Who won the offseason? We look at every Power 4 team
The college football offseason used to feature slight to moderate turbulence from December to February, followed by a period of calm. Not anymore.
The offseason comes in waves, upending rosters and coaching staffs, sometimes more than once, before things settle down. Every team must be prepared to minimize losses and make significant gains. Those who succeed can make history. Those who fail can also make history. Just look at Indiana and Florida State in 2024.
ESPN college football reporters Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, Eli Lederman and Bill Connelly set out on the herculean task of ranking the offseasons for every Power 4 team, as well as national runner-up Notre Dame. Certain teams had more players enter the NFL draft or simply run out of eligibility than others. We took these losses into account but truly focused our analysis on three areas:
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Retention of key (non-draft-eligible) players
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Retention of key coaches or staff upgrades
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Player additions, primarily through the transfer portal but also high school recruits
All three elements matter as these teams build for conference relevance and College Football Playoff bids. An impressive portal haul doesn’t always equate to a great offseason, especially if the team is also losing players and coaches it wanted to keep. Teams that didn’t add much from the portal, but retained coveted players and assistant coaches, meanwhile, end up with offseasons to be celebrated.
Here are our conference-by-conference rankings and team breakdowns, as well as a national list of the 10 best offseasons.
Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12
Big Ten | Notre Dame | SEC | Overall top 10
ACC
Key additions: DE Will Heldt, WR Tristan Smith, LB Jeremiah Alexander
Key departures: RB Phil Mafah, LB Barrett Carter, DB R.J. Mickens
Top incoming recruits: DT Amare Adams, RB Gideon Davidson, DE Ari Watford
Biggest coaching move: The Tigers needed a defensive shake-up, and coach Dabo Swinney landed a big name in defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who left national semifinalist Penn State for Clemson. Allen, a former Indiana head coach, oversaw a Penn State defense that finished No. 8 nationally in points allowed and will bring experience and energy to a Clemson unit that fell off sharply last fall.
What went wrong: There’s not much to critique within what was a relatively quiet, if effective offseason for a Clemson roster that returns well-positioned for another playoff run. If we’re nitpicking, it’s worth looking at the Tigers’ lack of proven, high-end replacements for 1,115-yard rusher Phil Mafah and two-time All-America linebacker Barrett Carter. Four-star freshman Gideon Davidson might emerge as one of the nation’s top first-year rushers, and 2024 freshman All-America linebacker Sammy Brown looks like Clemson’s next great linebacker, but the Tigers’ postseason aspirations will be reliant at least in part on developing underclassmen at a pair of key positions.
What went right: Clemson finally dipped into the transfer portal for a big fish. Allen arrived to revamp a limp Tigers pass rush, and Swinney & Co. gave him a top player to work with in Purdue transfer edge rusher Will Heldt, a third-year pass rusher who logged 56 tackles and five sacks last fall. Adding Heldt to a returning defensive line unit led by T.J. Parker and Peter Woods, Allen and Clemson have the makings of a fearsome defensive front in 2025. Transfer pass catcher Tristan Smith (Southeast Missouri State) turned heads with a standout spring game performance and joins a loaded Tigers wide receivers room after catching 76 passes for 943 yards and six touchdowns in 2024.
Connelly’s take: The Tigers lead the nation in returning production and potentially made an upgrade at defensive coordinator. That’s a pretty good offseason! The only thing holding them back here is a merely fine recruiting haul. It’s good that Swinney is using the transfer portal now, but he’s still only barely using it.
Key additions: QB Carson Beck, DB Xavier Lucas, DT David Blay
Key departures: QB Cam Ward, WR Xavier Restrepo, LB Francisco Mauigoa
Top incoming recruits: OC S.J. Alofaituli, CB Jaboree Antoine, WR Joshua Moore
Biggest coaching move: Miami needed to reboot on defense, and coach Mario Cristobal turned to Corey Hetherman, who had successful FBS coordinator experience at Minnesota and James Madison. Hetherman oversaw a Gophers defense that ranked No. 5 nationally in yards allowed and No. 9 in points allowed last fall.
What went wrong: Miami missed on a handful of transfer portal quarterbacks to replace Cam Ward, including Ward’s former Washington State teammate and Oklahoma transfer John Mateer, before landing Carson Beck. The same UCL injury that ended Beck’s 2024 season kept him sidelined during spring camp and will be a story to watch into the fall. Seven NFL draft picks — the program’s highest count since 2017 — and more than a dozen portal exits leave the Hurricanes with loads of production to replace, particularly at wide receiver.
What went right: Cristobal got Beck and added skill talent all around him in a renovated Miami offense this offseason. Transfer wide receivers CJ Daniels (LSU), Keelan Marion (BYU) and Tony Johnson (Cincinnati) present intriguing new options on a team that lost its top six pass catchers from 2024. Former Alabama and TCU center James Brockermeyer joins what could become Cristobal’s strongest offensive line unit since taking over the Hurricanes, with North Dakota State transfer CharMar Brown arriving alongside Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle in a deep backfield. Hetherman’s first priority will be to repair a leaky secondary that struggled over the back half of the 2024 season. A deep cast of transfer newcomers headlined by Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), Charles Brantley (Michigan State), Ethan O’Connor (Washington State) and Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State) gives the first-year coordinator plenty to work with.
Connelly’s take: Recruiting? Good. Defensive coordinator change? Necessary. If Hetherman is the right hire and Beck is healthy and awesome, Miami made itself better this offseason. But that’s a pair of mighty ifs.
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Lane Kiffin takes jab at Carson Beck
Lane Kiffin makes a joke about Carson Beck’s reported $4.3 million deal with Miami.
Key additions: QB Darian Mensah, DT Josiah Green, DB Caleb Weaver
Key departures: G Caleb Krings, DT Kendy Charles, WR Jordan Moore
Top incoming recruits: DE Bryce Davis, OLB Bradley Gompers, WR Jamien Little
Biggest coaching move: Manny Diaz’s ability to retain both of his primary coordinators and others following a nine-win season is noteworthy, and he filled a vacancy at running back with Northwestern’s Chris Foster. He brings experience within the state from East Carolina and Appalachian State, has coached standout backs such as Keaton Mitchell, and will work with veteran back Jaquez Moore, who returns from an injury-plagued season.
What went wrong: The Blue Devils lost a lot at wide receiver with the departures of Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol, who combined for 115 receptions for 1,659 yards and 17 touchdowns. Duke really needs a lift from transfers Andrel Anthony, who played only eight snaps last season as he recovered from a knee injury, and Cooper Barkate, an FCS All-America selection at Harvard. The Blue Devils also were light on defensive transfers despite losing many of their top performers on that side of the ball, including top tacklers Ozzie Nicholas, Alex Howard and Cameron Bergeron.
What went right: After a nine-win season in Diaz’s first year, Duke showed no signs of dropping off. Although quarterback Maalik Murphy set records in his lone season as a Blue Devil, Duke boldly landed transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, a better fit for coordinator Jonathan Brewer’s offense. Mensah has three years of eligibility left. The Blue Devils also retained many of their top non-seniors, including standout cornerback Chandler Rivers and offensive tackle Brian Parker II. They didn’t add a lot of defensive transfers, but Josiah Green and Jaiden Francois should help. Diaz kept almost his entire staff together.
Connelly’s take: Diaz landed one of the top quarterbacks in the portal and will enjoy solid continuity heading into Year 2. The turnover in the skill corps and at linebacker hurts a little, though.
Key additions: QB Tommy Castellanos, WR Duce Robinson, CB Jeremiah Wilson
Key departures: CB Azareye’h Thomas, DT Joshua Farmer, WR Ja’Khi Douglas
Top incoming recruits: RB Ousmane Kromah, DT Kevin Wynn, OT Chastan Brown
Biggest coaching move: After a stunning backslide from 13-1 to 2-10, coach Mike Norvell had to shake up his staff, bringing in splashy coordinators Gus Malzahn (offense) and Tony White (defense). Malzahn is the big name — the former head coach at UCF, Auburn and Arkansas State, who has mentored Norvell — but White might be even more impactful, as a Rocky Long disciple with a track record of improving defenses.
What went wrong: The Seminoles likely welcomed a heavy dose of roster turnover following the program’s disastrous 2024 campaign, but they did lose several former blue-chip recruits, such as quarterback Luke Kromenhoek, wide receiver Hykeem Williams and defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. The spring portal exit of junior college wide receiver Jordan Scott — who joined the program in January — marked another disappointment. A series of late adds in the 2025 recruiting cycle only did so much to make up for decommitments from 10 ESPN 300 prospects last fall.
What went right: The fall will tell the full story, but Norvell appears to have taken a pair of positive steps toward a turnaround with the coordinator hires of Malzahn and White, and both will have a bevy of transfers to work with. Tommy Castellanos arrives with fresh weapons in 6-foot-6 Duce Robinson and former Tennessee speedster Squirrel White behind a new-look offensive line. On defense, White brings 2024 breakout pass rusher James Williams (5.0 sacks last fall) with him from Nebraska to a front seven revamped with seven total transfers. Jeremiah Wilson, No. 11 in ESPN’s spring portal rankings, comes over from Houston and marks a potential impact addition in the secondary.
Connelly’s take: We’ll see how much improvement is possible after an almost unprecedented collapse, but Norvell washed as much stink off the program as he could, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Key additions: QB Chandler Morris, WR Jahmal Edrine, S Devin Neal
Key departures: S Jonas Sanker, WR Malachi Fields, C Brian Stevens
Top incoming recruits: QB Cole Geer, OLB Isaiah Reese, WR Isaiah Robinson
Biggest coaching move: There’s status quo in Charlottesville as coach Tony Elliott retained his entire on-field staff from 2024, when the team made a two-win improvement. After an aggressive transfer portal push, Virginia is banking on continuity with coordinators Des Kitchings (offense) and John Rudzinski (defense), and a staff that has tried to build back the program.
What went wrong: Not a whole lot as Virginia had its smoothest and most productive offseason under Elliott. The team lost its top receiver in Malachi Fields to Notre Dame, though, as well as No. 1 tight end Tyler Neville. Although Jahmal Edrine is an interesting addition, he has a lot riding on him to reboot the passing attack with Chandler Morris. Jonas Sanker was Virginia’s only first-team All-ACC selection in 2024, and he leaves a significant void after leading the team in total tackles (98) and tackles for loss (8.5). Virginia’s offensive line turns over quite a bit from last season with seven additions via the portal. Experienced transfers should help there, but the group still must figure out how to jell.
What went right: Virginia ramped up its investment and aggressiveness in the portal to give Elliott what should be his best roster since taking over as head coach. The team added an experienced quarterback in Morris, who had 3,774 passing yards and 31 touchdowns for North Texas last season, as well as some nice insurance in Nebraska transfer Daniel Kaelin. Edrine is among the key additions on offense, and Virginia bolstered its return game with James Madison’s Cam Ross. Virginia made a strong push for offensive line transfers, and its defensive additions could really stand out, including linebacker Mitchell Melton (Ohio State), safety Devin Neal (Louisville) and cornerback Ja’son Prevard (Morgan State).
Connelly’s take: Elliott kept his coordinators and added some exciting playmakers through the portal. That’s good, though the fact that he needed this many transfers after three seasons isn’t an encouraging sign of a strong culture taking root.
Key additions: QB Miller Moss, LB Clev Lubin, WR TreyShun Hurry
Key departures: QB Tyler Shough, DE Ashton Gillotte, CB Quincy Riley
Top incoming recruits: DE C.J. May, ILB Caleb Matelau, WR Kamare Williams
Biggest coaching move: Deion Branch had been part of Louisville’s support staff and even served as interim head coach for a bowl win in 2022, but in February he joined the on-field coaches at a position he knows well — wide receiver. The MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX starred for Louisville, earning first-team all-league honors, and will now coach a group that includes seniors Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell.
What went wrong: Between the graduations of Michael Gonzalez and Jonathan Mendoza and portal exits by Monroe Mills (Virginia) and Austin Collins (Syracuse), the Cardinals are down four of their top five offensive linemen, in terms of snaps, from a year ago. Louisville has supplemented with the additions of six transfer linemen this offseason. That group is led by Mahamane Moussa (Purdue), Naeer Jackson (Florida International) and Makylan Pounders (Mississippi State), but this unproven offensive line unit remains a potential liability for an otherwise loaded offense. The Cardinals experienced similar turnover in the secondary, where the program brought on five transfers — only one of them from the Power 4 — to replace four starters on the back end of the defense.
