The transfer portal has become a pivotal tool in building a winning program. Simply put, you cannot compete at the top levels of college football without utilizing it. Last year's national champion, Indiana, is a shining beacon of this reality.
Curt Cignetti showed up and completely changed the course of the program's history with his first transfer class, comprised mostly of players he brought with him from James Madison. After taking Indiana to the College Football Playoff in 2024, Cignetti realized there was still work to do to compete with the best in the country, so he went back into the portal and pulled a quarterback from the other side of the country. Fernando Mendoza raised the level of the program, won a national title, won the Heisman, and was selected first in the NFL Draft.
We don't know who will win the national title this season, but the team that does will have transfers playing key roles. Perhaps they'll be the new QB, or maybe they'll play a different position that didn't grab as many headlines over the offseason.
With that in mind, I've decided to highlight five of my favorite transfers this offseason. Players who weren't necessarily the transfers who grabbed the most attention during the cycle (though a couple received plenty), but I believe have the ability to be the addition that helps take their new team to another level, or, in one case, maintain it.
Nick Marsh | WR | Indiana
OK, so Indiana can't improve in 2026. It went undefeated last year and won it all. Considering everything last year's title team lost, though, it's natural to expect the Hoosiers to take a slight step backward. Curt Cignetti has put together another strong transfer class to make sure that doesn't happen, and while new QB Josh Hoover is the one with the brightest spotlight, he's not the player I believe will make the biggest impact.
Nick Marsh moves south from Michigan State to Indiana, where he will find himself in a much better situation. I've made my feelings known about how hard it is to believe Josh Hoover will be as good as Fernando Mendoza was for the Hoosiers, but he's a massive upgrade over what Marsh was working with at Michigan State. Still, despite Aidan Chiles' struggles with accuracy and decision-making, as well as the inexperience of Alessio Milivojevic (whom I think is poised to make a leap in 2026), Marsh had a very strong season at Michigan State. He led the team with 59 receptions for 662 yards and 6 touchdowns. That production is likely to increase in Indiana's offense, where opponents will be preoccupied with Charlie Becker's vertical threat, opening up a lot of space underneath for Marsh. The Hoosiers have to replace Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr, and Marsh is ready-made to do just that.
Aaron Philo | QB | Florida
DJ Lagway was supposed to be the quarterback who brought Florida back to national prominence, the same way Billy Napier was supposed to be the coach to do so. Lagway is now at Baylor, and Napier James Madison. Florida is Jon Sumrall's program now, and he made a brilliant decision to snag Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, and Faulkner didn't make the drive down to Gainesville from Atlanta alone.
Aaron Philo certainly wasn't the biggest name among QBs in the portal this winter, but he may have the highest ceiling of all those who switched schools. Philo served as Haynes King's backup at Tech and saw plenty of time on the field, considering how many hits King opened himself up to during his career. However, while King was the all-heart, no fear running QB who you wanted to force to beat you with his arm, Philo can sling the rock. In limited action last year, he completed 21 of his 28 passes for 373 yards. That's 13.3 yards per attempt.
Philo has spent the last two years learning Buster Faulkner's offense, and Faulkner has spent two years learning Philo's strengths and weaknesses. There likely won't be much of a learning curve in those departments, and while there will be an adjustment period as a starter in the SEC, Philo could prove to be everything DJ Lagway was supposed to be.
Jordan Seaton, LSU
Lane Kiffin's 2026 transfer class at LSU is No. 1 in the nation. That's great, until you remember that LSU's 2025 transfer class under Brian Kelly was also the No. 1 class in the nation. So what went wrong at LSU last year?
As is always the case, the Tigers had plenty of skill on offense, and their defense took a step forward after a dreadful 2024. The problem was that the offensive line was horrible. It doesn't matter how talented your quarterback, running backs and receivers are if nobody can block. So while Lane Kiffin went on a shopping spree in the portal to get Sam Leavitt from Arizona State, Princewill Umanmielen from Ole Miss, and Trey Wilson from Florida, the biggest portal move he made was also the largest human.
Without Sheduer Sanders and Travis Hunter, there wasn't much reason to watch Colorado last year, but when you did, it was hard to miss the 6-foot-5, 330-pound freshman at left tackle. You don't see many freshman tackles starting at the Power Four level, let alone starting and performing to the level that Jordan Seaton did last season. He still has some work to do as a run blocker, but his pass blocking is already at a top level. Moving to the SEC will be an adjustment, but Seaton was a five-star recruit out of high school for a reason.
If LSU is in the SEC race and playoff hunt this year, Seaton will be a massive reason why.
Hollywood Smothers, Texas
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has been saying some wild things on the record lately, which tells me this is a coach who feels pretty damned confident about his team going into 2026 and doesn't feel the need to hide from the hype. I'm inclined to agree with him. There's plenty returning from last year's Texas team, including Arch Manning at QB, and the Longhorns added a ton in the portal, bringing in the No. 3 class overall.
The big name in the class is WR Cam Coleman, who comes from Auburn, where he was living in a QB wilderness. Believe me, I know Coleman is a Problem and will have a massive season with the Longhorns. While I expect big things from him, the other move Texas made on offense that has me swooning was swiping Hollywood Smothers from NC State.
It is just as fun to watch Hollywood Smothers as it is to say his name. He averaged nearly six yards per carry with State last season and is one of the more explosive backs in the country. He's also a threat in the passing game, as his 37 receptions were tied for fourth among Power Four running backs last season. I don't know if Smothers will put up monster numbers that grab the attention of All-America and awards voters come the end of the season because there are so many mouths to feed in this Texas offense, but he's another reason why the Longhorns will give opposing defensive coordinators heart palpitations.
Sahir West, UCLA
As mentioned earlier, Curt Cignetti moved from James Madison to Indiana, bringing along plenty of players. That included guys along the defensive line who, for whatever reason, did not get attention from P4 schools out of high school, yet managed to perform at a high level once they were exposed to that level of football.
Sahir West did not get much attention in high school. The Baltimore product didn't even receive a rating from 247Sports. I understand why, because you typically don't see 6'3, 210-pound linebackers get a lot of attention from major programs. While he received offers from Indiana and Maryland, he chose James Madison, where he grew up. Literally. West was listed at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds as a freshman last year, moved to the defensive line, and terrorized Sun Belt teams. He finished the year with seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, four passes broken up and a forced fumble.
Now he has followed Bob Chesney west to UCLA and is looking to bring his special brand of disruption to the Bruins defense.
