The transfer portal offers hope.
Some new additions provide depth. Some become starters. And others emerge as stars, true difference-makers who can elevate a program. Indiana, Texas Tech and Ole Miss are just a few of the teams that have enjoyed banner seasons, in part due to the play of key transfers.
So let’s take a look at the best of the best first-year college football transfers in The Athletic’s all-portal team.
(Check out our All-America team and our All-Freshman team.)
Offense
Pos.PlayerTeam
QB
Fernando Mendoza
RB
Ahmad Hardy
RB
Kewan Lacy
WR
Duce Robinson
WR
Danny Scudero
TE
Tanner Koziol
OT
Keagen Trost
OT
Isaiah World
G
Evan Beerntsen
G
Emmanuel Pregnon
C
Luke Petitbon
QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana: The marriage between Mendoza, who began his career at Cal, and Indiana took the quarterback and program to heights no one anticipated this season. Mendoza, who has thrown for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions, is the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and the Hoosiers are 13-0, Big Ten champions and the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.
RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri: Hardy made the jump to the SEC from Louisiana-Monroe — where he was a Freshman All-American in 2024 — and proved he belonged in the discussion among the best running backs in the country. Hardy leads the nation with 130 rushing yards per game, and he averages 4.9 yards after contact, per TruMedia, the best mark for any running back with more than 150 carries.
RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss: Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was the transfer who received the most attention for the Rebels this season, but Lacy’s contributions should not be overlooked. The transfer from Missouri has rushed for 1,279 yards and 20 touchdowns. He ran for at least 140 yards in three of Ole Miss’ last four games as the program wrapped up its first-ever College Football Playoff berth.
WR Duce Robinson, Florida State: Robinson, a former five-star prospect who began his career at USC, benefited from a change of scenery. He ranks ninth nationally with 1,081 receiving yards and has six touchdown receptions. Don’t let his height (6 feet 6) fool you; he’s a big-play threat who has averaged 19.3 yards on 56 receptions. Robinson, who earned first-team All-ACC honors, had more receptions and yards this year than in his two seasons with the Trojans combined.
WR Danny Scudero, San Jose State: Scudero thrived in coordinator Craig Stutzmann’s “spread and shred” offense. The transfer from FCS Sacramento State leads the nation with 1,291 receiving yards and is tied for fourth with 88 receptions. The first-team All-Mountain West pick also has 10 touchdown catches.
TE Tanner Koziol, Houston: Koziol, a first-team All-Big 12 pick, leads all tight ends with 65 receptions to go along with 651 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Koziol, who began his career at Ball State, spent the spring at Wisconsin before moving on to Houston.
T Keagen Trost, Missouri: Trost is a seventh-year player who spent time at Morgan State, Indiana State and, most recently, Wake Forest before joining the Tigers. He has allowed two sacks and nine pressures in 388 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and was named first-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches.
T Isaiah World, Oregon: There was a lot of buzz about World after he transferred from Nevada in the offseason, and he held down the left tackle spot for the Ducks, who rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring and yards per play. World has allowed one sack and 10 pressures in 335 pass-blocking snaps, and he was named second-team All-Big Ten by the media.
G Evan Beerntsen, Northwestern: Beerntsen, a transfer from South Dakota State, hasn’t surrendered a sack and has allowed only five pressures in 372 pass-blocking snaps in 12 games this season.
G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon: Pregnon is a monster in the run game and is a significant reason the Ducks average 5.8 yards per rush (fifth nationally). However, the USC transfer has been excellent in pass protection, too. Pregnon hasn’t allowed a sack and has surrendered just three pressures all season. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches and media.
C Luke Petitbon, Florida State: Petitbon joined the Seminoles this season after starting 21 games at Wake Forest the previous two seasons. He’s allowed just three pressures in 399 pass-blocking snaps and was a big part of an offense that ranked 16th nationally in yards per play and 26th in scoring. Petitbon was named first-team All-ACC.
Defense
Pos.NameTeam
DL
David Bailey
DL
Stephen Daley
DL
Lee Hunter
DL
Nadame Tucker
LB
Xavier Atkins
LB
Jaxton Eck
DB
Mansoor Delane
DB
Bishop Fitzgerald
DB
Louis Moore
DB
Hezekiah Masses
DB
Dillon Thieneman
DL David Bailey, Texas Tech: Bailey was viewed as an elite transfer pickup for Texas Tech in the offseason, and he has surpassed expectations. The former Stanford Cardinal ranks second nationally with 13.5 sacks and leads the nation with 74 pressures, per PFF. Bailey is a first-team All-American and was named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. He has been a major factor in the Red Raiders’ defensive transformation.
