College Football Transfer Portal Opens with Record Entries

ATLANTA, GA — The NCAA college football transfer portal officially opened at midnight ET on January 2, allowing players to announce their intentions to transfer. By midday, over 4,500 Division I players had registered to enter the transfer portal.

Players have until January 16 to submit their names for transfer, but they aren’t required to finalize their new destinations by that date. Many athletes have started exploring new programs since the end of the regular season, signaling a potential shift in rosters across various teams.

Notable players who have announced their intent to transfer include DJ Lagway from Florida, Sam Leavitt from Arizona State, and Drew Mestemaker from North Texas, who has reportedly agreed to move to Oklahoma State. Mestemaker had a standout season, leading all FBS players with 4,379 passing yards.

As teams prepare for a massive coaching shakeup, the transfer portal could bring unprecedented changes in college football. This offseason marks a singular transfer window, unlike previous years that allowed additional opportunities in the spring.

In addition to the players already mentioned, several others are expected to announce their transfers, including quarterbacks like Nebraska‘s Dylan Raiola and Cincinnati‘s Brendan Sorsby. Coaches are scrambling to fill positions and prepare for spring practices while keeping an eye on potential new talent.

The move to a single transfer portal window was adopted by the NCAA to streamline the process, responding to the growing complexity of managing college football rosters. Coaches and programs are now faced with adapting their recruiting strategies to align with this new structure.

The transfer portal will close on January 16, with the expectation that teams will see fundamental roster changes before the upcoming 2026 season.