The deadline for college football players to enter the transfer portal is just one day away. While players can and will still commit to new schools following that deadline, coaches only have to worry about player retention through Friday.
With that in mind, we took a stab at identifying some early winners and losers of the 2026 transfer portal. Keep in mind there is still quite a bit of dust left to settle.
Winners
Indiana Hoosiers
The wins just keep coming for Curt Cignetti and company. The Hoosiers seem intent on continuing
their strategy of ignoring high school recruiting while building each year via the portal. With Heisman-winner Fernando Mendoza out of eligibility, Cignetti has a commitment from TCU’s Josh Hoover to take over the offense. To complement him, Indiana snagged wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State) and running back Turbo Richard (Boston College), among others.
With a top-10 haul in the portal as of this writing, the Hoosiers should be nationally relevant again next season.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Like the Hoosiers above, Texas Tech seems to be totally fine with rebuilding exclusively through the portal each year. This portal season they spent big money to reel in quarterback Brendan Sorsby from Cincinnati, who is widely considered one of the top quarterbacks in the portal this winter.
The Red Raiders also splurged on quite a bit of defensive talent such as linebacker Austin Romaine (Kansas State), defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba (Wake Forest), and edge rusher Adam Trick (Miami Ohio). They, too, have a top-10 portal class and should be near the top of the preseason Big 12 rankings.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies made a splash hire by bringing in former Penn State head coach James Franklin to run the show. Unsurprisingly, he was able to bring a hoard of former Nittany Lions with him. As of this writing, 10 former Penn State players have committed to Virginia Tech, with more expected on the way.
While the Hokies lost 19 players to the portal, this was to be expected during their coaching change. The talent Franklin has brought in far exceeds the talent lost to the portal. Key newcomers include tight end Luke Reynolds (Penn State), cornerback Jaquez White (Troy), and edge rusher Javion Hilson (Missouri). 247Sports has them in the top-20 of the portal rankings.
Ole Miss Rebels
Unlike those above them on this list, the inclusion of Ole Miss can be attributed to its retention efforts more so than who is being brought in. Following the much ballyhooed departure of head coach Lane Kiffin, many expected a mass exodus of Rebels to Baton Rouge. But that hasn’t happened, at least not yet. Only 14 Ole Miss players have entered the portal as of now, with just one committed to LSU (wideout Winston Watkins Jr.). While the losses of offensive lineman Devin Harper and quarterback Austin Simmons (Missouri) hurt, it could have been much, much worse for Ole Miss.
Losers
Iowa State Cyclones
The primary victim of the Franklin move was the Iowa State roster. Former ISU head coach Matt Campbell understandably jumped at the opportunity to take over a storied program like Penn State. Sadly for ISU, Campbell took 22 (!) of his former players with him to Happy Valley. In total, a whopping 55 players have left , including quarterback Rocco Becht (Penn State), tight end Benjamin Brahmer (Penn State), cornerback Jontez Williams (USC) and offensive lineman Brendan Black (Nebraska). New head coach Jimmy Rogers will be starting from square one.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Fans are starting to press the panic button in Tuscaloosa following another disappointing season under Kalen DeBoer. While the Crimson Tide haven’t lost a ton in the portal, they did lose a few notable names in offensive lineman Wilkin Formby (Texas A&M), linebacker Qua Russaw (Ohio State) and edge rusher Keon Keeley (Notre Dame).
However, the larger issue is who they have (or haven’t) been able to bring in. As of now, the Tide are touting former Michigan reserve offensive linemen Ty Haywood and Kaden Strayhorn as two of their key transfers. Make no mistake, they were highly-regarded prospects coming out of high school, but many Alabama insiders seem to be indicating both will be thrust into starting roles in 2026, which is alarming at a school like Alabama.
Washington Huskies
The Demond Williams saga alone warrants Washington’s inclusion on this list. The Huskies will now be playing their 2026 season behind a quarterback who clearly doesn’t want to be there no matter how it gets spun. Additionally, Washington is losing wide receiver Kevin Green Jr. and running back Adam Mohammed (Cal) while bringing in predominantly depth pieces. I would not be surprised to see Washington take a step back next season.
Auburn Tigers
Auburn may have lost the highest sheer quantity of talent to the portal this offseason. Cam Coleman has been widely regarded as the best receiver in the portal and recently committed to Texas. On top of that, Auburn lost quarterback Deuce Knight (Ole Miss), a pair of wideouts in Eric Singleton Jr. (Florida) and Malcolm Simmons (Texas Tech), linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. (Missouri), offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin (Florida State), and cornerback Jay Crawford (Ole Miss), among others. That’s a ton of talent that will be difficult to replace.
