By Sam Khan Jr., Manny Navarro, Antonio Morales and Grace Raynor<\/p>\n
Portal season is nearly here.<\/p>\n
If Santa failed to deliver the gift of postseason success to your favorite school, fear not, the chance for an improved 2026 roster is right around the corner, as college football\u2019s transfer portal officially opens on Friday.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at the top players on the move, the teams most impacted by portal departures so far and other things to watch as the big day approaches.<\/p>\n
A new window: \u2018It\u2019s going to be like NBA free agency\u2019<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve had trouble keeping track of all the changes to the college football calendar, you\u2019re not alone. Since the transfer portal introduced windows in 2022, they have changed every year.<\/p>\n
This year, there\u2019s only one transfer portal window, not two, and it\u2019s only 15 days<\/a>. It opens on Friday, Jan. 2 and closes on Friday, Jan. 16, and it applies to all FBS and FCS players, regardless of their classification or graduation status.<\/p>\n The only exception to the window will be for those players who play in the national championship game \u2014 they get a five-day window that begins on Jan. 20 \u2014 or any players at schools that make a coaching change after the window closes. Those players get a 15-day portal window that begins after their new coach is hired.<\/p>\n Players are free to take as long as they need to pick a destination as long as they enter their names within the window, though there will be a time crunch for players who want to enroll at their new school in time for the spring semester.<\/p>\n There is no spring transfer window, as there has been for the last three offseasons. Players can still transfer outside the portal windows as a normal student would, but aren\u2019t technically allowed to have recruiting contact with other schools unless they have entered their names into the portal.<\/p>\n That hasn\u2019t really slowed down the activity in December, though. As players declared their intent to enter the portal \u2014 either publicly or privately \u2014 and agents shopped their clients, plenty of action has occurred outside of official channels. The last few weeks have amounted to a built-in tampering period, and several general managers said they expect commitment announcements to come as early as Friday, in the hours after the portal opens.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it is already done,\u201d one Power 4 GM said recently. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be like NBA free agency, where on Day 1, you see a ton of commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas Tech\u2019s plans go beyond Sorsby<\/p>\n Last offseason, Texas Tech made the biggest splash in the portal, hauling in 21 transfers and spending more than $12 million \u2014 most of it on the offensive and defensive lines \u2014 to take what was a solid team and turn it into a national title contender. It paid off, as the Red Raiders won their first Big 12 championship and earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n This cycle, the Red Raiders won\u2019t be quite as active in terms of total transfers, but they\u2019ll be just as aggressive adding at positions of need.<\/p>\n Quarterback is at the top of that list. Incumbent starter Behren Morton will be out of eligibility after this season, and his heir apparent, Will Hammond, suffered an ACL injury in October that will keep him out of action for at least spring football.<\/p>\n The Red Raiders are believed to be targeting Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and as the portal window approaches, Texas Tech continues to trend as the favorite for Sorsby \u2014 the No. 1 player in The Athletic\u2019s transfer QB rankings<\/a> \u2014 should he choose to stay in school.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a slam dunk that Sorsby stays in college, though. He\u2019s mulling a potential jump to the NFL Draft if he gets a favorable draft grade. The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler said recently that if Sorsby believes he will go in the top 50 of the draft, there\u2019s a good chance he jumps. And Texas Tech is assessing its other transfer QB options in case that happens.<\/p>\n The next-highest priority is the defensive line, where the Red Raiders spent $7 million last year to add five impact players. Four of them \u2014 David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter and Skyler Gill-Howard \u2014 are seniors, and the one potential returnee, junior A.J. Holmes, was a second-team Associated Press All-American. The Red Raiders will look to add multiple edge rushers and interior defensive linemen this cycle.<\/p>\n Tech will also be in the market for a linebacker and possibly a receiver and tight end. The Red Raiders will likely sign a transfer class less than half as big as last year\u2019s, with seven to 10 signees, unless they have unexpected departures in the portal. However, expect them to continue to spend at the top of the market. \u2014 Khan<\/p>\n Latest on other top QBs<\/p>\n The quarterback musical chairs will move quickly for many of the top arms entering the portal. Who are the teams to watch for them?<\/p>\n North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker finally made his expected intention to enter the portal<\/a>\u00a0official on Monday, announcing his departure from Denton on social media. GMs who have spoken to\u00a0The Athletic about Mestemaker continue to believe he\u2019ll end up following his former coach, Eric Morris, to Oklahoma State, even though it\u2019s not a foregone conclusion. One GM said the only way he doesn\u2019t see Mestemaker ending up in Stillwater is if \u201canother school offers him the world,\u201d meaning a large, top-of-market offer that\u2019s difficult to match.<\/p>\n Indiana continues to trend as the team to watch in the race for TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. It makes sense, as Hoover shares some traits with current IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Both are accurate passers with real arm talent and are athletic enough to be effective scramblers, though it\u2019s not a primary feature of their games. And Mendoza and Hoover both operated in RPO-heavy schemes. Mendoza had the highest RPO rate in the FBS this season; Hoover was second, according to Sports Info Solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Penn State is still positioned as the favorite for Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, which would mean a reunion between Becht and coach Matt Campbell. The pair led the Cyclones to a 26-13 run over the last three seasons, including a school-record 11 wins in 2024.