What went right: The Cardinals retained running backs Isaac Brown (1,527 all-purpose yards in 2024) and Duke Watson and added portal pass catchers Dacari Collins (NC State) and TreyShun Hurry (San Jose State) alongside veteran receivers Lacy and Bell. Together, they’ll surround USC quarterback transfer Miller Moss, who arrives to replace Tyler Shough in an offense that finished 13th nationally in yards per game (449.2) a year ago. Clev Lubin (Coastal Carolina) joins the Cardinals after notching 9.5 sacks in his first FBS season last fall, landing as a prized offseason addition alongside three other transfer newcomers on a defensive line unit replacing six players who combined for more than 200 tackles last fall.
Connelly’s take: Coach Jeff Brohm has quickly become one of the nation’s more reliable portal shoppers, and his Cardinals return some serious star power at running back. But having to fill tons of holes at receiver, offensive line, defensive line and defensive back opens up so many opportunities for regression.
Key additions: WR Eric Rivers, OT Malachi Carney, DL Akelo Stone
Key departures: WR Eric Singleton Jr., TE Jackson Hawes, DT Zeek Biggers
Top incoming recruits: OT Josh Petty, S Tae Harris, DT Christian Garrett
Biggest coaching move: After losing defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci to the NFL, coach Brent Key selected Texas assistant Blake Gideon to lead the unit. Gideon hasn’t been a defensive coordinator — he oversaw special teams at Houston and Ole Miss — but brings extensive experience in the secondary, where he starred at safety for Texas before coaching defensive backs at four programs.
What went wrong: Eric Singleton Jr.’s departure wasn’t totally unexpected, but it certainly stings, as he brought elite speed to Georgia Tech’s passing game, averaging 13.5 yards per reception. The Yellow Jackets lost other notable transfers such as offensive tackle Corey Robinson II, an honorable mention All-ACC selection who landed at Arkansas, and linebacker Romello Height, who left for Texas Tech. Santucci’s departure after only one season creates the potential for disruption on defense. Although Gideon projects well, he hasn’t been a primary defensive coordinator before.
What went right: After a season in which Georgia Tech won some big games but could have won more overall, the roster is set up for potentially big things this fall. Key retained his starting offensive backfield of quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes, as well as backup quarterback Aaron Philo, who could be key, given King’s injury history. Receptions leader Malik Rutherford also is back after briefly considering a transfer in December. As colleague Dan Murphy recently detailed, safety Clayton Powell-Lee came very close to entering the portal before returning. Gifted offensive playcaller Buster Faulkner is also back to work with King.
Connelly’s take: Keeping the Faulkner-King combo was great, as was adding maybe FIU’s two best players to an already speedy skill corps. Considering how important physicality was to 2024’s success, however, turnover in the trenches is worrisome.
Key additions: DE Jahkai Lang, OG Addison Nichols, DT Jeffrey M’Ba
Key departures: RB Brashard Smith, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, DE Elijah Roberts
Top incoming recruits: OT Dramodd Odoms, QB Ty Hawkins, WR Daylon Singleton
Biggest coaching move: Coach Rhett Lashlee kept his staff intact after reaching the ACC title game and the CFP, which provides great continuity entering 2025. Defensive coordinator Scott Symons has been in the mix for head coaching roles but will return to SMU for his fourth season to oversee a playmaking unit.
What went wrong: Can the Mustangs sustain their 2024 success and follow up on the 11-3 finish that took SMU to the conference title game and a playoff appearance in the program’s ACC debut? Hanging on to Symons and offensive coordinator Casey Woods will help. But failing to add a proven, impact newcomer to step in for 1,332-yard rusher Brashard Smith or a replacement for top pass catcher Roderick Daniels Jr. could bite the Mustangs. Symons’ steel will be tested as well, with SMU potentially preparing to replace upward of 80% of its starting 11 on defense, including top tackler Kobe Wilson and defensive tackles Jared Harrison-Hunte and Elijah Roberts.
What went right: The Mustangs made size and depth on both sides of the line of scrimmage a priority ahead of their first ACC season last fall. That paid off for an offensive line that allowed only 18 sacks (T-30th nationally) and paved the way for the league’s seventh-ranked rushing attack. SMU accounted for the losses of center Jakai Clark and right guard Justin Osborne with Oklahoma transfer Joshua Bates and Arkansas’ Addison Nichols, a 12-game starter last fall, along with veteran Miami transfer Zion Nelson. The Mustangs drew similar dividends on a defensive line that finished seventh in rushing yards per game (100.7). Jeffrey M’Ba, Damarjhe Lewis and Texas State portal newcomer Terry Webb will be given the tall task of replacing Harrison-Hunte and Roberts.
Connelly’s take: Lashlee held on to his quarterback and both coordinators. That’s an undeniable plus, but it’s pretty easy to be a little worried about the receiving corps as well as a defense that could have as many as nine new starters.
Key additions: OT Kendall Stanley, WR Cataurus Hicks, DE Blaine Spires
Key departures: OL Branson Taylor, TE Gavin Bartholomew, WR Konata Mumpfield
Top incoming recruits: OT Jordan Fields, WR Bryce Yates, DE Trevor Sommers
Biggest coaching move: Coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t change much on the staff after an active offseason the year before. Offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who helped Pitt rise to No. 15 in passing in his first season, received a new contract with a raise earlier this year. He remains an intriguing name to watch in upcoming coach cycles.
What went wrong: Pitt followed a 7-0 start last fall with six consecutive losses to close the season, then suffered a pair of blows on defense via transfer portal exits of cornerback Ryland Gandy (Indiana) and defensive end Sincere Edwards (UCF). Tack on the graduations of All-ACC safety Donovan McMillon and third-leading tackler Brandon George and Pitt has holes to fill as it rebuilds a defense that finished 91st nationally in points allowed last fall (28.4). The Panthers could have a replacement for Edwards if Blaine Spires can rediscover his 2023 form. Redshirt sophomore Cruce Brookins will be among the returners Pitt hopes will step in to fill the void left by McMillon’s exit.
What went right: For at least one half of the 2024 season, Pitt proved it could play winning football with quarterback Eli Holstein and all-purpose running back Desmond Reid guiding the offense. The Panthers will need to identify a replacement for Konata Mumpfield, but they’ve crucially reinforced an offensive line that struggled mightily last fall with the transfer additions of offensive tackles Jeff Persi (Michigan) and Kendall Stanley (Charlotte) along with guard Keith Gouveia (Richmond). If that group can find cohesion, Bell should be able to get more out of an offense that averaged 19.2 points per contest over its final five regular-season games.
Connelly’s take: Narduzzi retained all the sparkly offensive puzzle pieces that produced improvement last season, which is good. But we’ll see whether incoming transfers can provide a boost for what has been a mediocre defense for two straight years.
Key additions: OL Tomas Rimac, RB Terion Stewart, DE James Djonkam
Key departures: RB Bhayshul Tuten, DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland, CB Mansoor Delane
Top incoming recruits: WR Micah Matthews, ILB Brett Clatterbaugh, QB Kelden Ryan
Biggest coaching move: Coach Brent Pry had to fill two coordinator roles — Chris Marve was fired, Tyler Bowen left for Ohio State — and took different routes with the replacements. He tapped former Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery, who has coordinator experience from Baylor and other stops, to lead the offense. Sam Siefkes is a lesser-known name but has FCS and Division III defensive coordinator experience and spent the past four seasons with two NFL teams.
What went wrong: Turnover was the theme of the Hokies’ offseason after a disappointing 7-6 finish last fall. But not much of it was especially good as Virginia Tech saw more than two dozen players exit via the transfer portal and lost a handful of key contributors to the NFL. Among those gone in 2025 are top rusher Bhayshul Tuten, sack leader Antwaun Powell-Ryland and all five starters from a defensive back unit that finished in the top half nationally in passing yards allowed per game (215.9). With the portal departures of left tackle Xavier Chaplin (Auburn) and center Braelin Moore (LSU), the Hokies could feature five new starters on the offensive line this fall.
What went right: Virginia Tech held on to redshirt senior quarterback Kyron Drones and added reinforcements in the portal to help Montgomery turn around an offense that finished 88th nationally in yards per game (367.8) last fall. Running back transfers Terion Stewart (Bowling Green), Marcellous Hawkins (Central Missouri) and Braydon Bennett (Coastal Carolina) make for an intriguing trio to replace Tuten and former backup Malachi Thomas (Purdue transfer). Former Tennessee running back Cameron Seldon is expected to play wide receiver for the Hokies in 2025, and Virginia Tech added needed experience at the position in pass catchers Donavon Greene (Wake Forest) and Isaiah Spencer (Jackson State). Tomas Rimac, a 29-game starter at West Virginia, represents the program’s most experienced newcomer on a renovated offensive line.
Connelly’s take: Pry’s first three seasons in Blacksburg have been decent but unspectacular, and having to make major changes — two coordinators, double-digit defensive transfers — could make things much better or much worse. The range of possible outcomes for Tech is enormous this season.
Key additions: S Jeremiah Johnson, OT Teague Andersen, OLB Joseph Adedire
Key departures: OT Anthony Belton, WR Kevin Concepcion, S Bishop Fitzgerald
Top incoming recruits: RB Deandre Desinor, OT Ta’Khyian Whitset, OC Isaac Sowells Jr.
Biggest coaching move: After his 12th season as coach, Dave Doeren replaced both coordinators, promoting veteran playcaller Kurt Roper to oversee the offense and bringing in D.J. Eliot, who has Big 12 and SEC defensive coordinator experience and spent time in the ACC at Florida State, to call the defense. Roper and Eliot worked together at Colorado in 2018, and their familiarity should help as NC State comes off its worst season since 2019.
What went wrong: After a disappointing 2024 season, NC State took some hits in the portal, namely with Kevin Concepcion, who led the team in receptions (48) and touchdown catches (6) and landed at Texas A&M. Bishop Fitzgerald, an honorable mention All-ACC selection, had three interceptions and eight pass breakups. NC State also lost linebacker Kamal Bonner, No. 3 rusher Kendrick Raphael, cornerback Brandon Cisse and others. The bigger transfer losses seemed to come on defense, which will have a new system under Eliot and possibly a steeper learning curve.
What went right: Despite the changes, NC State has a clear vision on offense with quarterback CJ Bailey, who completed nearly 65% of his passes with 17 touchdowns as a freshman. Bailey has gone through the entire offseason as the starter and has familiarity with Roper, who has coached the quarterbacks. NC State retained leading rusher Hollywood Smothers as well as tight end Justin Joly and wide receivers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes, who should help account for Concepcion’s departure. The team didn’t add a ton of surefire defensive starters in the portal but picked up depth with players such as linebacker Kenny Soares (Northwestern), end Sabastian Harsh (Wyoming) and cornerback Jamel Johnson (Temple).
Connelly’s take: The defense’s sudden collapse needed to be addressed, and Doeren brought in an experienced (if uninspiring) coordinator and lots of new transfers. That’s good, though it’s hard to feel too strongly, good or bad, about the overall moves here.
Key additions: QB Gio Lopez, DE Pryce Yates, OL Daniel King
Key departures: RB Omarion Hampton, DE Beau Atkinson, OT Howard Sampson
Top incoming recruits: QB Bryce Baker, WR Adrian Wilson, DT Nicco Maggio
Biggest coaching move: All is quiet at UNC except for six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick taking over as coach, hiring sons Steve and Brian to the staff, and adding other notable names such as former UConn coach Bob Diaco and former North Carolina and NFL running back Natrone Means to the staff. The “Chapel Bill” era will be quite the experiment, as North Carolina is going all-in on football.
What went wrong: There was some expected turbulence around the Belichick hire and a brand-new way of operating. North Carolina lost several starters, including Beau Atkinson, who led the team in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (12) last season, and linebacker Amare Campbell (6.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss in 2024). Both could have been centerpieces for the defense, which already loses tackle Jahvaree Ritzie, linebacker Power Echols, cornerback Alijah Huzzie and others. North Carolina also lost a likely depth option on the offensive line in tackle Zach Rice, ESPN’s No. 8 overall recruit in the 2022 class.
What went right: North Carolina found its quarterback in the spring portal with Gio Lopez, a dual-threat left-hander who ranked 22nd nationally in total offense (274.7 YPG) last season for South Alabama. Lopez gives coordinator Freddie Kitchens a building block, and North Carolina brings back wide receiver Kobe Paysour and adds speed threat Aziah Johnson from Michigan State. Omarion Hampton’s loss certainly will be felt in the run game, but North Carolina added Michigan transfer Benjamin Hall to the group. The new staff seemingly made some gains with its defensive transfers, including Pryce Yates and Gavin Gibson, a productive nickelback at East Carolina last fall. North Carolina also added some good options to boost its offensive line depth.
