2026 College Football Transfer Portal Tracker: LSU Gets Former Colorado 5-Star

The college football coaching carousel has already taken us for a wild ride, which could lead us to an even more chaotic transfer portal cycle.

Unlike the last few years, though, the transfer portal didn’t officially open for all players until Jan. 2, as the NCAA approved to only have one transfer portal window this offseason. This portal will run through Jan. 16.

Throughout the last several weeks, some players have been either declaring their intention or letting word of their intentions to enter the portal leak out. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top players who entered the transfer portal and their landing spots:

[Let’s Debate: 9 Best College Football Players Entering the Transfer Portal]

Seaton, who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Colorado, is off to LSU. The offensive tackle was a five-star recruit and the highest-rated tackle recruit in the Class of 2024. He joins a Tigers team that’s now led by new head coach Lane Kiffin.

Mendoza, the brother of Hoosiers’ Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, entered the portal after two seasons in Bloomington. The redshirt freshman appeared in nine games for the Hoosiers this season, completing 18 of 24 passes (75% completion percentage) for 286 yards, five touchdowns, one interception and a 235.5 passer rating. Mendoza also rushed for 190 yards and one touchdown. Indiana won the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 19.

After a spectacular season in Durham, North Carolina, Mensah announced on Jan. 16 that he’s entering the portal. This season, Mensah totaled an ACC-leading 3,973 passing yards, an ACC-leading 34 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 153.6 passer rating, while completing 66.8% of his passes. Duke finished the season at 9-5 but won the ACC title game. Mensah previously spent two seasons at Tulane (2023-24), redshirting in 2023.

Haynes, who was the Big Ten‘s rushing leader this past year, is headed to Georgia Tech after an injury-shortened single season at Michigan, per On3. Haynes played his first two seasons at Alabama, and had previously announced on social media that he planned “to return for another year of college football and enter the transfer portal.”

Haynes ran for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns, with more than 100 yards in six of his seven games during his only season with the Wolverines. He missed their last five games because of a right foot injury but still qualified as the Big Ten leader with 122.4 yards per game (7.1 yards per carry). The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder ran for 616 yards and nine scores in 25 games for Alabama (2023-24). He started six games as a sophomore before transferring to Michigan.

In 2025, Georgia Tech split carries between junior Malachi Hosley and senior Jamal Haynes, with Hosley leading with 697 yards and seven touchdowns in fewer attempts. Quarterback Haynes King was the team’s rushing leader (953).

Perich played two seasons at Minnesota, totaling a Big Ten-best five interceptions as a freshman. He also returned punts for the Golden Gophers. He’ll continue his collegiate career in Eugene, Oregon. 

After one season under center for Missouri, Pribula has left for Virginia. Pribula started 10 games for Missouri this season; he missed two games due to an ankle injury. Pribula totaled 1,941 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 134.6 passer rating, while completing 67.4% of his passes. He also rushed for 297 yards and six scores. Pribula spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Penn State (2023-24) backing up Drew Allar.

Leavitt has committed to LSU to be newly minted head coach Lane Kiffin’s starter, according to multiple reports. Leavitt was the top-ranked player and quarterback in the transfer portal, per 247 Sports. He helped Arizona State reach the College Football Playoff in 2024, spearheading a turnaround season for the Sun Devils in which they won the Big 12. He entered the 2025 season with some buzz of potentially being a top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, Leavitt will continue his college career at LSU, becoming one of over two dozen transfer players to commit to the Tigers ahead of Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge. 

Raiola is staying in the Big Ten. He had been a standout for Nebraska over his first two seasons, helping the Huskers become bowl-eligible for the first time in several years. However, Raiola missed the final month of the 2025 season due to a leg injury. He has two years remaining of eligibility. Raiola is just the latest high-profile quarterback that head coach Dan Lanning has landed in the portal; QBs Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore were also portal adds.

Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has a new star to throw to next season. Coleman was the top wide receiver and the fourth-ranked player in the transfer portal, per 247 Sports. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, Coleman lived up to his ranking during his time at Auburn, going for over 1,300 receiving yards during his time with the Tigers.

After Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss‘ waiver for another year of eligibility was denied, Ole Miss might have landed its quarterback for the 2026 season in Knight, per ESPN. Knight was one of the top quarterback recruits in the Class of 2025 and the 19th-best player in the transfer portal this offseason, per 247 Sports.

Days after reportedly committing to Baylor, Lagway has now resumed taking visits to other schools, ESPN reported on Jan. 9. Lagway was the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the Class of 2024, totaled 2,264 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, an SEC-high 14 interceptions and a 127.0 passer rating this season, while completing 63.2% of his passes. Florida fired head coach Billy Napier in October. Lagway will join a Baylor team that’s coming off a 5-7 season.

Freshman quarterback Longstreet has entered the portal after one season with the Trojans, playing backup to starter Jayden Maiava. Longstreet, a five-star recruit, will seek his own starting opportunity.

After one season at North Carolina, Lopez is reportedly transferring to ACC rival Wake Forest. This season, Lopez totaled 1,747 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 130.2 passer rating, while completing 65.1% of his passes. He also rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Lopez previously played at South Alabama from 2023-24. He joins a Wake Forest team that’s coming off a 9-4 season.

