The college football transfer portal window officially opened on Jan. 2, and since then, thousands of players have entered, looking for a new home. Some of them have already committed to new programs for the 2026 season, but plenty of talented options remain. Who are the best players available in the college football transfer portal after the first weekend of movement?
Our top 25 remaining players in the college football transfer portal are compiled using PFSN College Impact Metrics, with analysis from Josh Weil, Terrance Biggs, and Oliver Hodgkinson.
25) Jessiah McGrew, DB
Freshman seasons don’t come much more impactful than the campaign that Jessiah McGrew put together for Florida International this fall.
Playing in 12 games, he tallied 68 tackles with four interceptions, establishing himself as a pivotal part of the Golden Panthers’ secondary. His 82.6 PFSN College SAF Impact score ranked third among CUSA safeties and was a top-75 mark nationally. Now, he’ll look for a bigger stage.
24) Ryan Berger, OL
The Oregon State Beavers didn’t have the most exhilarating offense in the 2025 college football season, but that had little to do with the effort of offensive lineman Ryan Berger. Earning an 82.8 PFSN College OL Impact score that made him a top-50 graded guard this fall, he allowed pressure on just 1.1% of true dropback protection duties with just one sack allowed all year.
23) Katin Houser, QB
Update: Houser committed to Illinois after this article was published.
Katin Houser was recruited to attend Michigan State and played sparingly over his two seasons. He then transferred to East Carolina, where he became a starter relatively quickly.
His first season was solid, but it was clear that he had made improvements, as evidenced by an increase in his completion percentage and a decrease in interceptions, despite having over 160 more pass attempts than the previous year.
He has also added an element of short-yardage rushing success to his resume. It comes as no surprise that schools like Arkansas are showing interest in his services for next season.
22) Amare Campbell, LB
One season after committing to Penn State, former North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker Amare Campbell is back on the move, landing in the transfer portal on Sunday. During his three-year college career, he has tallied nearly 200 tackles, including 22.0 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
People use the phrase “tackling machine” too liberally, but in Campbell’s case, it’s warranted. He’s a sideline-to-sideline juggernaut who rarely misses, and who also flashes value as a pass-game disrupter aside from coming downhill.
21) Wendell Gregory, EDGE
Wendell Gregory didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself at South Carolina, as he just recorded a single tackle in 2024. For the Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has 27 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble after a season, and looks poised to grow on that at his next stop.
The former South Carolina recruit could very well find himself back in the SEC, but in any case, he should make a significant impact next season.
20) Mister Clark, DB
Mister Clark is an aggressive cover corner with superior ball skills (three interceptions) and 13 pass breakups, which led the CUSA. He has a solid build and vertical ability, and while he could add strength, he already competes well on contested catches. Furthermore, he has positional versatility, having played at multiple spots across the Florida International secondary.
19) Jontez Williams, DB
A stocky corner who can also play free safety, Jontez Williams doesn’t rely on just his eyes. Instead, his instincts and ability to read the route break put him in a prime position to make plays.
18) Justin Eaglin, DB
Justin Eaglin is a productive corner who excelled in the Dukes’ 4-2-5 scheme. He could be the latest James Madison player to leave campus, jump into the portal, and succeed at a bigger program. His ball skills and timing will translate.
17) DJ Coleman, DB
After seeing time as a freshman in 2023, DJ Coleman has become a more integral and productive part of the Baylor Bears secondary in each of the past two seasons. An enforcer in all phases, he tallied 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble during the 2025 season, leading to one of the highest PFSN College SAF Impact scores in the transfer portal.
16) Rasheem Biles, LB
Rasheem Biles has been the epitome of a do-it-all linebacker for the Pittsburgh Panthers over the past two seasons, emerging as one of the best in the nation and immediately becoming the crown jewel of the position in the transfer portal.
MORE: College Football Transfer Portal Tracker
Biles is looking for a new team, fresh off a season where he tallied over 100 tackles, led the ACC with 17.0 tackles for loss, and accounted for four turnovers (two interceptions, two forced fumbles).
15) Ja’Son Prevard, CB
Ja’Son Prevard fits best in a Cover 3 or press-man system. With long arms, he maintains inside contact on receivers, avoiding pass interference calls that other defenders might draw. However, quick, twitchy receivers could give him trouble.
14) Santana Hooper, DL
By nature, Santana Hopper is an interior lineman who chooses to attack downhill toward the ball. However, he will use lateral movement to funnel down the line and string out runners on boundary plays. Tulane won the American Conference, led by Hopper’s influence on defense.
13) Ricardo Jones, DB
The Clemson Tigers have seen an exodus of players since the transfer portal opened, but losing defensive back Ricardo Jones is a significant blow to Dabo Swinney’s team. The sophomore defensive back has played extensively in his two seasons in Death Valley and has been a game-changing force on the back end.