Connelly’s take: Hiring one of the best football coaches of all time was certainly a nice start, but the off-the-field drama hasn’t been encouraging, and aside from maybe the defensive front six, it’s hard to guarantee that the Heels have a single unit that is more talented than it was a year ago.
Key additions: G Tommy Matheson, OT Amir Johnson, QB Dylan Lonergan
Key departures: DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, OT Ozzy Trapilo, C Drew Kendall
Top incoming recruits: OLB Griffin Collins, RB Mekhi Dodd, QB Shaker Reisig
Biggest coaching move: The Eagles hired Jordan Thomas to oversee a defensive line that loses standout pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and others. Thomas spent the past three seasons as assistant defensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns, but he’s a former player and assistant at San Diego State, an increasingly popular coaching tree because of the defensive success under Rocky Long.
What went wrong: Boston College’s best teams are built at the line of scrimmage, and the Eagles will feel the departures of Ezeiruaku, Ozzy Trapilo, Drew Kendall and others. Ezeiruaku was ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and the Eagles didn’t add many obvious impact transfers on defense. Transfers such as Michigan linebacker Jason Hewlett have potential, but Boston College will need holdovers such as KP Price, Daveon Crouch and Carter Davis to carry the unit. The running game will have a different look as Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward move on. BC added transfer Vaughn Pemberton, a backup at Ball State.
What went right: The Eagles retained many of their top players, including wide receiver Lewis Bond and productive defenders such as Price, Crouch and Davis. Quarterback Grayson James, who took over for Thomas Castellanos down the stretch in 2024, went through the offseason as the team’s projected starter. Guard Logan Taylor, an honorable mention All-ACC selection, is back, and Boston College had some of its biggest transfer portal gains at offensive line, a signature position group under coach Bill O’Brien. The team avoided major shakeups to the coaching staff and the roster, and it has a chance to take another step in O’Brien’s second season.
Connelly’s take: The Eagles definitely lost more than they gained in the trenches, but it’s been a relatively quiet offseason for O’Brien & Co., and quiet definitely doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Key additions: QB Steve Angeli, QB Rickie Collins, OT Kam Pringle
Key departures: QB Kyle McCord, RB LeQuint Allen, WR Trebor Pena
Top incoming recruits: S Demetres Samuel, OT Jayden Mann, ILB Antoine Deslauriers
Biggest coaching move: Coach Fran Brown retained offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, despite some outside interest, and added two new assistants in special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield and wide receivers coach Myles White, a former NFL and CFL wideout. Brumfield has ACC experience from Georgia Tech and Virginia, while White will oversee a new-look receivers room after spending 2024 working with the Green Bay Packers.
What went wrong: The Orange couldn’t do anything about the NFL departures of playmakers Kyle McCord, LeQuint Allen and Oronde Gadsden II or offensive line starters Savion Washington and Jakob Bradford. But the portal exits of Trebor Pena (Penn State), top defensive tackle Maraad Watson (Texas) and starting center J’Onre Reed (USC) took a hammer to Syracuse’s returning veteran depth after a 10-3 finish in Year 1 under Brown. The program struggled to retool at key positions via the portal, particularly in the skill spots on offense, leaving question marks hovering over a unit that led the nation in passing yards per game (370) last fall.
What went right: Syracuse might not have another quarterback like McCord, but at least there are options as the program moves forward without college football’s 2024 passing leader. The Orange added Rickie Collins in the winter portal window, and Brown named the former top-200 recruit as starting quarterback at the end of spring camp last month. Two weeks later, Syracuse added Steve Angeli, an experienced fourth-year passer from Notre Dame who could challenge Collins for starting snaps this fall. While so much else remains uncertain for the Orange, there’s solidity in the quarterback options.
Connelly’s take: Brown held on to Nixon and landed two intriguing new QBs. That’s good. The massive turnover at receiver and on the offensive line was discouraging, however, and a pretty shaky defense didn’t add any guaranteed difference-makers.
Key additions: OT Fa’alili Fa’amoe, DE Gabe Kirschke, C Devin Kylany
Key departures: C Luke Petitbon, CB Jamare Glasker, WR Horatio Fields
Top incoming recruits: QB Elijah Oehlke, DE Cole Funderburk, OT Will Saba
Biggest coaching move: New coach Jake Dickert made the cross-country move from Washington State and brought several assistants with him, but both coordinators, Rob Ezell (offense) and Scottie Hazelton (defense), were not on Dickert’s staff. Ezell is a dynamic up-and-coming assistant with Nick Saban ties who helped South Alabama rise to 19th nationally in scoring. At Wyoming, Dickert worked under Hazelton, who has been defensive coordinator at Michigan State, Kansas State and North Dakota State.
What went wrong: Wake Forest not surprisingly lost a big group to the portal amid the coaching transition, including three likely key contributors at wide receiver in Horatio Fields, Deuce Alexander and Donavon Greene. The team tried to backfill with transfers but will need several of the newcomers to be surprisingly productive. Luke Petitbon, a mainstay on the offensive line the past two seasons, transferred to Florida State, while another line starter, Keagen Trost, landed with Missouri. Other than running back and tight end, where Harry Lodge returned after spending the spring at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest will lean on transfers at every offensive position.
What went right: The team retained its best offensive player in running back Demond Claiborne, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season and has drawn excellent reviews from the new coaches. Wake Forest also brought back leadership and production on defense with players such as safety Nick Andersen (team-high 122 tackles in 2024) and linebacker Dylan Hazen (seven tackles for loss last season). Dickert delivered eight transfers from Washington State, including bolstering the offensive line with tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe and center Devin Kylany and the wide receiver group with Carlos Hernandez. In quarterback transfers Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie, Wake Forest has two different but capable options to lead the offense.
Connelly’s take: After back-to-back 4-8 seasons, a complete overhaul isn’t the worst thing in the world. But this is a complete overhaul — new coaching staff, nine or 10 new offensive starters, eight or nine new defensive starters. Might take a while for things to jell.
Key additions: QB Devin Brown, DE TJ Bush Jr., LB Harrison Taggart
Key departures: QB Fernando Mendoza, RB Jaydn Ott, LB Teddye Buchanan
Top incoming recruits: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, OG Justin Hasenhuetl, TE Jacob Houseworth
Biggest coaching move: Cal has two new coordinators, although Bryan Harsin, the former Auburn, Boise State and Arkansas State coach, is the headliner. He returns to coaching for the first time since 2022, overseeing a unit that includes Ohio State quarterback transfer Devin Brown and a new-look running backs room. Coach Justin Wilcox seeks continuity on defense, where he promoted Vic So’oto and Terrence Brown as co-coordinators.
What went wrong: Put simply, Cal has been crushed by outgoing transfers, particularly on offense, where the Bears lost 18 players from the team that finished 6-7 a year ago. A spring portal exodus from the program’s running backs room saw Cal lose its top five rushers, headlined by the departures of former All-Pac-12 selection Jaydn Ott and 2024 rushing yards leader Javian Thomas (UCLA). Combined with portal exits from Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), top wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (Nebraska) and lead tight end Jack Endries (Texas), plus multiple newcomers on the offensive line, Harsin will have his work cut out for him in his debut season overseeing a fully renovated Bears offense.
What went right: Although Cal lost its 2024 starter, the program secured its present and future at quarterback with the portal arrivals of Brown and freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, an ESPN 300 prospect who returned to the Bears following a signing day flip to Oregon. UNLV transfer wide receiver Jacob De Jesus is a two-time All-Mountain West special teamer with explosive potential on offense, and Cal added reinforcements up front with four offensive line transfers who combined for 40 starts last fall. If the spring portal stung Harsin’s offense, it was kind to So’oto and Brown — defensive end TJ Bush Jr. (Liberty), defensive tackle Zae Smith (Houston Christian) and linebacker Harrison Taggart (BYU) are among the latest members of a deep transfer class on defense.
Connelly’s take: Changing coordinators could turn out to be a good thing, but the sudden loss of production in the spring significantly changed the tenor of the offseason. Wilcox replaced Mendoza with some intriguing options, but the skill corps lost far more than it gained, and the secondary is starting over.
Key additions: WR C.J. Williams, OT Niki Prongos, LB Hunter Barth
Key departures: WR Elic Ayomanor, OLB David Bailey, WR Emmett Mosley V
Top incoming recruits: WR JonAnthony Hall, DE Adam Shovlin, DT Kole Briehler
Biggest coaching move: Troy Taylor’s firing in late March rocked the Stanford program ahead of his third season as head coach. New general manager Andrew Luck leaned on his own past in hiring Frank Reich, who coached Luck with the Indianapolis Colts and has spent his entire career in the NFL. Reich will coach Stanford for the 2025 season only, working with Taylor’s assistants.
What went wrong: Unexpected coaching changes always bring some bumps, and Stanford certainly wasn’t spared by Taylor’s dismissal. The Cardinal lost some of their best non-seniors this spring, including David Bailey, who led the team in forced fumbles (5), sacks (6), quarterback hurries (8) and tackles for loss (8) last season. He cashed in at Texas Tech, while Emmett Mosley V is headed to Texas after finishing second on the team in receptions (48) and receiving yards (525). Cornerback Julian Neal, a key transfer commit from Fresno State, reentered the portal after Taylor’s firing and landed with Arkansas. The roster is certainly in flux for Reich.
What went right: Not much. Stanford already was going through turnover at several key positions in the winter portal, and Taylor’s firing set off another personnel frenzy. The good news is Stanford brings back productive defenders like safeties Scotty Edwards and Mitch Leigber, outside linebacker Tevarua Tafiti and tight end Sam Roush. Taylor’s assistants are also staying on through the 2025 season, including primary defensive coordinator Bobby April, co-defensive coordinator Andy Thompson and Nate Byham, who was promoted from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator. Significant changes are coming, but not right away, which is good for the returning players.
Connelly’s take: Stanford made zero progress in two years under Taylor, so even an awkwardly timed coaching change doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But … it’s not automatically good either, and while actually using the portal is good, the Cardinal still lost more than they brought in.
Big 12
Key additions: DT Lee Hunter, OLB David Bailey, OT Howard Sampson
Key departures: RB Tahj Brooks, OL Caleb Rogers, WR Josh Kelly
Top incoming recruits: WR Bryson Jones, OG Connor Carty, OLB Brock Golwas
Biggest coaching move: Coach Joey McGuire has two new coordinators ahead of a much-anticipated season in Lubbock. Shiel Wood, who served as Troy’s defensive coordinator when the team won the Sun Belt and spent last season in the same role at Houston, will take over a Texas Tech defense that finished 121st nationally in points allowed. McGuire brought in Mack Leftwich, a rising star offensive coordinator much in the same mold as predecessor Zach Kittley, to lead the offense.
What went wrong: Not much! McGuire, GM James Blanchard and billionaire board chairman Cody Campbell set out to build the most talented roster in Texas Tech history this offseason and spared no expense in their efforts to compete for the best players in the portal. McGuire also went out and got exactly who he wanted for his coordinator vacancies. The one player Tech didn’t want to lose, five-star wideout Micah Hudson, has already returned after a brief stint at Texas A&M. Post-spring attrition was expected after reserves were supplanted by newcomers, and a total of 22 scholarship players have moved on since the end of the 8-5 season.
What went right: If you’re willing to spend millions on transfers, can you get anybody you want? The Red Raiders came pretty darn close. They’ve assembled one of the best defensive lines in the sport with the additions of Hunter, Bailey, Romello Height (Georgia Tech) and Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois). They made massive upgrades to their offensive line with Sampson, Illinois State’s Hunter Zambrano and Miami (Ohio)’s Will Jados leading the way. Miami (Ohio) transfer receiver Reggie Virgil and Louisiana transfer tight end Terrance Carter should be big-time playmakers, and the list of impact additions certainly doesn’t stop there. It’s one of the most ambitious offseason overhauls in college football history, creating playoff-or-bust expectations for this coaching staff and the loaded roster.
Connelly’s take: Tech’s 8-5 record was a bit of a mirage last season, propped up by a 6-1 record in one-score games. Joey McGuire will therefore need to get even more improvement out of this amazing transfer class than you might think at first glance. But this was indeed a spectacular offseason in Lubbock.
Key additions: WR Jaren Hamilton, RB Kanye Udoh, WR Jalen Moss
Key departures: RB Cam Skattebo, OL Leif Fautanu, DB Shamari Simmons
Top incoming recruits: QB Cameron Dyer, ILB Isaiah Iosefa, S Joseph Smith
Biggest coaching move: After winning the Big 12 and reaching the CFP for the first time, Arizona State kept its coaching staff intact. Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, a finalist for the Broyles Award (nation’s top assistant) and the former UNLV head coach, could soon get another opportunity to lead a program, but he will be back with coach Kenny Dillingham in Tempe.
