For most of college football’s history, the path to a national championship was typically straightforward: elite high school recruiting. In the modern era, the Blue-Chip Ratio — the number of four- and five-star recruits a program signs as opposed to three-stars and below — has illustrated that.
But the effects of major rules changes, from loosening restrictions on transfers to the introduction of NIL compensation and revenue sharing, are changing the way a national title contender can be constructed. That shows in the roster makeup of the four College Football Playoff semifinalists: only one (Oregon) has had a larger percentage of games started by recruited players (57 percent) than by transfers (43 percent). The other three teams — Miami, Indiana and Ole Miss — have had more than half of their 2025 games started by transfer players. All four teams’ starting quarterbacks are transfers.
Roster construction, 2025 CFP semifinalists
TeamStarts by recruitsStarts by transfers
57.0%
43.0%
46.3%
53.7%
35.1%
64.9%
34.1%
65.9%
The change has been swift. By comparison, last year’s CFP semifinalists — Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas — all had more than three-quarters of their games started by recruited players. We are seeing the full effects of college football’s free transfer era, and it’s shaking up the highest level of the sport.
Roster construction, 2024 CFP semifinalists
TeamStarts by recruitsStarts by transfers
88.6%
11.4%
80.1%
19.9%
79.3%
20.7%
77.7%
22.3%
Last month, The Athletic analyzed the roster construction of all 12 teams in the CFP field. Now that we’re down to four teams, let’s take a closer look at how each of the semifinalists was built.
Note: Recruiting and transfer ratios are via SportSource Analytics. Recruiting rankings, ratings and team talent ranks are via the 247Sports Composite. All starters are based on the lineups from each team’s CFP quarterfinal game.
No. 1 Indiana (14-0)
- Percentage of starts from recruits: 35.1
- Percentage of starts from transfers: 64.9
- Average recruiting rank 2022-25: 51.2
- Team talent composite rank: 72
Offensive starters recruited (4)
- WR Charlie Becker (3-star)
- LT Carter Smith (3-star)
- RG Bray Lynch (3-star)
- RT Adedamola Ajani (3-star)
Offensive starters who transferred in (7)
- QB Fernando Mendoza (Cal)
- RB Roman Hemby (Maryland)
- WR Elijah Sarratt (James Madison)
- WR E.J. Williams (Clemson)
- TE Riley Nowakowski (Wisconsin)
- LG Drew Evans (Wisconsin)
- C Pat Coogan (Notre Dame)
Defensive starters recruited (5)
- DL Mario Landino (3-star)
- LB Rolijah Hardy (unranked)
- LB Isaiah Jones (3-star)
- CB Jamari Sharpe (3-star)
- S Amare Ferrell (3-star)
Defensive starters who transferred in (6)
- DE Mikail Kamara (James Madison)
- DL Tyrique Tucker (James Madison)
- DL Dominique Ratcliff (Texas State)
- LB Aiden Fisher (James Madison)
- CB D’Angelo Ponds (James Madison)
- S Louis Moore (Ole Miss)
Coach Curt Cignetti made over this roster significantly through the transfer portal. His starting quarterback each of his first two seasons has been a transfer. Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke took the Hoosiers to the CFP last year, and Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy this season. Next year’s starting quarterback will also be a transfer (Josh Hoover, from TCU).
Three of the current starting offensive linemen are recruits, but Kahlil Benson, who started 10 of the first 11 games at right tackle but didn’t start against Alabama, is a Colorado transfer. The defensive front is mostly transfers and also includes Stephen Daley, a Kent State transfer and the team’s tackles for loss leader, who suffered a season-ending injury after the Big Ten Championship Game.
Moore is technically a transfer, but he was recruited out of junior college by Tom Allen, transferred to Ole Miss before the 2024 season, and transferred back to Indiana before this season.
Of the key high school recruits playing significant snaps on this squad, six were signed by Allen (Ferrell, Lynch, Smith, Jones, Sharpe and receiver Omar Cooper) and three (Ajani, Becker and Landino) were 2024 signees after Cignetti took over, though Ajani and Becker committed under Allen.
No. 5 Oregon (13-1)
- Percentage of starts from recruits: 57
- Percentage of starts from transfers: 43
- Average recruiting rank 2022-25: 7.5
- Team talent composite rank: 5
Offensive starters recruited (4)
- WR Jeremiah McClellan (4-star)
- TE Kenyon Sadiq (4-star)
- C Iapani Laloulu (4-star)
- RG Dave Iuli (4-star)
Offensive starters who transferred in (7)
- QB Dante Moore (UCLA)
- RB Noah Whittington (Western Kentucky)
- WR Malik Benson (Florida State)
- TE Jamari Johnson (Louisville)
- LT Isaiah World (Nevada)
- LG Emmanuel Pregnon (USC)
- RT Alex Harkey (Texas State)
Defensive starters recruited (8)
- DE Matayo Uiagalelei (4-star)
- DL A’Mauri Washington (4-star)
- LB Bryce Boettcher (walk-on)
- LB Jerry Mixon (3-star)
- LB Teitum Tuioti (3-star)
- CB Brandon Finney Jr. (4-star)
- CB Ify Obidegwu (4-star)
- S Aaron Flowers (4-star)
Defensive starters who transferred in (3)
- DL Bear Alexander (USC)
- S Dillon Thieneman (Purdue)
- S Jadon Canady (Ole Miss)
Every starter on this team was brought in by Dan Lanning, who is in his fourth season leading the Ducks. Although Moore is technically a transfer, he committed to Oregon before flipping and signing with UCLA during the early signing period for the 2023 recruiting class.
