Transfer portal winners and losers

A chaotic transfer portal period has finally come to a close, with a seemingly endless stream of players leaving one program to join another.

The elimination of the spring portal session placed added emphasis on the January window, and the hiring of more than 30 new head coaches in FBS caused more player movement than usual.

Now that the dust has settled, some winners and losers have emerged. Here's our list.

Winner: Arch Manning

Oh, you thought last year's preseason hype surrounding Arch Manning was over the top? The buildup to the blockbuster 2026 campaign is going to make that look like an underground indie film. Steve Sarkisian hit the portal hard to address the three major issues that plagued the Longhorns' offense last year:

• Offensive line couldn't protect
• Dismal production from running backs
• Lack of touchdowns in red zone

Texas' 84th-best rushing attack put up just 4.19 yards per carry last season. Enter Raleek Brown from Arizona State and NC State's Hollywood Smothers, who posted 6.13 and 5.87 yards per carry, respectively. Manning was pressured on an eye-popping 35% of his dropbacks, so Sarkisian also brought in the portal's third-ranked offensive tackle in Melvin Siani from Wake Forest. Those moves sparked intrigue, but the upgrade at wide receiver grabbed our attention. Cam Coleman now resides in Austin, giving Texas' passing game the big-body threat it desperately needed in the red zone. The former Auburn Tiger is a highlight volcano waiting to erupt on every play. With Manning throwing him the ball, expect lava to flow.

Loser: Duke

RIP to Duke's passing attack. Second-leading wideout Que'Sean Brown entering the portal was a paper cut - annoying but easily fixable. However, the fatal blow came days later, with quarterback Darian Mensah announcing his intention to transfer despite being bound by a multi-year contract. The news caught Duke off guard, and the school quickly sued the talented passer for breaching his deal.

The courts will decide if Mensah ends up at another program, with Miami widely rumored to be his desired destination. But the attempt to transfer suggests that he's done with the Blue Devils, regardless of impending the court ruling. Mensah's decision pushed top receiver Cooper Barkate into the portal as well, meaning Duke will be forced to replace 136 catches, 1,952 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns on extremely short notice.

Winner: Lane Kiffin

Manchester United popularized the motto "Hated. Adored. Never ignored." But it also serves an apt description of Lane Kiffin's time in college football. Regardless of how you feel about Kiffin, the self-proclaimed "Portal King" knows how to dominate the transfer scene. That reputation has followed him from Ole Miss to LSU, with Kiffin delivering a massive collection of talent to Baton Rouge.

Sam Leavitt and Husan Longstreet should lock down the quarterback position next season and onward, while edge rushers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross will anchor the defense. Add in a quartet of new four-star receivers headlined by former Florida Gator Eugene Wilson III and Kiffin shouldn't need much time to get cooking at his new school.

Loser: Alabama

Much like Alabama's performance on the field in 2025, its transfer portal showing wasn't entirely bad, but it just doesn't feel like ... Alabama. The Crimson Tide spent most of the Nick Saban era getting virtually any player they wanted. That isn't the case under Kalen DeBoer, with Smothers representing the latest recruiting loss. The NC State running back committed to Alabama early in the portal but left campus without signing an NIL deal or a letter of intent with the program. Enter Texas, which swooped in and convinced the talented rusher to change his mind.

On the field, missing out on Smothers is a major setback for a team that ranked 15th in the SEC in rushing last season. Off the field, the defection is a significant blow to the Alabama mystique that seems to be eroding quickly without Saban at the helm. The Crimson Tide did bring in defensive linemen Devan Thompkins and Terrance Green to offset the losses of James Smith, Qua Russaw, and Keon Keeley, but the team's transfer haul as a whole barely registered on the national scale.

Winner: Oklahoma State

We don't know how many games Oklahoma State is going to win in 2026, but you can be damn sure the Cowboys won't have the nation's third-worst offense again. The Mike Gundy era once featured one of the top passing attacks in the sport, but the veteran coach's tenure ended with the team producing just 14.2 points per game in 2025. Enter Eric Morris, a man who happens to be 40 and is more than capable of fixing things with the help of the key pieces from his North Texas team.

Drew Mestemaker led the country in passing yards last season, Caleb Hawkins scored more rushing touchdowns than any other player, and Wyatt Young finished third nationally in receiving yards. That trio followed Morris to Oklahoma State in the portal and should give the fan base plenty to cheer for in Stillwater.

Loser: Iowa State

No school will sell more game-day programs next year than Iowa State. Cyclones fans will need to study the roster after Matt Campbell took 23 players with him to Penn State, including quarterback Rocco Becht, leading rusher Carson Hansen, and the team's top four pass-catchers.

Out of necessity, new head coach Jimmy Rogers hit the portal hard, with 46 new commits joining the Cyclones. However, the tumultuous situation in Ames didn't exactly make Iowa State an attractive destination; its transfer class ranked second last in the Big 12 in average player ranking.

Winner: Notre Dame's reputation

Refusing to join a conference. Holding an independent television deal with a major broadcaster. Opting out of a bowl game after the College Football Playoff committee omitted it from the postseason field. These moves suggest that Notre Dame football operates with an air of elitism. You can add its transfer portal strategy to that list.

The Fighting Irish added only seven players in the portal, among the fewest in FBS. However, what the group lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, as the seven players yielded the highest average recruit score in the country, according to 247 Sports.

Five of the seven transfers are on defense, with cornerback Jayden Sanders and the defensive line duo of Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray leading the way. The two offensive transfers, Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, are both former Ohio State receivers. Given the Buckeyes' annual success in producing NFL-caliber wideouts, that seems like a sound strategy.