What went wrong: There’s not much to nitpick about how the Sun Devils’ offseason has played out. The name of the game this offseason was talent retention, and Dillingham succeeded in keeping this crew together. Five players who started 10-plus games in 2024 moved on, and all of them were seniors. In fact, only two of their outgoing transfers (WR Troy Omeire and TE Markeston Douglas) earned starts last season.
What went right: Dillingham must be thrilled with how everything is setting up for Year 3. Arizona State brings back a ton of experience from its CFP squad, including 25 players with starts last season. You didn’t hear rumors about Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson or other returning starters testing the open market. The Sun Devils brought in Udoh to team with Kyson Brown and landed a trio of talented receivers in Hamilton, Moss and Noble Johnson (Clemson) to replace departing seniors. They also added help in the secondary, but for the most part, the Sun Devils were looking to boost depth. They’ve got more than enough to chase another Big 12 title and are eager to run it back.
Connelly’s take: ASU has one of the best returning production percentages in the country and kept both coordinators after a late-season breakthrough. Continuity makes plenty of sense, even though the Sun Devils did benefit from some close-game fortune (6-2 in one-score finishes).
Key additions: WR Kobe Prentice, LB Travion Barnes, QB Walker White
Key departures: LB Matt Jones, LB Garmon Randolph, WR Hal Presley
Top incoming recruits: RB Michael Turner, DE Kamauryn Morgan, DT Jackson Blackwell
Biggest coaching move: Coach Dave Aranda became the defensive playcaller during Baylor’s rebound season in 2024, and he made key additions to his defensive staff this winter. Baylor hired Paul Gonzales, an assistant at rival TCU for the past 13 seasons, to be defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Aranda also hired Carson Hall, a Western Kentucky assistant with SEC ties, to work with the outside linebackers.
What went wrong: Aranda and his staff got off the hot seat in 2024 with a stunning turnaround from 2-4 to 8-5. Now they look well positioned to be a Big 12 contender again with 14 returning starters. Defensive lineman Brendan Bett transferring to Florida was a tough post-spring loss, but this has been a largely successful offseason from a talent retention standpoint with only four other scholarship players departing for other Power 4 programs.
What went right: Sawyer Robertson was a revelation last season, producing an 83.7 QBR (fifth best in FBS) and powering an offense that averaged 41.3 points per game over the second half of the regular season (second most in FBS). He’s getting more help at receiver with the arrival of Prentice and Texas State transfer Kole Wilson. There are plenty of quality pickups to point to on defense, too. Barnes was the Defensive Player of the Year in Conference USA last season after racking up a league-high 129 tackles. Oregon transfer Emar’rion Winston and Tulane transfer Matthew Fobbs-White should help off the edge, and the Bears picked up four new DBs to bolster their secondary.
Connelly’s take: Like ASU, Baylor improved on both sides of the ball in 2024 (especially late in the season), kept its coordinators and now returns high production levels. That’s a good offseason right there.
Key additions: WR Chase Sowell, WR Xavier Townsend, DL Tamatoa McDonough
Key departures: WR Jayden Higgins, WR Jaylin Noel, CB Darien Porter
Top incoming recruits: DE Jack Limbaugh, DE Trey Verdon, RB Ryver Peppers
Biggest coaching move: Coach Matt Campbell has had to fill several vacancies on the offensive staff in recent years, and did so again with Tony Landry, who will coach ISU’s running backs after Tyler Roehl joined the Detroit Lions. Landry was offensive coordinator in 2024 for North Dakota State, which won the FCS national title, and also has coordinator experience from St. Thomas (Minnesota) and Wisconsin-La Crosse.
What went wrong: Starting defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim transferring to Texas A&M and safety Malik Verdon turning pro early then going undrafted were the only significant departures the Cyclones had to deal with this offseason. Four of the senior leaders of their first-ever 11-win season got drafted, and Campbell and his coaches were able to get through the portal windows with minimal issues.
What went right: The Cyclones knew they’d have to replace Higgins and Noel going into 2025 and landed the top two targets on their board in Sowell, a talented 6-foot-4 wideout from East Carolina, and Townsend, who had previously committed to the Cyclones in high school. Both lived up to big expectations in spring practice and should see a ton of targets from Rocco Becht this fall. There are new starters to plug in across the depth chart, but the fact this staff didn’t go heavy on portal pickups sent a clear message they like their depth, youth and momentum following a historic season for the program.
Connelly’s take: This was an extremely Iowa State offseason. Campbell brought in a couple of speedsters at wideout and needed to account for turnover on the defensive line, but this continuity-based program boasts plenty of continuity following its second AP top-15 finish ever.
Key additions: S Gunner Maldonado, WR Jerand Bradley, OL George Fitzpatrick
Key departures: RB DJ Giddens, DE Brendan Mott, CB Jacob Parrish
Top incoming recruits: TE Linkon Cure, OG Brock Heath, S R.J. Collins
Biggest coaching move: After one season as offensive coordinator but 12 on coach Chris Klieman’s staff, Conor Riley departed for the NFL. Klieman prioritized continuity in naming Matt Wells, the team’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, to the primary role. Wells is a former head coach at Texas Tech and Utah State. Klieman shifted Brian Lepak from tight ends to offensive line, which Riley oversaw, and hired veteran Big 12 assistant Luke Wells to coach the tight ends.
What went wrong: Three losses in November knocked K-State out of the Big 12 title race after it had climbed as high as No. 16 in the CFP rankings. The Wildcats will need to replace lots of valuable leadership and production from that squad but have Avery Johnson back for his second season as QB1 and good talent around him. The primary frustration for Klieman this spring was the fact he and his staff had to cut down the Wildcats’ walk-on roster to meet the expected new 105-man roster limit for 2025. For many Big 12 programs, strong developmental walk-on programs have been a crucial ingredient for long-term success.
What went right: The Wildcats successfully fought off any efforts to tamper with Johnson and lost only two scholarship players during the December transfer window who ended up signing with Power 4 programs. They were able to get Johnson more help with a trio of transfer receivers led by Bradley, who previously played for Wells at Texas Tech, plus Jaron Tibbs (Purdue) and Caleb Medford (New Mexico). Klieman and his staff also held off a strong late push from Oregon for Cure, the No. 66 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, and brought in one of the highest-rated signees in program history.
Connelly’s take: That Johnson will have his third offensive coordinator in three seasons is suboptimal, but K-State still boasts excellent continuity in most units, and Klieman was aggressive with portal additions both on the offensive line and in the secondary, enough so that the Wildcats have top-15 returning production levels.
Key additions: WR Jordan Dwyer, WR Joseph Manjack IV, DT Ansel Din-Mbuh
Key departures: WR Jack Bech, WR Savion Williams, OL James Brockermeyer
Top incoming recruits: DE Chad Woodfork, DE Jared Martin, WR Terry Shelton
Biggest coaching move: Coordinators Andy Avalos (defense) and Kendal Briles (offense) are back, but coach Sonny Dykes added new faces on both sides of the ball. Veteran assistants Brian Norwood (safeties) and Randy Clements (offensive line) came aboard, along with former Baylor star wide receiver Corey Coleman, who will work with the Frogs’ wideouts. Tre Watson comes over from Cal to coach the safeties and nickels, and Dykes grew both the on-field group and the personnel staff with men who have Big 12/Texas roots.
What went wrong: After a bumpy 3-3 start, the Horned Frogs enjoyed a strong finish with six wins over their last seven games, pulling off a nice bounce-back from 5-7 in 2023. Dykes’ squad must replace 11 starters from a solid, transfer-heavy senior class that yielded two top-100 draft picks in Bech and Williams. But the Frogs did not lose too much to the portal over the offseason beyond Brockermeyer, their starting center, transferring to Miami and Hejny, the backup QB, moving on to Oklahoma State.
What went right: Several schools inquired about the availability of TCU starting QB Josh Hoover, whose 3,949 passing yards last season rank second-most among all returning FBS QBs behind LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. But the redshirt junior had no interest in leaving Fort Worth and is locked in for another year. He’ll be getting veteran help at receiver with the arrival of Manjack and Dwyer, who put up 1,192 receiving yards and 12 TDs last season at FCS Idaho. UTSA transfer running back Kevorian Barnes, the C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2022, should help replace the production of Cam Cook. The Frogs also secured good transfer additions in the secondary to resolve those needs. An offseason with strong retention of the nine returning players who started more than six games in 2024 sets this team up to build on their progress and get back in the Big 12 title race.
Connelly’s take: The Frogs ended the year as one of the Big 12’s best and held on to Hoover and both coordinators. Dykes wasn’t overly aggressive in the portal, and we’ll see if Hoover gets what he needs from the skill corps. Experience levels are strong just about everywhere else, though.
Key additions: QB Devon Dampier, RB Wayshawn Parker, WR Ryan Davis
Key departures: DT Junior Tafuna, LB Karene Reid, CB Zemaiah Vaughn
Top incoming recruits: ILB Christian Thatcher, OLB Cyrus Polu, QB Wyatt Becker
Biggest coaching move: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham might be entering his final season, but he’ll have a new offensive coordinator in Jason Beck, hired to boost a unit that finished 102nd nationally in scoring last fall. Beck played quarterback at BYU and has coaching experience in the state, both at BYU and Weber State. He held coordinator roles at Syracuse and New Mexico, and he brought Lobos quarterback Devon Dampier with him to the Utes.
What went wrong: The preseason Big 12 front-runner endured a brutal 5-7 run through their first year in their new conference — a season wrecked by injuries, inconsistency and a seven-game losing streak. Whittingham isn’t just having to overhaul the offense this offseason. He needs to find good replacements for 27 departures (16 seniors, 11 transfers) who earned starts for the Utes in 2024. A total of 30 scholarship players transferred out of the program this offseason, creating lots of room for newcomers to help remake this roster.
What went right: Dampier was one of the most exciting playmakers at the Group of 5 level and a first-team All-Mountain West performer last season, leading the conference with 3,934 total yards of offense including 1,166 yards and 19 TDs in the run game. The 5-foot-11 junior gets to play behind perhaps the best offensive line in the Big 12 with all five starters returning and tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu already receiving first-round hype for next year’s NFL draft. Beck has loaded up with six new transfer receivers and a new trio of transfer running backs led by Parker. The defense added depth in the secondary and the D-line via the portal but appears to be in good shape with 10 returning players who started games last season.
Connelly’s take: Depth may be a concern on defense, but this offseason was all about resetting an offense that fell apart due to quarterback injuries and a lack of ideas. And damned if Whittingham didn’t do a pretty solid job in landing Beck, Dampier and a brand new skill corps. Utah could immediately become a conference contender again.
Key additions: OL Joe Cotton, WR Cyrus Allen, CB Matthew McDoom
Key departures: OL John Williams, OL Luke Kandra, RB Corey Kiner
Top incoming recruits: RB Zion Johnson, WR Giyahni Kontosis, QB Zebulin Kinsey
Biggest coaching move: Coach Scott Satterfield made adjustments to the defensive staff in hiring Adam Braithwaite, who has FCS coordinator experience, to coach safeties, and LSU senior analyst Eddie Hicks as cornerbacks coach. Linebackers coach Cortney Braswell also added a co-coordinator title and will work with Tyson Veidt after a strong season from the Bearcats’ backers.
What went wrong: Cincinnati endured a tough late-season slide in 2024, missing out on bowl eligibility by losing five in a row after a 5-2 start. What does it take to flip a 2-8 record in games decided by one-score margins? Continuity should help as Scott Satterfield enters Year 3. The Bearcats weren’t hit especially hard during the portal windows and lost a total of 16 scholarship players, but only four have landed at other Power 4 programs.
What went right: The Bearcats took care of business in December and got their top returning players re-signed, including QB Brendan Sorsby, defensive tackle Dontay Corleone and tight end Joe Royer. They landed proven newcomers along the offensive line in Cotton, one of the top players in the spring portal window, and Ball State’s Taran Tyo, and they added a trio speedsters at receiver in Allen, Colorado State’s Caleb Goodie and Lindenwood’s Jeff Caldwell. This staff does as good of a job as any of finding under-the-radar gems in the portal and did so once again this offseason.
Connelly’s take: The Bearcats enjoy solid returning production levels, and Satterfield made some necessary additions on defense (especially in the secondary). This is a decent offseason … but is “decent” enough after eight wins in two years?
