After three weeks of chaos across college football, portal season is coming to a close Saturday.
Players face a Saturday deadline to enter their name in the transfer portal. They'll continue to take official visits and can make their final decisions at any time, and last year's cycle stretched deep into January thanks to belated coaching changes at Alabama, Michigan and several other schools. But barring a coaching change, if players don't enter the portal now, they'll have to wait until April 16 for the next transfer window to open.
More than 2,000 FBS scholarship players have entered their names into the portal since Aug. 1 to explore transfers, and more than 800 have committed to or signed with their next school.
Who's currently thriving and building impressive transfer recruiting classes to make a run in 2025? Who got hit the hardest during three long weeks of unpredictable departures? Going into deadline day, we're breaking down five early winners and losers from the 2024-25 portal cycle.
Jump to a section:
Winners
Losers
Early winners
Some programs are winning battles for some of the most coveted players in the transfer portal and raising their expectations for 2025 with the talent they've already accumulated. Lots of teams are loading up with newcomers right now, but these five have stood out so far.
LSU Tigers
Transfers in: 13
Key additions: WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech), DE Patrick Payton (Florida State), OL Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech)
LSU was not as aggressive as most of its SEC peers when it came to recruiting the portal for its 2024 team. This offseason, it's a different story. Coach Brian Kelly and his staff are assembling a transfer class that sends a clear message the Tigers intend to contend in 2025.
They've picked up top portal talent at several positions: two top-five wide receivers (Brown and Anderson) in ESPN's transfer rankings, the No. 1 cornerback (Delane), the No. 1 defensive end (Payton), two of the best interior linemen in the portal in Moore and former Northwestern offensive guard Josh Thompson and one of the top tight ends in Oklahoma transfer Bauer Sharp.
The Tigers also got a lot better up front on defense with the additions of Payton, fellow edge rushers Jack Pyburn (Florida) and Jimari Butler (Nebraska), plus defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell (Texas). They also upgraded their backup QB situation behind Garrett Nussmeier by replacing AJ Swann and Rickie Collins with Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren, one of the most productive true freshman starters in FBS.
That's a ton of high-impact talent in one haul, and it certainly raises expectations for Kelly's squad after an 8-4 season.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Transfers in: 17
Key additions: DT Lee Hunter (UCF), OL Howard Sampson (North Carolina), OL Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State), OLB Romello Height (Georgia Tech), WR Reggie Virgil (Miami [Ohio])
Texas Tech is trying to win the Big 12 and get into the College Football Playoff in 2025, and its acquisitions in December prove the Red Raiders are serious about those ambitions. The trio of Texas Texas coach Joey McGuire, GM James Blanchard and megadonor Cody Campbell are going out and getting who they want, unafraid to make strong six- and seven-figure offers to lock up the players at the top of their board.
Their all-in shove after an 8-5 season is yielding legitimate future NFL talent. Hunter is the No. 2 defensive tackle and Sampson is the No. 2 offensive tackle in ESPN's transfer rankings. Zambrano, Height, Miami (Ohio) tackle Will Jados and Northern Illinois defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard are one-year pickups and valuable upgrades up front. Texas Tech beat Florida and Oklahoma for Virgil, added USC transfer running back Quinten Joyner to help replace the production of Tahj Brooks and got Louisiana's Terrance Carter, one of the top tight ends in the portal, to take over for Jalin Conyers.
Newly hired Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood has been able to quickly rebuild the Red Raiders' secondary with Cole Wisniewski (North Dakota State), Brice Pollock (Mississippi State), Amier Boyd-Matthews (UTEP), Tarrion Grant (Purdue) and Dontae Balfour (Charlotte) all on the way.
Auburn Tigers
Transfers in: 14
Key additions: WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech), QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), CB Raion Strader (Miami [Ohio]), OL Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), OL Mason Murphy (USC)
After several years of trying to find a star quarterback in the portal, Hugh Freeze got his guy by locking up Arnold early in this cycle. Arnold went through an up-and-down first season as Oklahoma's starter under some tough circumstances, and now the former five-star recruit is eager to take the next step in his career and play up to his potential for the Tigers.
