6 Teams Winning College Football's First Transfer Portal Window for the 2025 Season
The first open window to enter college football's transfer portal for the 2025 season closed at midnight on Dec. 28. And with the first transfer entry period over, the dust is beginning to settle on which teams had the best class of additions from the portal. Auburn landed quarterback Jackson Arnold and receiver Eric Singleton in an effort to boost an offense that ranked near the bottom of the SEC in scoring. Florida State's haul is crucial with coach Mike Norvell on the hot seat, while Texas A&M, LSU, and Ole Miss brought in standout classes to contend in the SEC next fall. Texas Tech's portal class is among the biggest in college football and also gives coach Joey McGuire's team a chance to win the Big 12 in '25.
Although the portal is closed until April 16, players that filled out the necessary paperwork to enter don't have to select a team right away. Those decisions can come at any point in the next few months, but unless a player is a graduate transfer, the deadline to enter has passed until late April.
Several teams landed standout transfer hauls and more movement is coming over the next few months. However, let's spotlight a few of the top winners after the portal window closed on Dec. 28.
6 Teams Winning College Football's First Transfer Portal Window for the 2025 Season
Auburn
With an 11-14 record in his first two years on the Plains, the 2025 season could be a make-or-break campaign for coach Hugh Freeze. But with a standout portal class arriving this offseason, optimism is running high for the Tigers to turn things around next fall.
Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold had an up-and-down '24 campaign in Norman but also struggled to produce due to injuries at receiver and issues along the offensive line. The Texas native was brought into start next fall, with Freeze and his staff aiming to develop the former five-star prospect after an uneven year with the Sooners. Georgia Tech receiver Eric Singleton is one of the top players in the portal for the 2024-25 cycle and should slide into the starting role vacated by Keandre Lambert-Smith. An inconsistent offensive line will also get much-needed help from transfers Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and Mason Murphy (USC).
Each level of the defense has help on the way. Sam Houston transfer Chris Murray adds needed depth to the trenches, with Raion Strader Miami (Ohio) and Taye Seymore (Georgia Tech) bolstering a secondary that allowed 7.5 yards per attempt in SEC games this year.
The Seminoles are banking on several transfers to make an immediate impact in 2025.
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Florida State
With Mike Norvell likely coaching for his job in 2025 after a dismal 2-10 season, finding experienced and productive help on both sides of the ball was a must. The Seminoles met most of their needs in the first portal window by landing 16 transfers and are likely in the market for more help.
Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos enters spring as the frontrunner to start at quarterback under new coordinator Gus Malzahn, with Duce Robinson (USC) and Squirrel White (Tennessee) giving the receiving corps a much-needed boost. Four experienced starting offensive linemen arrive in Tallahassee from the portal, including Micah Pettus (Ole Miss) and Luke Petitbon (Wake Forest).
New coordinator Tony White and Norvell focused heavily on improving the defensive front after this unit ranked last in the ACC against the run, struggled to generate a pass rush, and were a big reason why this group allowed 5.8 yards a snap in conference matchups.
James Williams (Nebraska) and Jayson Jenkins (Tennessee) are key pickups to bolster the line, with Elijah Herring (Memphis), Stefon Thompson (Syracuse), and Caleb LaVallee (North Carolina) fortifying a linebacker unit that struggled in '24.
LSU
A three-game losing streak in the second half of the 2024 season prevented LSU from an appearance in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff. Although the Tigers finished the year by winning their last three contests to reach 9-4, the offseason optimism in Baton Rouge begins with the transfer portal haul.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier passed on the NFL Draft for another season at LSU, and coach Brian Kelly landed Kentucky speedster (and special teams weapon) Barion Brown and Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson to bolster a receiving corps losing three out of its top four statistical options from '24.
Fortifying the trenches was also a key goal of Kelly's work in the portal. The Tigers are expected to have four new starters up front, with Josh Thompson (Northwestern) and Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech) brought in to aid in the rebuilding effort.