<\/p>\n Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt should have multiple options, with Miami, LSU and Oregon trending among them. Both the Hurricanes and Tigers will need a transfer quarterback in this cycle. Oregon\u2019s need depends on Dante Moore\u2019s NFL Draft decision. \u2014 Khan<\/p>\n QB dominoes to watch<\/p>\n Several high-profile quarterbacks have already announced their intention to hit the portal, and many schools\u2019 situations are far from settled.<\/p>\n Oregon: Redshirt sophomore Dante Moore could be a top-five draft pick if he decides to leave school. If he does go to the NFL, the Ducks would be a very, very popular transfer landing spot for the top QBs in the portal.<\/p>\n Ole Miss: Fifth-year senior Trinidad Chambliss is seeking a medical waiver that would grant him another year of eligibility. If the NCAA denies the waiver, the Rebels need to find a new starting quarterback. If it grants the waiver, Chambliss could start at Ole Miss next season \u2014 or he could enter the transfer portal and reunite with head coach Lane Kiffin at LSU. That ruling also impacts the future of the Rebels\u2019 Week 1 starter, Austin Simmons.<\/p>\n Auburn: True freshman Deuce Knight, who was a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, is on the roster, but will he want to wait another year for a starting opportunity if new coach Alex Golesh brings in Byrum Brown, his starter at USF?<\/p>\n USC: The Trojans have made it a major point of emphasis to announce every player who has re-signed with the program. Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava did so. One notable player who hasn\u2019t: backup Husan Longstreet, who also was a five-star prospect in the 2025 cycle. If Longstreet opts to enter the portal, that would add another intriguing, young player to the market.<\/p>\n Tennessee: Redshirt senior Joey Aguilar is seeking another year of eligibility due to the time he spent in junior college. If he receives it, he will likely be the Volunteers\u2019 starter in 2026. If he doesn\u2019t, Tennessee could become an attractive transfer destination if the Vols don\u2019t elect to give the keys to incoming five-star freshman Faizon Brandon right away. \u2014 Morales<\/p>\n Attrition watch<\/p>\n Which P4 programs have been hit the hardest by players leaving? There\u2019s a clear No. 1: Iowa State.<\/p>\n The Cyclones have had 16 starters announce their intention to depart when the portal opens, including quarterback Rocco Becht, linebacker Kooper Ebel and safety Jeremiah Cooper. Will they all be following coach Matt Campbell to Penn State? We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n Campbell\u2019s replacement, former Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers, had 16 players follow him from South Dakota State to Pullman last season. So far, the Cougars have had 14 players declare their intentions to enter the portal. It\u2019s unclear how many will follow Rogers to Ames to help fill the roster being cleared out.<\/p>\n Florida State, which decided to hold on to coach Mike Norvell after back-to-back losing seasons, leads the ACC in both players lost (25) and starters lost (eight) to the portal. The group includes three young defensive backs in cornerback Ja\u2019Bril Rawls and safeties Ashlynd Barker and Edwin Joseph; FSU fired defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain earlier this month. The losses are a bit disheartening for Seminoles fans, considering five of the starters leaving were homegrown recruits \u2014 an area in which FSU has struggled.<\/p>\n The SEC schools hit hardest by departures thus far are Auburn and Florida; each has seen more than 20 players exit after a coaching change this fall. The Tigers have lost seven starters, including cornerbacks Jay Crawford and Kayin Lee, as well as left tackle Xavier Chaplin. The Gators lost six starters, including safeties Sharif Denson and Jordan Castell and tight end Hayden Hansen.<\/p>\n Big Ten schools have largely gone unscathed except for Wisconsin and Michigan State, which have each seen four former starters exit. The Badgers, who retained head coach Luke Fickell, have lost freshman running back Dilin Jones and veteran linebackers Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis. The Spartans, who replaced coach Jonathan Smith with ex-Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, have lost their top receiver, leading rusher and starting tight end in addition to their quarterback. \u2014 Navarro<\/p>\n Other coaching carousel ripple effects<\/p>\n How these coaches in their new jobs will balance the transfer portal versus high school recruiting will be one of the most fascinating storylines to watch over the course of the next month-plus. We may already have some windows into their thinking.<\/p>\n Kiffin, the self-proclaimed \u201cPortal King,\u201d will almost certainly bring his tried and true method from Ole Miss with him to LSU. The Tigers have just 14 signees in their high school signing class at the moment (including major pickups in five-star in-state defensive linemen Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson), which leaves them plenty of room to portal shop come January. Notably, Kiffin doesn\u2019t have a quarterback in his high school class. It stands to reason that will be priority No. 1 in the portal when the Tigers inevitably take a big swing at a proven starter.<\/p>\n Over at Auburn, Golesh has 19 signees and one other commit in four-star wide receiver Brady Marchese. Golesh was able to pick up both Marchese and four-star offensive lineman Bear McWhorter from Michigan after both players were granted releases from their national letters of intent with Michigan following Sherrone Moore\u2019s firing. Golesh has put together a top 30 class as it stands now, but he\u2019ll need to do some work at receiver in the portal with star wideout Cam Coleman on the move<\/a>. The Tigers have only three wideouts in this class and no top-700 players at the position outside of Marchese.<\/p>\n Penn State, which signed just two players during the early signing period, has stayed busy, too, adding eight Class of 2026 commits. New coach Campbell is famous for developing under-the-radar high school prospects and will probably continue to prioritize high school players, but the Nittany Lions will have to go to the portal to continue to build out their roster. They have two quarterbacks committed but just one player each at receiver, defensive line and linebacker.<\/p>\n Iowa State, Campbell\u2019s former school, seems to be sticking to the Cyclones\u2019 traditional methods under Jimmy Rogers. Iowa State has picked up 10 high school commits in December, all three-stars. \u2014 Raynor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Sam Khan Jr., Manny Navarro, Antonio Morales and Grace Raynor Portal season is nearly here. 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