Freeze has done a nice job of surrounding him with a stronger supporting cast for 2025. Auburn won a fierce battle for Singleton, the No. 1 wide receiver in the portal, and he'll team with Cam Coleman to give the Tigers one of the best receiver duos in the SEC. They've also picked up receiver Horatio Fields (Wake Forest), tight end Preston Howard (Maryland) and running back Durell Robinson (UConn) to go along with Chaplin and Murphy, two proven veteran starting linemen.
Oregon Ducks
Transfers in: 6
Key additions: S Dillon Thieneman (Purdue), OT Isaiah World (Nevada), CB Theran Johnson (Northwestern), DT Bear Alexander (USC), TE Jamari Johnson (Louisville)
The No. 1 Ducks haven't needed much in terms of portal pickups so far while they chase a national championship, but the few they have added are impressive. Thieneman, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023, is the No. 1 safety in ESPN's transfer rankings and is sure to be a playmaker on the back end for the Ducks next season. World is ESPN's No. 1-ranked offensive tackle, a massive 6-foot-8 protector with three years of starting experience and NFL potential. Alexander is a wild card after his stops at Georgia and USC, but Oregon might be the place that can bring out his best. If he finally plays with consistency, he can be one of the most impactful players of this cycle.
The big question now for Oregon: Are the Ducks getting Makhi Hughes? Tulane's star running back made the unexpected decision to enter the portal Friday and immediately became the No. 1 back in this portal cycle. He's also the older brother of Oregon five-star signee Na'eem Offord. He'll have plenty of contenders for his talents, but that could be a significant advantage for the Ducks.
Ole Miss Rebels
Transfers in: 15
Key additions: OL Patrick Kutas (Arkansas), TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas), DE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), WR De'Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), LB Andrew Jones (Grambling)
The Rebels are loading up in December as has become tradition under coach Lane Kiffin. They've pulled three players away from Arkansas in Kutas, Hasz and cornerback Jaylon Braxton. They've found solid pass rushers in Umanmielen and LSU transfer Da'Shawn Womack. They got a trio of wideouts in Stribling, Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and Caleb Odom (Alabama). Jones, the SWAC co-Defensive Player of the Year, flipped from South Carolina, and Missouri running back Kewan Lacy signed right after he hit the portal.
There might not be as many big-name transfer signees as last year's touted class, but there's plenty of SEC-caliber talent on the way.
Early losers
These programs have been hit hard by attrition over the past month with lots of proven starters opting to transfer. That doesn't mean these five will stay losers for long. They're going to recruit the portal and trust they can develop the next man up to replace who they're losing.
Washington State Cougars
Transfers out: 26 scholarship players
Key losses: QB John Mateer (Oklahoma), RB Wayshawn Parker (Utah), OL Fa'alili Fa'amoe, DT David Gusta, CB Ethan O'Connor
The past four weeks have been absolutely brutal for Cougars fans. It was no secret Mateer was going to be one of the most coveted quarterbacks in this portal cycle and wouldn't be easy to keep for 2025, but Jake Dickert and Washington State's leadership did all they could to re-sign him. Now Mateer is off to Oklahoma and Dickert is gone, too, taking over as head coach at Wake Forest.
Washington State needs a new head coach and a bunch of new starters for 2025. Eleven players who started in the Cougars' regular-season finale against Wyoming are currently in the transfer portal. Parker, receiver Kris Hutson (Arizona), defensive tackle Khalil Laufau (Houston), linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah (Washington), safety Adrian Wilson (Arizona State) and punter Nick Haberer (Vanderbilt) have joined Mateer in finding Power 4 destinations. Fa'amoe, Gusta and O'Connor are among the best players still available in the portal.
With no head coach in place, Washington State hasn't added any portal commits this month. Whomever takes over will have a ton of work between holding the rest of the roster together and evaluating the players who are still left in the portal.