Key additions: DT Keanu Tanuvasa, TE Carsen Ryan, DT Justin Kirkland
Key departures: DE Tyler Batty, OL Caleb Etienne, CB Jakob Robinson
Top incoming recruits: OT Austin Pay, WR Lamason Waller, OT Siosiua Vete
Biggest coaching move: After an 11-win season, BYU retained top coordinators Jay Hill (defense) and Aaron Roderick (offense) and had minimal changes to Kalani Sitake’s staff. Hill, whose name surfaced for Utah State’s coaching vacancy, promoted Jernaro Gilford, the team’s cornerbacks coach, to defensive passing game coordinator. Gilford starred at cornerback for BYU and has been on the staff for the past decade.
What went wrong: The Cougars came up one game short of playing for a Big 12 championship in their second year in the league, rolling to a 9-0 start before back-to-back losses — by a combined margin of nine points — put them on the wrong side of a four-team tiebreaker. Now they must find a way to replace 12 of the 18 players who started nine or more games last season, with receiver Keelan Marion and linebacker Harrison Taggart joining the list as spring portal departures. The Cougars’ lone returning All-Big 12 performer entering 2025 is kicker Will Ferrin. This team has great returning leadership but will need lots of players to step up into more significant roles.
What went right: The Cougars have a dependable returning starting QB in Jake Retzlaff, who put up more than 3,300 total yards and 26 TDs in 2024, and bring back six more offensive starters from their Alamo Bowl rout of Colorado. They needed to reload along the defensive line with four senior starters moving on and pulled off some major portal additions with Tanuvasa, Kirkland and Texas transfer defensive end Tausili Akana, a former top-150 recruit. The post-spring addition of Stanford transfer receiver Tiger Bachmeier should help make up for the loss of Marion, and Ryan helped resolve a big need at tight end.
Connelly’s take: Returning your quarterback and both coordinators after a good year is never a bad thing, but the Cougars are replacing a number of starters and didn’t bring in much of a portal haul. Sitake will need to find some internal answers.
Key additions: DT Jehiem Oatis, WR Joseph Williams, QB Kaidon Salter
Key departures: WR/CB Travis Hunter, QB Shedeur Sanders, DL BJ Green II
Top incoming recruits: QB Julian Lewis, DE London Merritt, OT Carde Smith
Biggest coaching move: Coach Prime not only retained defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, who received NFL interest and landed a new enhanced contract with Colorado, but he also added another Pro Football Hall of Famer to the staff in Marshall Faulk. An NFL MVP and a three-time offensive player of the year selection, Faulk was one of the best all-purpose running backs ever and now will work with the Buffs’ backs.
What went wrong: Critics expected Coach Prime to move on after Year 2, but he’s fully committed to leading the Buffaloes into the future and earned a five-year, $54 million extension after a breakthrough 2024 season. This was always going to be a challenging offseason with two superstars and a bunch of seniors going pro. The Buffs did lose eight players — who earned starts last season — to the portal, and Sanders had to make new hires to replace four assistant coaches. But the program is rolling right along with two exciting options at QB and another big portal class.
What went right: Lewis, the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, flipping from USC to Colorado last November was a massive moment for this program that kicked off another busy offseason of roster additions. The Buffaloes inked four ESPN 300 recruits, secured a proven 29-game starting QB in Salter and landed one of the most talented defensive linemen in the portal in Oatis. They’ve also done a nice job of addressing their needs at wide receiver and along the offensive line. While Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are irreplaceable talents, Colorado has added plenty of help this offseason to keep this program in Big 12 title contention.
Connelly’s take: Between Salter and Lewis, maybe no one in the conference has higher upside at QB than Colorado. But the Buffaloes lost about 17 starters — including nine from a good offense — and Sanders chose not to load up quite as much in the portal. That makes this feel like a transition year of sorts.
Key additions: QB Conner Weigman, TE Tanner Koziol, LB Carmycah Glass
Key departures: CB Jeremiah Wilson, S A.J. Haulcy, QB Donovan Smith
Top incoming recruits: QB Austin Carlisle, TE Wyatt Herbel, DL Travis Buhake
Biggest coaching move: After a rough first season at Houston, coach Willie Fritz will have two new coordinators. Austin Armstrong takes over the defense after two seasons at Florida, where he was the SEC’s youngest coordinator (31) when he took over in 2023. Slade Nagle, who worked under Fritz as a Tulane assistant from 2016 to 2023, will lead the offense, a role he held for Tulane in 2023.
What went wrong: Fritz’s debut season with the Cougars featured some encouraging moments, including upset wins over TCU and Kansas State, but an offense that averaged a Big-12-worst 12.9 points per game in league play made it tough to compete. The Cougars lost defensive coordinator Shiel Wood to Texas Tech, lost receivers Joseph Manjack IV (TCU) and Jonah Wilson (Texas A&M) to the portal after the season and lost three talented DBs in Wilson (Florida State), Haulcy (LSU) and Keionte Scott (Miami) after the spring. They’re counting on another big injection of transfer talent to help expedite this rebuilding process.
What went right: The addition of Weigman, ESPN’s No. 1 quarterback recruit in 2022, was a huge first step in the Cougars’ efforts to revamp their offense for Year 2. Transfer receiver Harvey Broussard (Louisiana) and the tight end duo of Tanner Koziol (Wisconsin) and Luke McGary (Tulsa) should boost their passing attack, and the offensive line got lots of veteran help. This staff found quality pickups at linebacker and in the secondary during the spring transfer window, bringing the portal class up to 28 signees. It’s not an exceedingly splashy group, but they found good players to help power this turnaround.
Connelly’s take: Fritz overhauled the offense in a very necessary way, and the passing game looks a lot sturdier now. That’s good. The defensive overhaul, however, was less voluntary, and the Coogs will need a number of newcomers to hit immediately.
Key additions: DE Kyran Duhon, OL Markell Samuel, CB Jaylin Davies
Key departures: WR Brennan Presley, RB Ollie Gordon II, LB Nick Martin
Top incoming recruits: DE Michael Riles, OT Jaylan Beckley, OLB Carl’veon Young
Biggest coaching move: The worst season in coach Mike Gundy’s long tenure brought expected major changes. Oklahoma State fired longtime offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and brought back a familiar name in Doug Meacham, a former Cowboys lineman with Big 12 coordinator experience. Gundy made an even more notable hire on defense in Todd Grantham, the former defensive coordinator at Georgia, Florida and other college and NFL spots.
What went wrong: It’s been a fascinating offseason full of change in Stillwater. Gundy agreed to return in 2025 on a restructured deal with a $1 million pay cut after a brutal 3-9 season with a squad that was expected to contend for a Big 12 title. He replaced all 10 of his full-time assistant coaches. His university president stepped down in February. He and his new coaches fully leaned into portal recruiting to remake their roster with 26 scholarship players transferring out this offseason. After all the turbulence and turnover that followed the worst season of the Gundy era, the Cowboys will look totally different entering his 21st season.
What went right: This brand-new coaching staff has a ton of work and a ton of teaching to do with 38 new transfers coming in. But if they can pull this off, Oklahoma State could be one of the most improved teams in the Big 12 this fall. The combo of Zane Flores and TCU transfer Hauss Hejny at QB is young but promising, and the Pokes managed to land veteran starting offensive linemen in the portal. Grantham is working with a ton of new talent on defense, especially up front. Gundy’s willingness to get better faster might have been out of necessity, but this looks like a really solid portal class that could help flip the Pokes’ fortunes.
Connelly’s take: It’s hard to predict great success just because the Pokes will have new veteran coordinators and most of a new roster, but that transfusion was necessary after 2024’s collapse. The receiving corps additions are particularly intriguing. We’ll see if it’s enough for a turnaround.
Key additions: DL Jimmori Robinson, WR Cam Vaughn, CB Michael Coats Jr.
Key departures: OL Wyatt Milum, OL Tomas Rimac, QB Garrett Greene
Top incoming recruits: CB Dawayne Galloway, DT Taylor Brown, DE Brandon Caesar
Biggest coaching move: Rich Rodriguez is back at his alma mater, 17 years after his infamous departure to Michigan. His staff is filled with notable names, including assistant quarterbacks coach Pat White, the former WVU star, and Jeff Casteel, the Mountaineers’ former defensive coordinator. Rodriguez also brought in defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who held the same role under Rodriguez at Jacksonville State before spending last fall at Oklahoma.
What went wrong: Rodriguez is working on one of the more dramatic roster flips in the Power 4 during his first offseason back at West Virginia. The Mountaineers have had 47 scholarship players hit the portal during this transition. A bunch of proven starters moved on after the firing of former coach Neal Brown, including Rimac (Virginia Tech), running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (Ohio State), receiver Hudson Clement (Illinois) and linebacker Josiah Trotter (Missouri). Rodriguez and his coaches have loaded up with more than 40 newcomers via the portal to replace them, but this is going to be quite a reset for the roster with a ton of new faces filling the two-deep.
What went right: In this era of college football, it’s better to execute a roster makeover of this magnitude before Year 1 rather than after. The new staff has won battles for some coveted players in the portal including Robinson, who earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year last season at UTSA, and brought quality starters such as Vaughn and DB Fred Perry with them from Jacksonville State. They also managed to keep several key players like QB Nicco Marchiol and running back Jahiem White out of the portal. But these Mountaineers are going to look practically brand-new in 2025. If a lot of these waiver wire pickups work out and they can develop good depth, West Virginia could catch up quickly to their Big 12 peers.
Connelly’s take: Rodriguez was not shy in both bringing players from and seemingly sending players to the portal. WVU could have as many as 19 or 20 new starters in 2025, though between Alley and a few Jacksonville State transfers, he’ll recognize at least some of the faces around him.
Key additions: WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr., LB Bangally Kamara, LB Trey Lathan
Key departures: RB Devin Neal, CB Cobee Bryant, CB Mello Dotson
Top incoming recruits: QB David McComb, WR Jaden Nickens, OLB Malachi Curvey
Biggest coaching move: The Jayhawks will have their third offensive coordinator in as many seasons, but Jim Zebrowski is a familiar name after coaching Jalon Daniels and the KU quarterbacks for the past three seasons. Coach Lance Leipold also brought in Matt Lubick, a veteran coordinator who spent 2022 and 2023 as a senior analyst at Kansas, to serve as co-offensive coordinator.
What went wrong: The Jayhawks flashed their potential in November with a three-game win streak over top-25 opponents and a strong finish to a tough 5-7 season. The fact that the Jayhawks lost only nine scholarship players to the portal, even with Leipold making key changes to his coaching staff, shows there’s still a high level of buy-in to build on. Zebrowski and newly promoted defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald will put their own spin on things, but this offseason is all about getting back to playing with consistency after the ups and downs of 2025.
What went right: Kansas had to replace one of the most impactful senior classes in program history, but Daniels agreed to return for one final season. The sixth-year senior QB will lead a team that features 24 new additions via the portal. The staff did a nice job of restocking at wide receiver with Henderson, Cam Pickett (Ball State), Levi Wentz (Albany) and Bryson Canty (Columbia) and succeeded in landing veteran starters at linebacker. This staff has always been able to find gems while scouting the portal and should have enough competitive depth to get back to playing to the standard Leipold has set. Another key to bouncing back: The Jayhawks will be back on their home turf this season when the first phase of renovations at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium are completed.
Connelly’s take: KU wasn’t as bad as its record last season, but now Leipold must engineer a bounce back with two new coordinators and about 16 new starters. He wasn’t shy about using the portal to fill holes and could find the answers he needs, but in a conference loaded with continuity, the Jayhawks have less than most.
Key additions: WR Kris Hutson, CB Michael Dansby, RB Ismail Mahdi
Key departures: WR Tetairoa McMillan, OL Jonah Savaiinaea, CB Tacario Davis
Top incoming recruits: WR Isaiah Mizell, RB Cornelius Warren, CB Swayde Griffin
Biggest coaching move: Arizona’s win total dropped from 10 to four under first-year coach Brent Brennan, who not surprisingly overhauled his staff. Brennan promoted Danny Gonzales, the former New Mexico coach who served as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in 2024, to oversee the defense. He brought in Seth Doege, who helped Marshall to a Sun Belt title last fall, as offensive coordinator. Craig Naivar comes over from Coastal Carolina to coordinate special teams.
What went wrong: Heavy attrition was to be expected after a disappointing 4-8 debut season, and the Wildcats have seen 37 scholarship players exit via the portal this offseason. Davis, LB Jacob Manu and DL Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei joined their former coaches at Washington. Gunner Maldonado (Kansas State) and Emmanuel Karnley (Virginia) were also tough losses for the secondary. Offensive lineman Wendell Moe Jr., a 26-game starter, is now at Tennessee, and the offensive line is a big question mark entering 2025 with lots of newcomers needing to step up. It’s telling, though, that only eight of Arizona’s 37 transfers have landed on other Power 4 rosters.
