just 310 snaps over his two seasons in a rotational role at Auburn and hasn’t been as productive as the other edge players available in the portal with 20 career tackles, 12 pressures, 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. But Williams has flashed the potential to become an explosive pass rusher while playing behind projected first-round pick Keldric Faulk. Now it’s time to prove he can become a reliable full-time starter and a difference-maker for the Bulldogs.
A big year at Oregon helped Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman solidify his status as a top-three safety in the upcoming draft. Perich is hoping for similar results as he joins the Ducks. He’s one of the more dynamic young defensive playmakers in the sport between his six interceptions over two seasons at Minnesota and his 1,119 career yards as a kickoff and punt returner. Perich was a first-team All-Big Ten performer as a true freshman in 2024 and should compete for All-America recognition as a junior.
Smith, the No. 3 defensive tackle in ESPN’s transfer rankings, joined the Crimson Tide as a top-25 recruit and moved into a starting role in 2025. The 6-3, 297-pound junior put together a good year with 28 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks on 398 snaps. Now he’s taking over for Kayden McDonald, the Big Ten’s Defensive Lineman of the Year, in a Buckeyes defense that has recruited four top-100 transfers in ESPN’s rankings with the duo of Smith and Alabama edge Qua Russaw plus safeties Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke).
The Red Raiders were determined to add the best available quarterback when the portal opened in January and succeeded in beating out Lane Kiffin and LSU for Sorsby, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked transfer QB. The second-team All-Big 12 performer finished with a top-10 QBR (81.4) last season while throwing for 2,800 yards, rushing for 580 and scoring 36 total TDs in his second year as the Bearcats’ starter. Sorsby considered going pro before opting to join the defending Big 12 champs to try to lead them on another run to the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes pulled off a stunner at the portal deadline by making Mensah an offer he couldn’t refuse to leave the defending ACC champs and lead a squad that just played for the CFP national title. Mensah lived up to the hype in his lone year with the Blue Devils, putting up an ACC-leading 3,973 passing yards and 34 passing TDs and earning second-team all-conference honors after transferring in from Tulane. Mensah is bringing Duke transfer wide receiver Cooper Barkate with him to Miami join a star-studded offense that returns receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr.
New coach Pete Golding and his staff had a ton of needs to address in the January portal window and capitalized on their CFP momentum to assemble another high-impact portal haul. Curne doesn’t have the résumé of some of Ole Miss’ top portal pickups but could end up being one of the top offensive linemen of the cycle if he can develop to his potential. The 6-5, 320-pound sophomore was the No. 133 overall recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300 and made four starts at left tackle and one start at right tackle during his true freshman season at LSU. It will be interesting see whether the Rebels prefer to play him at tackle or guard in his second year, but he should be a big man they’re depending on this fall. Golding also did an impressive job of reloading on defense with numerous potential new starters joining the Rebels this winter, led by linebackers Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli and defensive backs Jay Crawford, Edwin Joseph and Joenel Aguero.
The quest for Leavitt was an absolute must-win recruiting battle against Miami and Tennessee for Lane Kiffin and an LSU squad hunting for an elite QB1 for 2026. Leavitt, the No. 3 overall player in ESPN’s transfer rankings, was a top-10 passer in QBR in 2024, putting up 3,328 total yards and 29 TDs while leading Arizona State to a Big 12 title and a CFP berth as a redshirt freshman. The Big 12’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year was limited to seven games in 2025 because of a foot injury and is ready for a big comeback year with the reloaded Tigers in the SEC. LSU signed eight of the top 100 players in ESPN’s transfer rankings with No. 1 tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado) and No. 1 edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss) also joining Leavitt in Baton Rouge.
The Hawkeyes landed an FCS All-American to power their run game in 2026. Phillips put together a monster year at South Dakota with 1,920 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per carry, 195 receiving yards on 28 catches and 20 total touchdowns. The 5-9, 225-pound back rushed for 301 yards in his first start of the season and had eight more 100-yard performances on the year. He’s joining Iowa with two more years of eligibility and will team up with Kamari Moulton, Xavier Williams and Nathan McNeil to give the Hawkeyes an excellent run game to build their offense around.
The Mustangs needed to replace their top two running backs entering 2026 and found a quality veteran back. Raphael is coming off a career-best year at Cal with 943 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns, which earned him honorable mention All-ACC recognition, and previously rushed for 734 yards over two seasons at NC State. Rhett Lashlee and his staff have done a nice job of stocking up on new playmakers for third-year starting QB Kevin Jennings with Raphael, receivers Yannick Smith (ECU) and Jalen Hale (Alabama) and tight ends Randy Pittman Jr. (Florida State) and Theo Melin Öhrström (Texas A&M) all coming in this offseason.