Purdue Boilermakers
Transfers out: 31
Key losses: S Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), TE Max Klare (Ohio State), DE Will Heldt (Clemson), OL Mahamane Moussa (Louisville), DT Cole Brevard (Texas)
The combination of a 1-11 season and a head coaching change is inevitably going to result in a dramatic roster shake-up, and that's what new Purdue coach Barry Odom is inheriting. Twenty players who started games for the Boilermakers this season are currently in the portal, and 14 of them have already found new schools.
Thieneman and Klare are among the best in the Big Ten at their positions. Heldt showed exciting potential with 10 tackles for loss this season and became Clemson's first portal pickup on defense under coach Dabo Swinney. Moussa developed into a versatile 30-game starter.
Odom did a terrific job of finding impact transfers at UNLV and is hoping to repeat the magic in West Lafayette. He has already signed five of his Rebels players in the portal and will need to bring in a lot more newcomers in the weeks ahead.
USC Trojans
Transfers out: 17
Key losses: WR Zachariah Branch, WR Duce Robinson (Florida State), QB Miller Moss (Louisville), OT Mason Murphy (Auburn), DT Bear Alexander (Oregon)
Lincoln Riley has benefitted greatly from transfer portal recruits during his tenure at USC. He'll need a strong hit rate on this next portal class, because the Trojans have lost some good ones this month. Wide receivers Branch, Robinson and Kyron Hudson (Penn State) all decided to move on following the Trojans' 6-6 regular season. Murphy developed into a 22-game starter at right tackle. Moss was benched late in the year and Alexander was a midseason opt-out, so those departures certainly weren't shockers, but they're still talented players who must be replaced.
The Trojans are betting on Keeshawn Silver (Kentucky) and Jamaal Jarrett (Georgia) to resolve their need at defensive tackle, and hoping Eli Sanders (New Mexico State) can be an impactful running back. And as usual, there's no shortage of wideouts still available in the portal if they're looking for help there.
Oklahoma Sooners
Transfers out: 21
Key losses: WR Nic Anderson (LSU), QB Jackson Arnold (Auburn), TE Bauer Sharp (LSU), WR Jalil Farooq (Maryland), LB Dasan McCullough (Nebraska)
The No. 1 player in the portal is coming to Oklahoma, so by no means has this cycle been a failure for the Sooners. Mateer joining offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle in Norman is a thrilling add for coach Brent Venables and the program, a much-needed spark following a frustrating 6-7 season in the SEC.
But it's worth noting that 16 of Oklahoma's departing scholarship players have already landed at other Power 4 programs. Six wide receivers moving on at the same time creates a serious need, and so far the Sooners have filled that void with Isaiah Sategna (Arkansas), JaVonnie Gibson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Keontez Lewis (Southern Illinois). They're hoping Luke Baklenko (Stanford) and Derek Simmons (Western Carolina) can help solidify an offensive line that struggled this fall and has lost three transfers so far. They'll also need Carson Kent (Kennesaw State) to help at tight end.
Arizona Wildcats
Transfers out: 28
Key losses: CB Tacario Davis, CB Emmanuel Karnley (Miami), OL Wendell Moe Jr. (Tennessee), DB Gunner Maldonado (Kansas State), LB Jacob Manu (Washington)
The Wildcats are right behind Purdue for most scholarship players lost to the portal among Power 4 programs, which is the primary reason they're on this list. After a rough 4-8 run through the program's first season in the Big 12, coach Brent Brennan will need to add a lot this offseason to get Arizona heading toward a turnaround.
He's getting one more year with quarterback Noah Fifita, but the Wildcats have had a dozen players who started games this season test the portal. Brennan has managed to convince three of them -- defensive backs Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith and Treydan Stukes -- to withdraw from the portal, and it's possible Davis will go pro rather than transfer.
The Wildcats are putting together a large transfer class and have already added quality playmakers on offense for Fifita, including Kris Hutson, Ismail Mahdi (Texas State) and Luke Wysong (New Mexico). If their evaluations are on point in this cycle, they should bounce back in 2025.