What went right: There’s reason for optimism about Arizona’s offensive direction under Doege after last year’s suboptimal setup. Brennan was able to keep Fifita on board and worked hard to get the roster flipped with more than 25 transfers. No one receiver is going to match McMillan’s production, but they appear to have done a nice job adding to that room. They trust their ability to evaluate with a significant number of newcomers coming from the FCS ranks. The Wildcats were in a tough no-man’s-land after winning 10 games in 2023, with win-now expectations for a new staff coaching in a new conference, and the results were brutal. This offseason brought a much-needed reset.
Connelly’s take: The staff overhaul was warranted, and while Brennan leaned heavily on the FCS ranks to solidify the defensive front six, he could field almost an entirely new lineup of players who were starters elsewhere if he wanted to. Experience levels will be solid.
Key additions: QB Tayven Jackson, DL Sincere Edwards, OL Carter Miller
Key departures: RB RJ Harvey, WR Kobe Hudson, DT Lee Hunter
Top incoming recruits: RB Taevion Swint, DT RyShawn Perry, CB Rukeem Stroud
Biggest coaching move: Scott Frost is back at the program he elevated to national prominence with a 13-0 season in 2017. Frost, out of college football since being fired by Nebraska early in the 2022 season, oversees a coaching staff with notable names such as defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, offensive line coach Shawn Clark and quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton, the former UCF star.
What went wrong: The transition that Gus Malzahn set off by leaving for the Florida State OC job had quite a cost in terms of roster attrition. The Knights have had 34 scholarship players depart this offseason, including 11 who started games last season. They were hit especially hard along the offensive line with Adrian Medley (Florida State), Marcellus Marshall (Minnesota), Caden Kitler (Arkansas) and Waltclaire Flynn (Georgia) moving on. Hunter, an All-Big 12 selection, became one of the most coveted players in the portal and landed at Texas Tech. Tight end Randy Pittman Jr. also followed Malzahn to the Seminoles. Add in a large senior class moving on and you get a major roster rebuild for Frost and his new staff.
What went right: The Knights have attacked their needs well in the portal windows and have loaded up with 34 transfer signees. Frost is working with a rebuilt QB room featuring Jackson, who started six games at Indiana, competing with Jacurri Brown, Cam Fancher (FAU) and Davi Belfort (Virginia Tech). Running back Jaden Nixon, a first-team All-MAC pick at Western Michigan last season, will try to help replace Harvey’s production. There are lots of new faces at receiver and on the offensive line, and Grinch is working with 16 new transfers on defense.
Connelly’s take: Last time Frost took over in Orlando, he was inheriting pieces from an 0-12 team. So it has been worse! But UCF has the lowest returning production levels in the conference, and Frost will start out with an offense that boasts almost literally no proven pieces. This renovation might take a little while.
Big Ten
Key additions: WR Trebor Pena, WR Devonte Ross, LB Amare Campbell
Key departures: DE Abdul Carter, TE Tyler Warren, WR Harrison Wallace III
Top incoming recruits: TE Andrew Olesh, CB Daryus Dixson, WR Lyrick Samuel
Biggest coaching move: Penn State fans can take issue with certain things about James Franklin but not his ability to hire coordinators. After bringing in Manny Diaz, Andy Kotelnicki and Tom Allen in the past two offseasons, Franklin made a major splash with Jim Knowles, who moved over from national champion Ohio State to replace Allen as defensive coordinator. Knowles, a Philadelphia native, is one of the nation’s most respected playcallers.
What went wrong: Allen’s departure after only one year forced Penn State into another change, although the team couldn’t have found a better replacement than Knowles. The Lions had two players selected in the top 15 of the NFL draft in Carter and Warren. The team didn’t really add to either position other than Texas A&M transfer Enai White, a projected reserve. Penn State also lost Wallace, its top wide receiver in 2024, to Ole Miss, as well as big-play threat Omari Evans to Washington. The Lions also saw several rotational defenders transfer out, including cornerback Cam Miller, who had 27 tackles, an interception and five pass breakups last season.
What went right: After a heartbreaking loss in the CFP semifinal, Penn State kept much of its core together. The offensive backfield will once again feature quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is back, as well as linebackers Tony Rojas and Dominic DeLuca, safety Zakee Wheatley, cornerback A.J. Harris and others. Penn State didn’t add many transfers but addressed by far its biggest need at wide receiver with Pena, a 2024 second-team All-ACC selection at Syracuse who had 84 catches for 941 yards and 9 touchdowns, as well as Ross (Troy) and Kyron Hudson (USC). The team also made a key late addition in Campbell, who gives Knowles a proven pass-rushing threat.
Connelly’s take: Typically having to hire your fourth defensive coordinator in five years isn’t great, especially when you also lose three starters from a dynamite front seven. But pilfering your rival’s awesome defensive coordinator and keeping all of your offensive stars (while using the portal for receiver upgrades) is a good way to nail the offseason.
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Why DC Jim Knowles left OSU for PSU
Heather Dinich breaks down why defensive coordinator Jim Knowles opted to leave Ohio State for Penn State.
Key additions: OT Isaiah World, S Dillon Thieneman, RB Makhi Hughes
Key departures: OT Josh Conerly Jr., DT Derrick Harmon, WR Tez Johnson
Top incoming recruits: WR Dakorien Moore, CB Na’eem Offord, OT Douglas Utu
Biggest coaching move: Dan Lanning kept the core of a staff that helped Oregon to a Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the first 12-team CFP. The only significant change came at wide receivers coach, as Lanning hired Syracuse’s Ross Douglas to replace Junior Adams, who left for the NFL. Douglas also has coaching experience with the New England Patriots.
What went wrong: Not much. Lanning avoided major staff losses and most of Oregon’s outgoing transfers projected as rotational players. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who signed with Oregon in early December before flipping to Cal in January, could end up hurting the Ducks’ future quarterback plans beyond Dante Moore, the team’s projected starter this fall. Oregon lost several defensive reserves such as edge Emar’rion Winston and safety Tyler Turner, who both landed at Baylor. The team added the oft-traveled Bear Alexander to bolster the defensive line but didn’t add any other impact linemen for a group that lost Harmon, a first-round draft pick, as well as third-round picks Jordan Burch and Jamaree Caldwell.
What went right: Lanning retained his top assistants and best non-NFL-bound players, and he made several key additions in the portal, especially for the secondary. The key returnees include wide receiver Evan Stewart, defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei and linebacker Bryce Boettcher. Oregon also landed several of the best portal players at their respective positions, including World, Hughes and Thieneman. The Ducks further addressed their offensive line departures with Alex Harkey (Texas State) and Emmanuel Pregnon (USC). They landed two All-Big Ten defensive backs in Thieneman and cornerback Theran Johnson from Northwestern. Although Alexander is a wild card, if Oregon’s coaches can maximize his ability, they’ll have something.
Connelly’s take: Lanning’s program remains in good shape overall and landed at least a couple of dynamite pieces in the portal. But the Ducks just had so much to replace overall, and there’s almost nowhere to go from 13-1 but down.
Key additions: WR Hudson Clement, DT James Thompson Jr., WR Justin Bowick
Key departures: WR Pat Bryant, WR Zakhari Franklin, RB Josh McCray
Top incoming recruits: DE Erik Gayle, TE Logan Farrell, WR Brayden Trimble
Biggest coaching move: Bret Bielema retained all of his primary assistants following a 10-win season, and made some interesting additions to support staff. Among them: former Ball State coach Mike Neu, hired as a senior offensive assistant, and James White, a former star running back for Bielema and Wisconsin who played eight NFL seasons and will assist Thad Ward with the Illini running backs.
What went wrong: Almost nothing until the spring transfer portal, when Josh McCray, Illinois’ leading rusher in 2024, entered and transferred to Georgia. McCray had 609 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he earned Cheez-It Citrus Bowl MVP honors in his final game with the Illini. Although Illinois returns Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin, who showed some production last fall, McCray would have been a nice player to feature. Wide receiver is the only position where Illinois loses significant production with both Bryant and Franklin departing. While Clement and Bowick are solid additions, neither has had the production of the two wideouts they’re replacing.
What went right: Bielema kept almost every key contributor — player and coach — from Illinois’ best season since the Rose Bowl team in 2007. Draftable players such as linebacker Gabe Jacas, safety Xavier Scott, offensive tackle J.C. Davis and quarterback Luke Altmyer all return from a 10-win team. Altmyer is especially significant, as Tennessee made a push to add him following Nico Iamaleava’s departure. The Illini will have their best offensive line in Bielema’s tenure with all five starters back. Although Illinois didn’t have to add a ton of transfers, it addressed wide receiver and brought in Wisconsin defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. and several other Badgers expected to contribute.
Connelly’s take: Last year’s 5-1 record in one-score finishes is going to be hard to match, but the Illini rank in the top five in returning production and held onto both coordinators after last year’s delightful run. Almost no one enjoys better continuity in 2025.
Key additions: QB Fernando Mendoza, C Pat Coogan, DT Hosea Wheeler
Key departures: DT CJ West, QB Kurtis Rourke, LB Jailin Walker
Top incoming recruits: S Byron Baldwin, WR LeBron Bond, DE Triston Abram
Biggest coaching move: Indiana’s increased resources in football showed as Curt Cignetti retained primary coordinators Bryant Haines (defense) and Mike Shanahan (offense). He lost only one assistant, co-OC and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, and hired an interesting replacement in Chandler Whitmer. Whitner is a former college quarterback with some coaching experience with two NFL teams as well as Clemson and Ohio State.
What went wrong: Not much as the Hoosiers lost only one major assistant, Sunseri, who left for the primary coordinator role at UCLA, and IU generally worked the transfer portal to their favor. Indiana lost starting cornerback Jamier Johnson and several rotational players on the offensive and defensive lines. After a 2024 season where Indiana generally avoided major injuries outside of a ruptured Achilles sustained by offensive lineman Drew Evans, the team’s overall depth could be tested more this fall.
What went right: Indiana brought back All-Big Ten players on both sides of the ball in defensive end Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. The Hoosiers addressed Rourke’s NFL departure by adding Mendoza, one of the top quarterbacks in the portal, and brought in accomplished running backs Roman Hemby (Maryland) and Lee Beebe Jr. (UAB). Indiana knew it would need replacements on both lines and added Coogan (Notre Dame), Wheeler (Western Kentucky), offensive tackle Zen Michalski (Ohio State), guard Kahlil Benson (Colorado) and defensive lineman Stephen Daley (Kent State).
Connelly’s take: After last year’s amazing breakthrough, Indiana probably would have loved a bit more continuity, but winning big with a huge load of transfers likely means you’ll have to take on another huge load of transfers the next year. At least the coordinators stayed.
Key additions: TE Max Klare, DE Beau Atkinson, OT Ethan Onianwa
Key departures: WR Emeka Egbuka, DT Tyleik Williams, OL Donovan Jackson
Top incoming recruits: QB Tavien St. Clair, CB Devin Sanchez, OLB Riley Pettijohn
Biggest coaching move: The Buckeyes lost both coordinators from the national title team, but there’s more intrigue on defense as Matt Patricia, the former Detroit Lions coach who hasn’t coached in college since serving as a Syracuse graduate assistant in 2003, replaces Jim Knowles. Coach Ryan Day moved Brian Hartline back into the primary offensive coordinator, and the splashiest move on that side was hiring offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, the former OC at Virginia Tech.
What went wrong: Staff turnover after a national championship is somewhat expected, but Knowles’ departure to another Big Ten contender in Penn State is at least a small blow. He dramatically elevated Ohio State’s defense during his tenure, and his departure coincides with eight players being selected in the NFL draft, including the entire starting defensive line. Although Patricia is a big name, his success hasn’t come at the college level. Ohio State also lost some rotational players on defense, offensive line and quarterback to the portal. Day will enter the fall with his least experienced quarterbacks room since arriving at Ohio State.
What went right: Ohio State knew it would lose a large and decorated group to the NFL, but it retained its top returning players — wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, safety Caleb Downs and cornerback Davison Igbinosun. The Buckeyes aren’t a volume transfer portal team but made several impact additions, including Klare, a very coveted tight end from Purdue, as well as Atkinson, who had 7.5 sacks for North Carolina last year and will help replace ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels will help protect Ohio State’s next quarterback, and West Virginia running back transfer CJ Donaldson Jr. will help offset the draft losses of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
Connelly’s take: The Buckeyes might start the year as a justifiable preseason No. 1, but that doesn’t mean they’ve made major offseason upgrades. Ryan Day will start his title defense with infinitely fewer proven coordinators, a new quarterback and a new defensive line.
