College football's spring transfer window closes at the end of Friday. We're in for five more days of rumors and scheming, six- and seven-figure NIL offers, surprise defections and sped-up recruiting battles. Buckle up.
More than 700 FBS scholarship players have entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal this month, and more are coming soon with the spring deadline fast approaching. Which programs are spending and loading up? Which under-the-radar players are switching schools? Who still has work to do in the days ahead?
Here are the big movers who stand out midway through this spring portal cycle.
Making moves
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have not been known as big spenders in the portal marketplace in past cycles. But something has clearly changed in Stillwater. Mike Gundy completely overhauled his coaching staff this offseason, and he is assembling a roster full of fresh faces who should give this program a chance to flip its fortunes after a stunning 3-9 season in 2024.
Gundy's new coaching staff has been aggressive and successful in their portal pursuits this spring. They've added a trio of new playmakers in running back Freddie Brock (Georgia State) and receivers Christian Fitzpatrick (Marshall) and Cam Abshire (Emory & Henry). They've also secured one of the top starting tackles in the spring portal in App State's Markell Samuel, the No. 16 player in ESPN's spring transfer rankings.
On defense, they've fortified their front with the addition of defensive tackle De'Marion Thomas (Vanderbilt) and edge rushers Taje McCoy (Colorado) and Wendell Gregory (South Carolina). McCoy, an Oklahoma City native, is coming home after producing four sacks for the Buffaloes in 2024. Gregory was the No. 102 recruit in the 2024 ESPN 300 and a high-upside pickup.
The Cowboys are now up to 30 portal additions this offseason, a group that brings more than 16,000 career snaps of Division I experience to the table. They're going to be one of the more interesting roster flips to watch this fall.
"I think Oklahoma State is gonna have a good year," an agent told ESPN.
Texas: Steve Sarkisian and his staff are checking all the boxes this spring in resolving their remaining needs for another College Football Playoff run in 2025.
The Longhorns picked up Cal transfer Jack Endries, a proven two-year starter, to take over for Gunnar Helm and lead an inexperienced tight end group. They landed Stanford transfer Emmett Mosley V to potentially be their No. 3 receiver. They've upgraded at kicker with Texas State transfer Mason Shipley coming in to replace departing starter Bert Auburn. And they added more depth along the D-line, flipping Maryland transfer defensive tackle Lavon Johnson mere hours after he committed to North Carolina.
The Longhorns are also in the mix for coveted Syracuse transfer DT Maraad Watson, and it wouldn't be surprising if they go get one more wideout who can make an impact in the return game.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels found their QB of the future this spring in South Alabama's Gio Lopez. The talented lefty and No. 6 player in our spring transfer ranks put up 3,022 total yards and 25 total TDs as a redshirt freshman in the Sun Belt and still has three more seasons of eligibility. After going through spring ball with only two scholarship passers on the roster, this was a much-needed get for Bill Belichick and the new regime in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina also landed one of the better linebackers on the market in Mikai Gbayor, a 16-game starter at Nebraska, and a veteran defensive end in Penn State's Smith Vilbert. Four-star true freshman Adrian Wilson joined their receiving corps after a brief stint at Colorado, and they found some answers on special teams with the arrival of kicker Rece Verhoff (Marshall) and punter Jacob Horvath (Eastern Illinois).
There has been a lot of roster turnover this spring as expected, with 16 scholarship players transferring out so far in the month of April. Belichick and GM Michael Lombardi are wasting no time building the roster they want for Year 1.
Oklahoma: New general manager Jim Nagy is off to a strong start in Norman. The Sooners addressed their concerns at running back by securing one of the best returning backs in the country in Cal's Jaydn Ott. The Pac-12's leading rusher in 2023 and No. 3 player in our spring transfer rankings was banged up for most of last season, but he looks poised for a big year alongside quarterback John Mateer.
The Sooners secured a potential starter at center in Stanford transfer Jake Maikkula, and they are hunting still for help at tight end and kicker. Coach Brent Venables and his staff also worked things out with David Stone, convincing the former five-star recruit to withdraw his name from the portal on Sunday and stay in Norman after he entered on Friday. While new pickups get more attention, talent retention and preventing unexpected departures is still the name of the game during this spring portal window.
Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin's program is never going to sit on the sideline during a transfer window, and they've done a nice job of adding competitive depth so far this month. The Rebels brought in a potential No. 1 running back over the weekend in Troy transfer Damien Taylor, the second-leading rusher in the Sun Belt last season with 1,010 yards and seven TDs. They brought in a developmental tackle in Maryland's Terez Davis and two more corners in South Alabama's Ricky Fletcher and Clemson's Tavoy Feagin.
Ole Miss spent a lot of time searching for a No. 2 QB in December to serve as Austin Simmons' backup, and they were willing to spend money on a good one. They found an exciting option this spring in Trinidad Chambliss, a Division II All-American who led Ferris State to a national title last season. Kiffin should find a way to put his rushing ability to good use after Chambliss put up 1,019 yards and 25 TDs on the ground in 2024.
Moving up
LB Elo Modozie, Army to Georgia: Service academy players transferring to Power 4 programs is still a rarity even in the portal era, but Modozie is one of the rare exceptions who commanded intense interest once he hit the market. Personnel staffers loved his tape, his All-AAC production and his ability to add value on special teams after blocking two field goals in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound outside linebacker generated pressure on 13.6% of his pass rushes last season, according to ESPN Research, which put him among the top 10 returning G5 pass rushers for 2025. Modozie still has two more seasons of eligibility and a chance to really develop into a standout for the Bulldogs.
OT Joe Cotton, South Dakota to Cincinnati: The Bearcats identified Cotton as a high-priority target this offseason, and their patience and persistence ultimately paid off this spring. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound left tackle, a two-year starter with two more seasons of eligibility, went with Cincinnati over Wisconsin, Michigan and a ton of Power 4 offers and should be a plug-and-play starter who'll help protect Brendan Sorsby. Cotton's teammate, linebacker Gary Bryant, is also commanding plenty of interest in the portal with USC, West Virginia and Cal bringing him in for official visits.
OT Bryce George, Ferris State to Iowa: Chambliss wasn't the only Ferris State transfer with Power 4 offers. His 6-foot-5, 315-pound left tackle is joining the Hawkeyes after starting 38 games at the D-II level and earning first-team All-America honors in 2024 in an offense that averaged 45 points per game. George chose the Hawkeyes over USC and Cal and could end up being a big help as the Hawkeyes work to replace NFL-bound left tackle Mason Richman.
RB CharMar Brown, North Dakota State: Brown took home the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in FCS last season after rushing for 1,181 yards and 15 TDs. The Omaha native is entering his redshirt sophomore season and is looking for the right Power 4 opportunity. Miami showed strong immediate interest, and he'll reportedly visit the Hurricanes on Monday. Nebraska is in the mix here, too, along with Cal, Colorado, LSU, SMU and many more.
TE Lance Mason, Missouri State: Now that Endries is off the board, you can make a case for Mason being the top available tight end in the portal. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound receiver is a three-year starter who earned FCS All-America recognition last season after turning 34 receptions into 590 yards and six touchdowns. Mason had the best yards per catch average (17.4) among all FCS tight ends who caught more than 20 passes last season, and his 425 yards after the catch would've ranked third-best among FBS tight ends in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Cal and Purdue are among the teams battling to bring him in.
Moving again
QB Jaden Rashada, Georgia: The former top-100 recruit has been stuck in the portal since January, but there's suddenly a glimmer of hope with North Carolina now involved and reportedly bringing him in for a visit on Wednesday. The former Miami and Florida commit and Arizona State and Georgia backup has appeared in only three games over two college seasons. Going the Group of 5 route and chasing a starting job at a program like Western Kentucky or Tulane seems like a better move for his development and future if he's determined to start.
TE Tanner Koziol, Wisconsin to Houston: This one was a surprise. Koziol was one of the most productive tight ends in FBS last season at Ball State and a coveted receiver in the December portal window. After going through spring practice with the Badgers, he went back on the market and moved on. Houston heavily recruited Koziol in December and got a second chance this spring. He'll be a big-time target for Texas A&M transfer QB Conner Weigman and the Cougars.
QB Ryan Browne, North Carolina to Purdue: Browne couldn't turn down a chance to play for Bill Belichick in Chapel Hill. But after going through spring ball with the Tar Heels and watching them bring in Lopez via the portal, he's now going back to Purdue to give it a shot with Barry Odom and the new coaching staff there. With an unresolved QB competition, it would be quite a story if Browne could come back and win the job in fall camp.