Teams looking for a ball-hawking safety should be immediately on the phone with a player who led the ACC in interceptions during the 2025 college football season.
12) DJ Barksdale, CB
Nickelbacks are rarely targeted, yet DJ Barksdale regularly faced teams that moved their No. 1 wideout into the slot against him. His lack of height (5’9″) could limit him outside, but with the popularity of spread formations, he’ll constantly be battling inside. The James Madison standout is one of the toughest players in the portal.
11) Anthony Colandrea, QB
Just two weeks after saying, “my future is here with (offensive coordinator Corey) Dennis and coach Mullen.”, Anthony Colandrea returned to the transfer portal for a second straight season. Perhaps he wasn’t being honest, or maybe he looked at the landscape and saw how well he had performed that season, and reconsidered his decision.
In any case, Colandrea was the third-best quarterback in the nation last year, and many schools will be excited to hear this news. Colandrea was everything UNLV could’ve asked for, accounting for 33 total touchdowns and leading them to the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.
10) Raleek Brown, RB
Raleek Brown is no stranger to the transfer portal. After spending two seasons with Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans, he linked up with Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State Sun Devils in 2024 before enjoying a breakout campaign in 2025. Fresh off a season with 1,141 yards and 6.1 yards per carry, Brown is a legitimate speed option with reliable hands out of the backfield.
9) Kalen Carrol, CB
Kalen Carroll’s transition to upper-echelon football was difficult at first, but after a year in Mount Pleasant, he established himself as a lead corner capable of shutting down receivers. He also surprises with his reliability as a tackler.
8) Ezra Christensen, DL
Ezra Christensen, a PFSN All-American out of New Mexico State, may be the best pass-rushing defensive tackle available. He can win with power on the outside and uses a quick first step on the inside. He picks a shoulder and attacks that side. Against the run, the former Fresno State rusher anchors well and fights through blocks.
7) Wyatt Young, WR
Update: Wyatt Young committed to Oklahoma State after this article was published.
It appears that the new Oklahoma State squad under Eric Morris can attract some highly productive and reliable transfers from North Texas via the transfer portal. Wyatt Young was third in the nation in yards with 1,264 on 70 catches, and he also caught ten touchdowns.
MORE: Transfer Portal QB Rankings: Byrum Brown Emerges as the No. 1 Option
While it’s expected that Young will join his former head coach in Stillwater, he’s the only one of a dynamic trio that includes Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins to not officially announce their intention to commit to the Cowboys.
6) Tyler Brown, SAF
With 27 games played in his first two years, Tyler Brown has experience against various teams at different levels. For example, his last game was against Oregon. That experience may give him greater confidence when facing strong offenses. Brown ranked No. 21 in PFSN’s Safety Impact metric.
5) Cam Cook, RB
Jacksonville State Gamecocks running back Cam Cook began his career with the TCU Horned Frogs before utilizing the college football transfer portal to revitalize his career. He’ll hop back in after a season where he led the nation with 1,659 rushing yards. One of the top remaining available players, Cook should command a ton of Power Four interest as a three-down back.
4) Brendan Sorsby, QB
Brendan Sorsby was absolutely stellar this whole season. Still, his performance in Cincinnati’s 38-30 upset win over 14th-ranked Iowa State stands out most as an example of what putting him in the right situation could potentially be capable of regularly.
He threw for 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Look for Sorsby to be rumored to go to just about every big school and make a significant impact wherever he chooses to go.
3) Byrum Brown, QB
Coming off a broken leg that cost him his whole 2024 season, Byrum Brown balled out to remind everyone why he was getting a ton of transfer interest at the end of 2023-24. Now, with his head coach, who he has stood by, headed to Auburn of the SEC, it seems all the likely that they are the favorites to land Brown.
Brown started the year off with wins against ranked Boise State and Florida, shocking a lot of people around the college football world. Brown threw for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns, and ran for 14 touchdowns. He has shown the ability to take over games completely, and if that can translate to the SEC, a very high draft pick is in his future.
2) JoJo Johnson, DL
With two years of eligibility remaining, JoJo Johnson will likely find a role on a Power Four team as a nose tackle. Nothing he does is flashy, but he commands double teams and finds openings to make plays in the backfield. If he doesn’t, the havoc he creates redirects the ball carrier toward his teammates.
1) John Henry Daley, EDGE
Putting up numbers like 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss in the Big 12 are impressive enough.
Now, it is rumored that John Henry Daley may follow his coach, Kyle Whittingham, to Michigan, which would project him into the top few rounds of the 2027 NFL Draft if he can deliver again for his coach or at another big-time program.