Key additions: WR Dane Key, T Elijah Pritchett, G Rocco Spindler
Key departures: DT Ty Robinson, DT Nash Hutmacher, RB Dante Dowdell
Top incoming recruits: OLB Christian Jones, OLB Dawson Merritt, WR Cortez Mills
Biggest coaching move: Matt Rhule took a layered approach to replace defensive coordinator Tony White to Florida State. He promoted John Butler, who coached the Huskers secondary in 2024 and has coordinator experience at Penn State and time in the NFL, to White’s role. Rhule also brought back Phil Snow, a defensive coordinator under Rhule with Temple, Baylor and the Carolina Panthers, as associate head coach. He hired Daikiel Shorts Jr. to oversee wide receivers, which helped land Key from Kentucky.
What went wrong: White’s departure hurts as Nebraska had a top-20 defense, and he left for a much shakier situation at Florida State. Although Butler and Snow both have great familiarity with Rhule, the unit goes through another transition. Nebraska’s defensive line turns over quite a bit without Robinson, a fourth-round NFL draft pick, and Hutmacher plus the transfer of pass rushers Jimari Butler (LSU) and James Williams (Florida State). The Huskers lost Dowdell, their leading rusher, to Kentucky and somewhat surprisingly didn’t add any transfers to help fill the production void. Homegrown quarterback prospect Daniel Kaelin transferred to Virginia, an unsurprising move, but one that hurts Nebraska’s depth.
What went right: Nebraska had to retain quarterback Dylan Raiola and did, as the former five-star recruit will enter his second season as the starter and have consistency with playcaller Dana Holgorsen. The Huskers also kept a top defensive playmaker in Malcolm Hartzog Jr., who led the team with four interceptions last season. Raiola needed more receiving targets with several graduation losses, and Nebraska brought in productive transfers Key (Kentucky) and Nyziah Hunter (Cal), who combined for 87 receptions and 1,263 yards last season. Spindler started for national runner-up Notre Dame in 2024, and will add to the offensive line alongside Pritchett, a starter at Alabama.
Connelly’s take: Rhule made Holgorsen a full-timer, held onto Raiola and used the portal to add both a pair of former blue-chip linemen and maybe Kentucky’s most exciting player. Obviously, losing White hurts, but it definitely feels like the Huskers gained more than they lost here.
Key additions: RB Eli Sanders, CB DJ Harvey, S Bishop Fitzgerald
Key departures: CB Jaylin Smith, G Emmanuel Pregnon, WR Zachariah Branch
Top incoming recruits: DE Jahkeem Stewart, QB Husan Longstreet, OT Aaron Dunn
Biggest coaching move: USC’s biggest staff splashes came on the support side with new general manager Chad Bowden and others joining Lincoln Riley. The biggest on-field move was Rob Ryan, a longtime NFL defensive coordinator, joining as linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense. Riley also promoted Luke Huard to offensive coordinator as Josh Henson left for Purdue.
What went wrong: USC had only three players selected in the NFL draft, a number that figures to rise in the coming years. The team absorbed more damage with transfer portal exits, including Pregnon, a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024, and receiver/returner Branch leaving for Georgia alongside his brother, Zion, a safety who had 19 tackles last fall. Starting right tackle Mason Murphy transferred to Auburn, and several likely reserve offensive linemen also hit the portal. USC’s running backs room, already losing top rusher Woody Marks to the NFL, saw Quinten Joyner transfer to Texas Tech.
What went right: Riley wants to rely less on transfers and showed greater selectivity during the offseason while upgrading high school recruiting and keeping several significant players from the 2024 team. USC has stability on offense with quarterback Jayden Maiava, offensive linemen Elijah Paige and Alani Noa, and productive wide receiver tandem Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon. Key defensive holdovers included safety Kamari Ramsey and linebacker Eric Gentry. USC upgraded its depth at both defensive back (Harvey, Fitzgerald) and running back (Sanders, junior college star Waymond Jordan). The team also added defensive tackle transfer Keeshawn Silver, a former top 10 national recruit, from Kentucky.
Connelly’s take: Nothing great, nothing terrible. Riley recruited well and held onto both Lynn and his starting quarterback, but the defensive turnover might be a bit too much to ensure another year of improvement.
Key additions: DT Tre Williams, RB Justice Haynes, DB TJ Metcalf
Key departures: DT Mason Graham, TE Colston Loveland, EDGE Josaiah Stewart
Top incoming recruits: QB Bryce Underwood, OT Ty Haywood, OLB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng
Biggest coaching move: Michigan needed changes on offense after tumbling to 113th nationally in scoring and 130th in passing last season. Coach Sherrone Moore brought in new coordinator Chip Lindsey, who has worked with quarterbacks like Drake Maye, Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullens and others. Lindsey is the former head coach at Troy.
What went wrong: Michigan ended the 2024 season on a high, but it still went 8-5 with a roster that would produce three first-round draft picks and five in the top 90. The Wolverines knew they would lose a lot in the defensive front seven and made portal gains, but they still will enter the fall with questions. The team didn’t make splashy additions for a passing game that lost Loveland, the team’s receptions leader, and finished only above the service academies in production last fall. Wide receiver transfer Donaven McCulley left Indiana early last season after recording only two catches, and Anthony Simpson played in only two games last year at UMass because of injury. Also, Moore’s self-imposed two-game suspension and the uncertainty around the NCAA investigation added to the offseason angst.
What went right: Moore settled on a new offensive vision with Lindsey, a proven playcaller and quarterback developer. Michigan addressed its defensive tackle losses with transfers Williams (Clemson) and Damon Payne Jr. (Alabama), who drew good reviews this spring. Alabama running back transfer Justice Haynes should help offset the losses of Mullings and Donovan Edwards. The 2025 season likely will be about Underwood’s development, but quarterback transfer Mikey Keene has 35 career starts with 8,245 passing yards with 65 touchdowns. Metcalf, a transfer from Arkansas, will help offset some of the losses in the secondary. Michigan also retained key defenders such as linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham.
Connelly’s take: Michigan floated into the offseason by beating Ohio State and Alabama and stealing the No. 1 prospect in the country from LSU. The Wolverines have top-20 returning production levels and an “it almost literally can’t get worse” situation at QB. It’s hard to imagine a happier offseason.
Key additions: QB Nico Iamaleava, RB Jaivian Thomas, CB Andre Jordan Jr.
Key departures: LB Carson Schwesinger, DE Oluwafemi Oladejo, DT Jay Toia
Top incoming recruits: QB Madden Iamaleava, CB Jadyn Hudson, RB Karson Cox
Biggest coaching move: Coach DeShaun Foster retained only two assistants as he went through his first full offseason at the helm of the Bruins. His new hires include offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, who had great success at Indiana and James Madison, as well as veteran defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and secondary coach Demetrice Martin, who coached defensive backs at UCLA from 2014 to 2019 and has extensive experience on the West Coast.
What went wrong: Change can be good, but can there be too many moving parts? UCLA will find out this fall. The Bruins certainly will have a tough time replacing its NFL departures on defense, especially Schwesinger, a Butkus Award finalist, along with Oladejo, Toia and productive linebacker Kain Medrano. UCLA also lost notable players in the transfer portal, including running back T.J. Harden, the team’s leading rusher in 2024, who is off to SMU. Also gone are cornerback Jaylin Davies (Oklahoma State) and wide receivers Logan Loya (Minnesota) and J.Michael Sturdivant (Florida).
What went right: There are clear risks to taking on Nico Iamaleava and his brother Madden, a one-time UCLA commit, but the rewards are greater for a Bruins program seeking more relevancy under Foster. If Nico Iamaleava maximizes his talents in Sunseri’s offense, UCLA will have one of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks this fall. The team benefited from Cal’s turbulent offseason by adding Thomas (626 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) and wide receiver Mikey Matthews (32 receptions). UCLA reshaped its secondary with experienced players at both cornerback (Jordan, Jamier Johnson) and safety (Ben Perry, Bryon Threats, Key Lawrence). The Bruins also picked up several reserve defensive backs.
Connelly’s take: That a bad offense got massively overhauled is probably a good thing. That a pretty good defense lost almost every starter is probably a bad thing. Ikaika Malloe has quite a bit of work to do.
Key additions: CB Tacario Davis, S Alex McLaughlin, OT Carver Willis
Key departures: LB Carson Bruener, CB Thaddeus Dixon, TE Keleki Latu
Top incoming recruits: OLB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, ATH Dylan Robinson, WR Marcus Harris
Biggest coaching move: Jedd Fisch lost both of his coordinators after Year 1 at Washington, although he promoted Jimmie Dougherty, who coached quarterbacks under Fisch the past three seasons, to offensive coordinator. The bigger changes come on defense, where former Purdue coach Ryan Walters steps in. Walters has coordinator experience from Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, and he will oversee a staff that includes safeties coach Taylor Mays, a former three-time All-America safety at USC.
What went wrong: After a late start and so much change in 2024, Washington ideally didn’t want to be replacing both coordinators again so soon. Fisch certainly doesn’t want to endure two Year 1s. The defense lost Bruener, its best player, to the NFL and had several portal departures, including Dixon, who had a team-high 10 pass breakups last season. Both he and reserve safety Peyton Waters followed coordinator Steve Belichick to North Carolina. The passing game loses a lot with Latu and receivers Giles Jackson and Jeremiah Hunter all moving onto pro ball. Washington briefly addressed the group with Texas’ Johntay Cook II before quickly dismissing him from the team.
What went right: Washington got ahead of its quarterback transition by starting Demond Williams Jr. late last season and then retaining him. He could be one of the nation’s top young quarterbacks. Williams has support with running back Jonah Coleman, wide receiver Denzel Boston and others, including Penn State receiver transfer Omari Evans. Washington’s bigger moves came on defense, including the Walters hire and the additions of Davis (Arizona) and McLaughlin (Northern Arizona) in the secondary, and linebackers Taariq Al-Uqdah (Washington State), Xe’ree Alexander (UCF) and Jacob Manu, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection under Fisch at Arizona in 2023.
Connelly’s take: An offensive coordinator change doesn’t hurt much after solid regression, and adding five FBS starters — and a proven coordinator — to a defense that was already pretty solid offsets the offensive uncertainty.
Key additions: DE Eric O’Neill, DE Bradley Weaver, WR DT Sheffield
Key departures: RB Kyle Monangai, CB Robert Longerbeam, DE Wesley Bailey T
Top incoming recruits: WR Michael Thomas III, OLB D.J. McClary, S Tariq Hayer
Biggest coaching move: After Joe Harasymiak left to become UMass head coach, Greg Schiano turned to a familiar name in Robb Smith, who had two previous stints as Scarlet Knights DC (2012, 2021-22). Smith will serve as co-coordinator alongside Zach Sparber, who had a successful run at James Madison. Several defensive position coaches were shuffled from previous roles.
What went wrong: Harasymiak’s departure hurts a bit — even though Rutgers has schematic continuity with Smith — as a number of defensive players hit the portal in the winter and spring. Bailey was in line to be a significant contributor last season before an injury. He’ll instead suit up for Louisville in 2024. Rutgers linebacker Mohamed Toure, a former team captain who battled knee injuries, entered the portal this spring. Linebacker Timmy Hinspeter, a likely rotational piece, followed Harasymiak to UMass. Offensive tackle Ja’Elyne Matthews, a decorated in-state recruit, transferred to Florida State, as part of a small group of linemen to depart the program this spring.
What went right: Rutgers compiled an excellent collection of portal defenders, and added weapons to help quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. O’Neill and Weaver, who combined for 21.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss last season at James Madison and Ohio, respectively, form an excellent pass-rushing tandem. Schiano added to the secondary with cornerbacks Jacobie Henderson (Marshall) and Cam Miller (Penn State). Rutgers had fewer transfers on offense but boosted its passing game with Sheffield, who had 66 receptions and 11 touchdowns for North Texas last season. The team also addressed Monangai’s departure with running back CJ Campbell Jr., a 2024 third-team All-AAC selection at Florida Atlantic.
Connelly’s take: The offense enjoys excellent continuity, and the defense enjoys very little. Schiano added a couple of shop-wreckers up front in O’Neill and Weaver, but when your defense loses about eight starters and its coordinator, that’s still pretty tough.
Key additions: OT Conner Moore, RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver, WR Omari Kelly
Key departures: G Luke Newman, CB Charles Brantley, LB Jordan Turner
Top incoming recruits: RB Jace Clarizio, DT Derrick Simmons, OG Drew Nichols
Biggest coaching move: Coach Jonathan Smith retained most of his staff despite a 5-7 season but brought in two new assistants in safeties coach James Adams and quarterbacks coach Jon Boyer. Smith has familiarity with Boyer, who worked on his Oregon State staff for five seasons in different support roles. Together, they look to help Aidan Chiles find his groove after a bumpy first season at MSU.