RB Rashad Amos, Memphis to Georgia State: See if you can keep up with this journey. Amos began his career at South Carolina and had a breakout 1,000-yard season at Miami (Ohio) in 2023. He reentered the portal after the season and committed to Mississippi State. Then he flipped to Colorado and flipped again to Ole Miss. After last season did not play out like he'd hoped, with only nine carries for 75 yards, Amos left the Rebels and went through spring practice with Memphis. Now he's back in the portal and signed with Georgia State last week.
QB Jake Garcia, ECU: The No. 23 overall recruit in the 2021 ESPN 300 is on the move yet again. Garcia attended five different high schools in a four-year span and flipped from USC to Miami during his senior year. He transferred to Missouri in 2023 but didn't play a snap for the Tigers. Garcia joined ECU last year and held onto the starting job for the first six games of the season. Now he's back in the portal and hoping to find the right home to finish his career.
Moves incoming
Tennessee: So, who's going to be Tennessee's starting QB this fall? The Volunteers will have to play this carefully over the next few days. TCU's Josh Hoover, Kansas State's Avery Johnson, Iowa State's Rocco Becht and several other returning starters have assured their coaches they're staying put. Proven arms are not cheap and not easy to flip. Now that Nico Iamaleava is officially heading to UCLA, could Tennessee make a move for Joey Aguilar, who joined UCLA this offseason from App State, and pull off a swap?
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel also needs to hold onto top backup Jake Merklinger and may have to pay up to keep him on board. As we saw at North Carolina last week, bringing in a new starter with multiple years of eligibility can lead to the other guys in the QB room rethinking their plans. In Tennessee's case, a one-year addition seems like the logical play here with ESPN 300 freshman George MacIntyre developing for a year and five-star commit Faizon Brandon on the way for 2026.
Colorado: Coach Deion Sanders got off to a strong start in the spring period with pledges from offensive lineman Xavier Hill (Memphis) and receiver Sincere Brown (Campbell), but he's working off a long shopping list at the moment. "Let's start with one tremendous defensive tackle, another linebacker or two, two safeties, probably three corners," Sanders told reporters after Colorado's spring game. "One receiver that's a grown man, that's a dog. Couple running backs. Tight end. Maybe a guard, a tackle, maybe two centers." The Buffaloes crossed two of those needs off the list over the weekend with commitments from cornerback Teon Parks (Illinois State) and safety Terrance Love (Auburn).
Miami: The Hurricanes are expected to be aggressive this spring just as they were a year ago in building around Cam Ward. They'll be in the mix for the top receivers on the market and also have strong connections with two of the better safeties in the portal in Houston's A.J. Haulcy, a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024, and Florida's Gregory Smith III.
Texas Tech: Coach Joey McGuire and GM James Blanchard have assembled an epic transfer portal class but are still looking for a difference-maker at slot receiver. Is that playmaker already in the portal -- like Syracuse's Trebor Pena -- or will he become available ahead of the deadline? The Red Raiders are also looking for offensive line depth after losing two backups to the portal and haven't ruled out the possibility of bringing former five-star freshman Micah Hudson back after his brief stint at Texas A&M.
Cal: The Bears have plenty of work to do in this spring transfer window, starting with restocking their running back room after Ott, leading rusher Jaivian Thomas and three more backs hit the portal this month. Liberty edge rusher TJ Bush Jr., the No. 11 player in ESPN's spring rankings, was a great get on Sunday, and Cal has also signed two from the FCS ranks in receiver Quaron Adams (South Dakota) and edge Chris Victor (Chattanooga).
DE Beau Atkinson, North Carolina: Now that Iamaleava is off the board, Atkinson is the top player still available in ESPN's spring transfer rankings. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound pass rusher led the Tar Heels with 7.5 sacks last season but wasn't an ideal scheme fit in their new 3-4 defense. He'll have Georgia, Ohio State and plenty more contenders fighting for his commitment this week.
WR Keelan Marion, BYU: Marion earned first-team All-America honors as a return man last season after producing 96- and 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns for the Cougars. The former UConn transfer also produced 698 total yards and six TDs as a receiver and rusher over his two seasons with the Cougars. That versatility brings a ton of value and interest from more than a dozen Power 4 programs, including Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, Oklahoma and Tennessee.