Yesterday, we evaluated the biggest portal addition for each Big Ten team east of Indiana. Today, we take a look at the 10 programs on the west side of the conference, dissecting if their major portal addition will make a significant impact for their 2026 season.
Illinois: QB Katin Houser (East Carolina)
With starting quarterback Luke Altmyer out of college eligibility, plus losing two backup quarterbacks to the portal, the Fighting Illini grabbed an immediate plug-and-play starter in East Carolina
quarterback Katin Houser. He is already familiar with playing in the Big Ten, as he began his career at Michigan State. He really blossomed in 2025 for the Pirates, throwing for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Northwestern: QB Aidan Chiles (Michigan State)
Talk about falling upwards. After finishing above .500 last season, Northwestern made a big upgrade at quarterback in former Michigan State Spartan Aidan Chiles.
Chiles has had a shaky college career, thriving at Oregon State before struggling at Michigan State and eventually losing the starting job at the end of 2025. Nonetheless, the talent is definitely there for him, who has 4,116 career passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. What will be big for Chiles’ development is the addition of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel.
Wisconsin: QB Colton Joseph (Old Dominion)
The Badgers tried to go through the portal last season to find their starter with Billy Edwards Jr., and they went back to the portal to bring in Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph. He had a huge 2025 season where he threw for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns. Wisconsin is hoping he can bring the program back to a place where it has not been for years.
Iowa: DB Tyler Brown (James Madison)
The Hawkeyes made some big moves in the portal, but knowing the history of Iowa defensive backs, James Madison transfer Tyler Brown could be the next star. He finished last season with 80 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and six pass deflections with James Madison. He posted a PFF coverage grade of 80.1 and had an elite tackling grade of 86.6. Brown’s biggest plus is he is versatile in the secondary, bringing a badly-needed element to Phil Parker’s defense.
Minnesota: DL Xion Chapman (FIU)
The Gophers heavily prioritized building the trenches this offseason to compete with the top dogs in the conference. The biggest get was Florida International defensive tackle Xion Chapman, who has been a fast riser in college. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder started at the DII level and moved up to DI last year, where he looked the part with 23 pressures and two sacks.
Nebraska: QB Anthony Colandrea (UNLV)
After a bit of quarterback controversy this offseason, the Cornhuskers were able to land former UNLV starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Winning the job over former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji, Colandrea had 3,459 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in his first year with the Rebels, along with 649 rushing yards. Nebraska has a tough schedule in 2026, so it will need the 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year to step up.
UCLA: RB Wayne Knight (JMU)
Not only did UCLA hire former James Madison head coach Bob Chesney, but he brought in 44 transfers during the offseason, including many of the stars that made up the Dukes’ historic season in 2025.
No one has the potential to be more impactful than running back Wayne Knight. The 5-foot-6, 189-pounder led the Sun Belt in 2025 with 1,357 rushing yards. He also had 40 catches for 397 yards, and averaged 22.3 yards on kickoff returns and 9.5 yards on punt returns. He set a school record with 2,039 all-purpose yards, and he was a second team All-American.
USC: DB Jontez Williams (Iowa State)
One of the biggest additions the Trojans made this offseason was bringing in Iowa State standout cornerback Jontez Williams. He is coming off an ACL injury that sidelined him from October through the end of the season, but in 2024, he had 46 total tackles, five passes defended and four interceptions. According to PFF, he earned an 83.5 overall defensive grade, 84.5 coverage grade and a 87.1 tackling grade in 2025 before the injury.
Oregon: DB Koi Perich (Minnesota)
After striking gold last offseason with Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman, Dan Lanning followed the same blueprint this year, grabbing standout safety Koi Perich from Minnesota.
While many are also excited about Dylan Raiola, his impact will wait until 2027. Perich, however, will make an immediate impact. The No. 1 safety in the portal compiled 128 tackles, six interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack in his career with the Golden Gophers, with 82 of those tackles coming this past season. He has superb cover skills and possesses strong speed. Look for his name to pop up in NFL Draft circles next year.
Washington: DB Emmanuel Karnley (Virginia)
Washington also bolstered its secondary with Emmanuel Karnley. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder played in all 14 games (10 starts) for the Cavaliers in 2025, putting together 26 tackles, eight pass breakups and an interception. With former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters making the move to Seattle to become the defensive coordinator, he should benefit from the addition of an immediate starting cornerback to a team that struggled to defend the pass last season.