LSU's defense should improve with another offseason to work under coordinator Blake Baker after showing some progress in his debut in '24. The portal also brought help to boost that effort, including four linemen and two players in the secondary. End Patrick Payton (11 TFL at Florida State this year) could be one of the SEC's top edge rushers next season, while Sydir Mitchell (Texas transfer) adds bulk to the interior at 350 pounds.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has landed another standout transfer portal class for 2025.
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Ole Miss
The Portal King is at it again, as coach Lane Kiffin is on track to assemble one of the nation's top transfer classes for the 2025 college football season.
Running back Kewan Lacy (Missouri), tight end Luke Hasz (Arkansas) and receivers De'Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), Caleb Odom (Alabama), and Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) restock the skill positions around new starting quarterback Austin Simmons. The trenches were also a focal point with three additions from the portal.
Ole Miss' defense emerged as one of the best in the SEC this year, limiting teams to just 14.4 points a game and 4.5 yards a play. Coordinator Pete Golding is losing several key players from that group, but seven transfers will arrive to replenish the defense in Oxford.
Da'Shawn Womack and Princewill Umanmielen are key pickups in the trenches, while Marshall standout Jaden Yates (120 tackles in '24) will bolster the second level. A pair of intraconference transfers in cornerback Jaylon Braxton (Arkansas) and Sage Ryan (LSU) are critical to fill voids in the secondary.
Texas A&M
Upgrading the receiving corps and defensive backfield were two major priorities for Texas A&M coach Mike Elko when the portal window opened in December.
The Aggies met their needs on the offensive side, landing former five-star prospect Micah Hudson (Texas Tech) and a pair of productive receivers in Mario Craver (21.7 yards per catch at Mississippi State in '24) and Kevin Concepcion (124 catches in two seasons at NC State).
Former Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey and slot cornerback Jordan Shaw (Washington) are critical pickups to address a secondary that allowed 20 touchdown passes in '24. Restocking the trenches was another priority with Shemar Turner, Nic Scourton, and Shemar Stewart off to the NFL. The pickups of Dayon Hayes (Colorado), Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State), and T.J. Searcy (Florida) add much-needed depth and talent up front.
Texas Tech's portal class should help coach Joey McGuire's team make a run at the College Football Playoff in 2025.
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Texas Tech
Texas Tech is all in on the 2025 college football season and contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff. As Arizona State showed this year, and with little overall separation in talent level among the teams, the new 16-team Big 12 is wide open at the top for a surprise contender to emerge.
Coach Joey McGuire's squad finished '24 with an 8-5 record (6-3 in conference play) and is set to return quarterback Behren Morton, receiver Caleb Douglas, and leading tackler Jacob Rodriguez (127 stops in '24). Losing running back Tahj Brooks and receiver Josh Kelly is significant, and a defense that allowed 34.8 points a game this year must show marked improvement under new coordinator Shiel Wood.
McGuire and his staff have added 17 transfers to restock on both sides of the ball and help this team make the jump to the Big 12 title game in '25.
Of the 17 transfers, nine are on the defensive side of the ball, including edge rusher Romello Height (6.5 TFL at Georgia Tech in '24), tackle Lee Hunter (9.5 TFL at UCF), and Anthony Holmes (Houston) in the trenches. North Dakota State transfer Cole Wisniewski and Brice Pollock (Mississippi State) were big-time pickups for a secondary that allowed 28 passing scores.
Three transfers - including Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State) and Will Jados (Miami, Ohio) - provide depth and talent to the offensive line. Also, running back Quinten Joyner will push rising star J'Koby Williams for carries, with receiver Reggie Virgil (Miami, Ohio) and tight end Terrance Carter (Louisiana) giving Morton more weapons to utilize.
Kicker Upton Bellenfant (18 of 21 at Buffalo) connected on eight kicks of 40-plus yards in '24 and could be one of the Big 12's top kickers next fall.
Other Standout Transfer Classes to Watch: Nebraska, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oregon, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
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