Oh man, my heart is still killing me after last season’s CFP semifinals loss. I mean, we came so close. Almost got it done. But that Indiana team was just better. Better quarterback, better offense, more overall talent. You could see it all coming.
And now we’re in a new year, and the transfer portal is open again. So many teams trying to reload with veteran players from other programs. Some are doing it smartly, while others… well, let’s just say they’re still learning how this thing works.
I’m gonna rank my top 20 favorite transfer classes of 2026, but before I get there, a little context: This era of college sports can be brutal. The constant need for big checkbooks and payrolls is driving donor fatigue. It feels like nobody knows who’s on their team half the time. But you know what? There are still ways to build a great roster now.
And when it comes to the transfer portal, success is both art and science. You’ve got to have some feel for which players will thrive in your system and mesh with your culture. It’s like throwing a big wrestling match together – you want to bring in stars who will make sparks fly, but also guys who fit your style.
So let’s dive into the top 20:
1. Oklahoma State: Eric Morris made his first year as head coach count by bringing over almost an entire offense from North Texas. The Pokes now have the number one offense from last season grafted onto their roster. If they can make it work, they’re sleeper Big 12 contenders.
2. Indiana: Curt Cignetti’s tidiness is impressive – he locked down productive veterans for his latest succession plan before even finishing last year’s national title run. Hoover at QB, Richard at RB, veteran transfers at receiver and secondary… this should be a top-five team again.
3. Colorado: Deion Sanders needed to bring in talent after losing 18 defenders, but this class is actually planned out. He targeted players who produced over 3600 receiving yards, 1100 rushing yards, almost 1000 tackles, and more than 100 TFLs.
4-6. Texas Tech, LSU, Miami: These classes are full of good, expensive players. I mean, Texas Tech grabbed a highly sought-after QB in Brendan Sorsby. LSU signed star transfers like Jordan Seaton, Jayce Brown, and Ty Benefield. And Miami added Darian Mensah, Cooper Barkate, and Omar Thornton.
7. UCLA: Bob Chesney brought over high-upside players from James Madison – Wayne Knight at RB, Sahir West at DE, DJ Barksdale in the secondary. Plus some blue-chip recruits to develop.
8. Kansas State: Collin Klein’s first transfer class is strong on defense with Gideon Lampron, Wendell Gregory, and Elijah Hill all coming over from other FBS programs.
9. West Virginia: Rich Rodriguez signed 11 transfers who started games last season, including quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., RB Cam Cook, and defensive linemen Harper Holloman and Zeke Durham-Campbell.
10. Florida Atlantic: Zach Kittley went deep to grab Division II star Kenyon Garner, LB Nate Fischer, and CB Ahlston Ware to upgrade his defense.
11. Houston: Willie Fritz got three excellent O-linemen in Shadre Hurst, Anthony Boswell, and Drew Terrill. He also signed defensive linemen De’Marion Thomas and Ashton Porter, RB Makhi Hughes, and WR Trent Walker.
12. Washington State: Kirby Moore’s class is filled with FBS starts – 44 from six players, plus smaller-school stars and linemen weighing in at over 309 pounds.
13. Kentucky: Will Stein focused on upgrading the O-line with tackles Lance Heard and Tegra Tshabola, as well as center Coleton Price and guards Mark Robinson and Max Anderson.
14. California: Tosh Lupoi brought in WR Chase Hendricks, Ian Strong, and Solomon Williams to support Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
15. Texas: Steve Sarkisian added RB Raleek Brown, WR Cam Coleman, and LB Rasheem Biles to surround Arch Manning with talent.
16. Virginia: Tony Elliott reversed his program’s fortunes in 2025 and brought in Beau Pribula at QB, Zion Wilson at DT, and Solomon Beebe at RB this year.
17. Virginia Tech: James Franklin grabbed young blue-chippers like Ethan Grunkemeyer, Que’Sean Brown, and Jaquez White to upgrade talent level and pass-catching.
18. Auburn: Alex Golesh brought over several South Florida players, including QB Byrum Brown, WR Keshaun Singleton, DT Cody Sigler, and S Fred Gaskin.
19. Tulsa: Tre Lamb signed 11 FBS starters, including RB Trequan Jones, C Malachi Preciado, and CB Rylan Leathers.
20. Iowa: Kirk Ferentz leaned into the FCS to find players like Lendon Phillips Jr., Kahmari Brown, and Anthony Hawkins.
Honorable mentions go out to Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Kennesaw State, North Carolina, Toledo, and UNLV for their respective transfer hauls.
This is a lot of roster shuffling going on. Some teams are handling it better than others. And hey, even with all the uncertainty, I’m still excited to see how these classes develop come fall. The sport is always evolving, and that’s part of what makes it so fascinating.
I just hope Oklahoma State can make their new North Texas offense work. That would be a thing of beauty to watch.