Head coach Alex Golesh will have one of his top players from USF follow him to Auburn. Brown has committed to the Tigers, the quarterback announced on Jan. 6. Brown was named second-team All-AAC in 2025, helping USF get big wins over Boise State and Florida earlier in the 2025 campaign. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Nebraska lost a quarterback commit, while Kentucky gained one of the top backups in the country. Former ND signal-caller Minchey has flipped his commitment from Nebraska to Kentucky. Minchey backed up CJ Carr in 2025 after finishing second to him in the quarterback battle. Minchey, a four-star recruit, has two years of eligibility remaining.

Weeks after entering the transfer portal in mid-December, Sorsby, the top available player in the portal, will remain in school after committing to Texas Tech. His decision came after a “48-hour visit flurry that included visits to Tech and LSU,” per ESPN; Sorsby also weighed the possibility of the 2026 NFL Draft. Sorsby helped Cincinnati have a surprise rise early in the 2025 season, leading the Bearcats to a 7-1 start before finishing 7-5. He had 36 total touchdowns in 2025, showing strong ability as a dual-threat quarterback.

Hoover will almost assuredly be Indiana’s starting quarterback next season, as 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is projected by many to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Hoover was viewed as one of the top few quarterbacks in the transfer portal, as he’s expected to be the active leader in passing yards and touchdown passes in college football when the 2026 season arrives. 

Becht is following head coach Matt Campbell to PSU, he told ESPN. Becht had been Iowa State’s primary starting quarterback since 2023. The soon-to-be redshirt senior has averaged 3,069.7 passing yards, 21.3 passing touchdowns, 8.7 interceptions and a 141.1 passer rating per season since 2023, while completing 60.8% of his passes. Becht has also rushed for eight touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. 

Marsh is committing to IU, per multiple reports. Marsh was widely regarded as one of the top wide receivers in the transfer portal. Marsh, a sophomore, has logged 100 receptions for 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons in East Lansing, Michigan, forming a strong connection with former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles.

On a visit to the school, Edwards committed to UNC, per ESPN. Edwards began his career at Wake Forest in 2021, followed by a three-year stint at Maryland (2022-24) and one year at Wisconsin. Edwards’ 2025 campaign was limited to just two games due to a knee injury. He was Maryland’s primary quarterback in 2024, totaling 2,881 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 130.1 passer rating, while completing 65.0% of his passes. Edwards joins a UNC team coming off a 4-8 season, its first under head coach Bill Belichick.

 Mestemaker needed just one day to make his decision after entering the portal. He led all FBS teams with 4,379 passing yards and led the American Conference in completion percentage (68.9%) and touchdowns (34).  

Simmons entered the portal after the Rebels’ College Football Playoff run ended and has signed with Mizzou, which lost 2025 starter Beau Pribula to the portal. Simmons, who was at Ole Miss for three seasons (2023-25), entered this season as the Rebels’ starter, but a Week 2 ankle injury made Trinidad Chambliss the team’s new signal-caller. 

Berry is reportedly leaving Ann Arbor, Michigan after four seasons (2022-25). This season, Berry totaled one interception, a Big Ten-high 10 passes defended and 33 combined tackles. 

After three seasons (2023-25) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Morgan has reportedly entered the portal. Morgan averaged 23.0 receptions for 188.7 yards and 1.3 touchdowns per season. The Wolverines, who went 9-4 this season, fired head coach Sherrone Moore after the regular season and recently hired former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.

The redshirt sophomore wide receiver announced on social media that he will enter the transfer portal. Stockton had 21 catches for 233 yards this season. Georgia Tech previously has had quarterback Aaron Philo, defensive backs Christian Pritchett and D.J. Moore, linebacker Melvin Jordan IV and offensive linemen Peyton Joseph, Tana Alo-Tupuola and Ben Galloway announce plans to transfer.

The two-time All-ACC honoree spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Pitt. This season, Biles totaled two forced fumbles, two interceptions — running back both of them for a touchdown — four passes defended, 4.5 sacks, an ACC-high 17.0 tackles for loss and 101 combined tackles.

Daley announced that he’s entering the portal after two seasons at Utah, a stint that was preceded by one season at BYU (2023). This season, Daley totaled two forced fumbles, 11.5 sacks, a Big 12-high 17.5 tackles for loss and 48 combined tackles. Daley’s transfer comes in the wake of head coach Kyle Whittingham stepping down and later becoming the next head coach at Michigan; Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was promoted to head coach.

The Dukes’ starting quarterback announced on Dec. 26 that he’s entering the portal. Barnett was JMU’s primary signal-caller the past two years and with the program the last four seasons (2022-25). This season, one that saw the Dukes make the CFP, Barnett totaled 2,806 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 138.3 passer rating, while completing 58.4% of his passes. He also rushed for 589 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Wisner, the Longhorns’ leading rusher in each of the past two seasons, has entered the transfer portal. Wisner rushed for 597 yards as a junior this season, with another 146 yards receiving in just nine games. In a full 2024 campaign, he rushed for 1,064 yards and five touchdowns in 226 attempts over 15 games, with 1,375 total yards from scrimmage. He is the fourth running back for Texas who has declared their intention to enter the portal, along with Jerrick Gibson, Rickey Stewart Jr. and 2023 Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year CJ Baxter Jr.

Chiles, who has one season of eligibility left, reportedly made a decision on Jan. 6 to commit to Northwestern, per ESPN. The former Spartans quarterback announced on Dec. 15 he would enter the transfer portal; he recorded 1,392 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games in 2025. A highly-touted recruit in 2023, Chiles initially committed to Oregon State and played one season with the Beavers before transferring to MSU when Jonathan Smith became head coach in 2024.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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