DL Stephen Daley, Indiana: Daley’s season was unfortunately cut short after he suffered a freak leg injury celebrating the Hoosiers’ Big Ten title victory with fans on Saturday night. However, the Kent State transfer made a considerable impact for Indiana, with 5.5 sacks and a Big Ten-leading 19.0 tackles for loss on a defense that ranks second nationally in scoring and 12th in yards per play allowed.
DL Lee Hunter, Texas Tech: Bailey and Romello Height create havoc on the edges for the Texas Tech defense, while Hunter does damage on the interior. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound UCF transfer has the size and athleticism to disrupt and get into the backfield. He has notched 25 pressures and 8.5 tackles for loss. Texas Tech leads the nation in run defense, allowing only 68.5 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry.
DL Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan: The Broncos rode a top-15 defense to a 9-4 record and a MAC championship. Tucker, a Houston transfer, leads the nation in sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (21). He recorded 2.5 sacks and three TFLs in the conference title game. It was a breakout season for the edge rusher, who had 10 total tackles and registered no sacks during the first three years of his career.
LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn: Atkins had a quiet freshman season at LSU but burst onto the scene with Auburn this season. The sophomore leads the SEC with 17 tackles for loss and is tied for third with nine sacks. He was named first-team all-conference by the SEC’s coaches.
LB Jaxton Eck, New Mexico: The Lobos’ 9-3 season was one of the more underrated stories in the nation, considering the program lost so much of its coaching staff and roster in the offseason. Eck followed his father, head coach Jason Eck, from Idaho and recorded 126 tackles during the regular season, earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Lobos are headed to a bowl game — the Rate Bowl against Minnesota — for the first time since 2016.
DB Mansoor Delane, LSU: The Tigers made a concerted effort to retool their defense this offseason, and Delane, a Virginia Tech transfer, was a crucial pickup at corner. He finished the regular season tied for 12th nationally in passes defended with 13. Delane also picked off two passes on his way to first-team All-SEC honors.
DB Bishop Fitzgerald USC: Fitzgerald transferred from NC State and finished the regular season with five interceptions, which is tied for fourth nationally. He also has 51 tackles and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
DB Hezekiah Masses, Cal: Masses picked off two passes during his three seasons at FIU, but he has five this season for Cal and leads the nation with 18 passes defended. He’s made the most of his final season of eligibility, earning first-team All-ACC recognition.
DB Louis Moore, Indiana: Moore spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Indiana under then-coach Tom Allen and was at Ole Miss in 2024 before transferring back to the Hoosiers in the offseason. He’s been a key playmaker in the secondary, with six interceptions, which is tied for second nationally, and he had a crucial interception early in the Big Ten title game. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches.
DB Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: Thieneman was a good player at Purdue in 2023 and 2024, but got to shine on a bigger platform with the Ducks, who reached the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season. Thineman was named first-team All-Big Ten by coaches and media after he recorded 67 tackles and two interceptions in the regular season. His first interception of the season was the play that sealed Oregon’s dramatic double-overtime win at Penn State.
Specialists
Pos.NameTeam
K
Tate Sandell
P
Grayson Miller
AP
KC Concepcion
K Tate Sandell, Oklahoma: Sandell has converted 23 of 24 field-goal attempts in his first season at Oklahoma after spending three years at UTSA. His seven field goals from 50 yards or more are the most in the country, and he is 8 of 9 from 40-49 yards as well. He earned first-team All-America honors from The Athletic.
P Grayson Miller, Oklahoma: The Sooners did a terrific job with their specialists this season. Miller began his college career as a soccer player at Division II Lubbock Christian before spending two years as a punter at Division II Central Oklahoma. In his first season at OU, he was named first-team All-SEC after averaging 46.8 yards per punt, which ranks 12th nationally. He has placed 24 of his punts inside the 20 and seven inside the 10, which has been crucial for an Oklahoma defense that is among the best in the country.
AP KC Concepcion, Texas A&M: Concepcion was a critical addition for the A&M offense as he provided a dynamic receiving option the unit lacked last season. The NC State transfer leads the Aggies in catches (57), receiving yards (886) and touchdown receptions (nine). But Concepcion has also been an electric punt returner; his 20-yard average ranks fifth nationally, and he has two returns for touchdowns.