Oregon’s high school recruiting prowess is evident here, with nine of the 12 homegrown starters rated as four- or five-star recruits. Boettcher was a two-sport high school star and MLB Draft pick who began his collegiate career on the baseball diamond but walked on to the football team in 2022. The defense is heavily homegrown, while the offense has a heavy transfer influence, particularly on the offensive line, where three transfers start.
No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1)
- Percentage of starts from recruits: 34.1
- Percentage of starts from transfers: 65.9
- Average recruiting rank 2022-25: 21.7
- Team talent composite rank: 21
Offensive starters recruited (3)
- WR Cayden Lee (3-star)
- C Brycen Sanders (4-star)
- RT Jayden Williams (3-star)
Offensive starters who transferred in (8)
- QB Trinidad Chambliss (Ferris State)
- RB Kewan Lacy (Missouri)
- WR Harrison Wallace III (Penn State)
- WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State)
- TE Dae’Quan Wright (Virginia Tech)
- LT Diego Pounds (North Carolina)
- LG Delano Townsend (UAB)
- RG Patrick Kutas (Arkansas)
Defensive starters recruited (5)
- DE Kam Franklin (4-star)
- DL Zxavian Harris (4-star)
- DL Will Echoles (4-star)
- Edge Suntarine Perkins (5-star)
- DB Nick Cull (4-star)
Defensive starters who transferred in (6)
- LB TJ Dottery (Clemson)
- LB Jaden Yates (Marshall)
- S Wydett Williams Jr. (Louisiana-Monroe)
- S Kapena Gushiken (Washington State)
- CB Jaylon Braxton (Arkansas)
- CB Antonio Kite (Auburn).
The transfer-heavy strategy instituted by former coach Lane Kiffin is most prevalent on offense, which is almost entirely constructed from imports. Receiver Deuce Alexander, the team’s third-leading pass catcher, is also a transfer (Wake Forest).
Virtually the entire defensive line was recruited out of high school, though Princewill Umanmielen, the team’s leader in tackles for loss, is a transfer from Nebraska. Most of the second and third levels were transfers.
An underrated aspect of this lineup is that four starting transfers came from Group of 5 schools, and Chambliss came from Division II Ferris State.
No. 10 Miami (12-2)
- Percentage of starts from recruits: 46.3
- Percentage of starts from transfers: 53.7
- Average recruiting rank 2022-25: 10
- Team talent composite rank: 15
Offensive starters recruited (6)
- RB Mark Fletcher Jr. (4-star)
- WR Malachi Toney (4-star)
- LT Markel Bell (junior college)
- LG Matthew McCoy (3-star)
- RG Anez Cooper (3-star)
- RT Francis Mauigoa (5-star)
Offensive starters who transferred in (5)
- QB Carson Beck (Georgia)
- WR Keelan Marion (BYU)
- WR CJ Daniels (LSU)
- TE Alex Bauman (Tulane)
- C James Brockermeyer (TCU)
Defensive starters recruited (5)
- DE Rueben Bain Jr. (4-star)
- DL Justin Scott (5-star)
- DL Ahmad Moten (3-star)
- LB Wesley Bissainthe (4-star)
- CB OJ Frederique Jr. (3-star)
Defensive starters who transferred in (6)
- DE Akheem Mesidor (West Virginia)
- LB Mohamed Toure (Rutgers)
- CB Ethan O’Connor (Washington State)
- S Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State)
- S Jakobe Thomas (Tennessee)
- DB Keionte Scott (Auburn)
Miami coach Mario Cristobal, a former Canes offensive tackle, prioritizes the offensive and defensive line, and that’s reflected in this roster. Most of Miami’s 2025 offensive and defensive linemen were recruited out of high school, including Mauigoa and Bain, future NFL Draft picks. So were two of its top offensive skill position stars, Toney and Fletcher.
The Canes have made a habit of importing quarterbacks, signing Beck this year after taking Cam Ward from Washington State before the 2024 season. Both worked out well, and Miami’s aiming to bring in another transfer quarterback in this portal cycle.
The biggest impact from transfers has come on defense, where a large chunk of the secondary arrived via the portal, including Scott, the nickel back who has been disruptive off the edge.