What went wrong: Michigan State lost a small group of key contributors following Smith’s first season, including Brantley, who transferred to Miami after leading the Spartans in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (7). The Spartans also lost edge Anthony Jones (UCLA) and safety Dillon Tatum (Northwestern) to other Big Ten teams. The wide receiver room took some hits with Aziah Johnson (North Carolina) and Jaron Glover (Mississippi State) moving on, although Michigan State addressed the spot with transfer additions. Although Michigan State addressed most of its needs through the portal, it didn’t make the splashiest additions, leaning on the Group of 5 and FCS ranks.
What went right: The Spartans avoided major roster turnover despite the team’s third consecutive losing season. They brought back their quarterback in Chiles, their top young playmaker in wide receiver Nick Marsh and key defenders such as safety Nikai Martinez and linebacker Darius Snow. The Spartans also added several potential impact transfers, such as Moore, an FCS All-America selection at Montana State, Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State and Burt from Eastern Illinois. Wide receivers Kelly (Middle Tennessee) and Chrishon McCray (Kent State) should complement Marsh, and several of Michigan State’s offensive and defensive line transfers arrive with experience.
Connelly’s take: Smith plumbed smaller schools for stars, and the Spartans should be infinitely more experienced in 2025. You would love a few more proven pieces, but sometimes you nail the offseason by simply not screwing up the offseason.
Key additions: QB Mark Gronowski, WR Sam Phillips, DT Jonah Pace
Key departures: RB Kaleb Johnson, LB Jay Higgins, G Connor Colby
Top incoming recruits: DE Iose Epenesa, TE Thomas Meyer, OG Lucas Allgeyer
Biggest coaching move: Continuity is king in Iowa City, where coach Kirk Ferentz returns for his 27th year at the helm. He has only one new primary assistant this fall in running backs coach Omar Young, who has recent NFL experience with New England and Chicago, and last coached in college at Eastern Illinois in 2021. He replaces Ladell Betts, the former Iowa running back who left for the New York Giants.
What went wrong: Iowa didn’t add transfers at running back or tight end after losing Johnson — who rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, and finished third on the team in receptions — and Luke Lachey, who was second in receptions. Phillips was productive at the FCS level and top receiver Jacob Gill returns, but will that be enough to boost a passing attack that has been the worst among non-service academies over the past four seasons? Quarterback Brendan Sullivan, who started three games last season, transferred before the end of spring practice, although his departure wasn’t a huge surprise after Iowa added Gronowski and Auburn transfer Hank Brown.
What went right: After the Cade McNamara saga went horribly wrong, Iowa has genuine hope for a breakthrough on offense with Gronowski leading the unit. He helped South Dakota State to an FCS national championship in 2023 and has eclipsed 2,700 passing yards in each of the past three seasons. Although he missed spring practice after shoulder surgery, he’s on track for full participation this summer. Iowa added a few pieces along the defensive line and kept the players it expects to take on bigger roles throughout the defense. Ferentz continues to have great continuity on his staff with defensive coordinator Phil Parker and others.
Connelly’s take: Ferentz, the king of continuity, never has too noisy an offseason. But his Hawkeyes need new difference-makers at quarterback, linebacker and defensive back. That’s at least a little bit scary, isn’t it?
Key additions: QB Preston Stone, WR Griffin Wilde, LB Yanni Karlaftis
Key departures: CB Theran Johnson, G/T Josh Thompson, LB Xander Mueller
Top incoming recruits: RB Daniel Anderson, QB Marcus Romain, OT Michael O’Connell
Biggest coaching move: Northwestern retained offensive coordinator Zach Lujan despite a season where the Wildcats finished 128th nationally in scoring and 130th in yards. The only change comes at running backs coach, where Braun hired Aristotle Thompson, who coached Cal standouts Jadyn Ott and Jaivian Thomas the past few seasons.
What went wrong: The Wildcats have struggled to retain some productive defensive backs in the portal era and lost Johnson and Devin Turner, who combined for five interceptions and 13 pass breakups last fall, to Oregon and Baylor, respectively. Northwestern also has lost a few offensive linemen in recent years, with Thompson moving on to LSU after earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Although Wilde is a key addition to a depleted passing game, Northwestern added only one more transfer in Stanford’s Chase Farrell, a promising but unproven player, rather than going pedal down into the portal for more guarantees.
What went right: Some on-campus policy adjustments allowed Northwestern to become a true winter portal player for the first time. The Wildcats landed the quarterback they desperately needed in Stone, who started for SMU’s league title-winning team in 2023. They also addressed a depleted offensive line with several experienced transfers, including guards Evan Beerntsen (South Dakota State), Martes Lewis (Minnesota) and tackle Xavior Gray. Wilde, a standout receiver at South Dakota State, gives Stone a top option. Northwestern also helped its defense with transfers Karlaftis (Purdue), Fred Davis (Jacksonville State) and late addition Dillon Tatum (Michigan State). The team also retained talented linemen Anto Saka and Caleb Tiernan.
Connelly’s take: After a year in which the defense went from great to decent and the offense went from bad to atrocious, you would have maybe expected a bit more turnover in the coaching staff. Braun made some decent portal additions, but his two most proven offensive players are a quarterback who got benched last year and an FCS receiver.
Key additions: WR Javon Tracy, G Marcellus Marshall, CB Jaylen Bowden
Key departures: OT Aireontae Ersery, CB Justin Walley, OT Phillip Daniels
Top incoming recruits: OLB Emmanuel Karmo, QB Jackson Kollock, OT Daniel Shipp
Biggest coaching move: Coach P.J. Fleck has prioritized continuity in his recent coordinator hires and selected Danny Collins, the team’s safeties coach, to replace Corey Hetherman as defensive coordinator. Collins has spent the past 13 seasons working for Fleck, who reshaped much of the defensive staff and hired former Purdue and SMU defensive coordinator Kevin Kane to coach nickelbacks and outside linebackers.
What went wrong: Fleck has lost several key assistants in recent years and Hetherman’s departure to Miami — after coordinating a top 10 defense in 2024 — could sting a bit. Minnesota knew Ersery was NFL-bound, but losing Daniels (who started some games last season) as well as key reserve Martes Lewis created even more turnover for an offensive line that will look quite a bit different in 2025. The Gophers lost top receiver Daniel Jackson, one of only three players with more than 28 receptions last season. Despite Minnesota success on defense, it didn’t land too many impact transfers.
What went right: Minnesota retained many of its core pieces, including first-team All-Big Ten nickel Koi Perich — who will have a role on offense as well this fall — and running back Darius Taylor. The team also added depth at both receiver and running back in the portal, which should help new quarterback Drake Lindsey. Offensive line transfers such as Marshall, who has starting experience from both UCF and Kent State, as well as Kahlee Tafai and Dylan Ray give the offensive line a chance to reload. Bowden had a good spring for the secondary, which has become one of Minnesota’s signature position groups for NFL-level talent.
Connelly’s take: Losing Hetherman and both starting cornerbacks hurts. The offense could benefit from portal upgrades in the skill corps, but having a fourth starting quarterback in four years — and a redshirt freshman at that — isn’t great.
Key additions: QB Billy Edwards Jr., OLB Mason Reiger, DL Charles Perkins
Key departures: S Hunter Wohler, RB Tawee Walker, WR Will Pauling
Top incoming recruits: QB Carter Smith, ILB Mason Posa, OT Logan Powell
Biggest coaching move: The Air Raid didn’t work in Madison, as many coaches predicted it wouldn’t, and new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is viewed as a return to Wisconsin’s roots. Grimes played and coached offensive line and will emphasize the power run in different ways. Coach Luke Fickell also shifted Kenny Guiton, the former Ohio State quarterback, from wide receivers coach to oversee the QBs.
What went wrong: Wisconsin made the necessary pivot on offense to Grimes and a more traditional scheme, but did the team bring in enough through the portal? Edwards could stabilize the quarterback situation, but the Badgers lost Walker, their leading rusher, to Cincinnati and Pauling, their top receiver, to Notre Dame. Wisconsin seemingly upgraded the tight end spot with Ball State’s Tanner Koziol, but he transferred out in the spring and the team scrambled to add Missouri State’s Lance Mason. The Badgers’ limited portal approach on offense outside of wide receiver and quarterback could be costly. Wisconsin addressed its depth needs on defense, but not adding a transfer running back seemed odd.
What went right: The Badgers correctly reset their offensive approach and Edwards has the talent to thrive in the right situation. Wisconsin also needed new bodies on defense after a season where it generated only 17 sacks and four interceptions. The team not only brought back linebacker Christian Alliegro, defensive backs Preston Zachman and Ricardo Hallman, and others, but added transfers like Reiger, cornerback Geimere Latimer II, outside linebacker Corey Parker and defensive linemen Perkins and Parker Petersen. The staff’s ability to develop defensive transfers mostly from Group of 5 or FCS programs could make a massive difference this fall.
Connelly’s take: The offense is undergoing extremely necessary changes, and the defense is adding a couple of known FBS starters and a number of smaller-school stars. The Badgers have top-20 returning production levels but incorporated some welcome changes.
Key additions: CB Dontay Joyner, TE Dorian Fleming, OT Rahtrel Perry
Key departures: WR Tai Felton, LB Caleb Wheatland, RB Roman Hemby
Top incoming recruits: DE Zahir Mathis, OT Jaylen Gilchrist, QB Malik Washington
Biggest coaching move: After a 4-8 season, coach Mike Locksley made significant changes to the staff, including bringing in veterans Pep Hamilton (offensive coordinator) and Ted Monachino (defensive coordinator). Both have NFL coordinator experience and have notable college stops, including Michigan and Stanford (Hamilton), and North Carolina and Arizona State (Monachino).
What went wrong: Maryland had more NFL draft picks (6) than wins (4) and saw several key contributors enter the portal. Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and Hemby, a three-year starter, both transferred within the Big Ten at Wisconsin and Indiana, respectively. Maryland lacks a proven quarterback on the roster. Others to depart included defensive tackle Lavon Johnson (Texas), and offensive linemen Terez Davis (Ole Miss) and Jayvin James (Mississippi State). After a tough 2024 season on the offensive line, Maryland’s room turned over significantly. A late defensive coordinator change creates potential flux with that unit, which lost four NFL draft picks.
What went right: Maryland addressed several areas of need in the portal with players such as Joyner, who had two interceptions against Big Ten teams last season for Arkansas State, and Perry, an intriguing standout from the FCS who could help stabilize the Terrapins’ offensive front. Cornerback Jamare Glasker, who started at Wake Forest last season, also should help. Fleming is a good replacement for tight end Preston Howard, and Locksley has a good track record with receivers such as Jalil Farooq, a solid contributor at Oklahoma in 2022 and 2023 before missing almost all of last season with a broken foot.
Connelly’s take: Adding new coordinators after both the offense and defense regressed could turn out to be a good thing, but the spring run of transfers was awfully alarming.
Key additions: CB Tony Grimes, DE CJ Nunnally IV, OT Jalen St. John
Key departures: TE Max Klare, S Dillon Thieneman, DE Will Heldt
Top incoming recruits: RB Ziaire Stevens, CB Zyntreacs Otey, DE Landon Brooks
Biggest coaching move: Despite Purdue’s history on offense, the school went with another defensive-minded coach in Barry Odom after a very rough two seasons with Ryan Walters. Odom, who went 19-8 at UNLV, should provide a clear vision for improvement and hired a staff that includes several of his UNLV assistants as well as veteran newcomers such as offensive coordinator Josh Henson and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw.
What went wrong: Purdue lost a huge group of coveted players to the portal. Klare, Thieneman and Heldt were all among the top transfers at their respective positions and landed with CFP contenders Ohio State, Oregon and Clemson. The Boilers also lost cornerbacks Kyndrich Breedlove and Nyland Green, both to Arizona State, defensive lineman Jeffrey M’ba (SMU), offensive lineman Mahamane Moussa (Louisville), wide receivers Jaron Tibbs (Kansas State) and Jahmal Edrine (Virginia) and others. Although retaining all-conference-level players during a coaching change is difficult, Odom certainly could have benefited from more returning starters on defense and a veteran quarterback transfer.
What went right: Odom and his staff had to be extremely aggressive in the portal and added key players on both sides of the ball. Grimes and St. John followed the coaches from UNLV to Purdue, along with linebacker Mani Powell, tight end Christian Moore and several others. The defensive additions are especially intriguing, as Purdue brought in Nunnally, a first-team All-MAC selection at Akron last fall, as well as safety Crew Wakley (BYU), cornerback Chad Brown (Nevada) and others. The staff retained running back Devin Mockobee, which will help with an inexperienced quarterback, and an interesting group of offensive lineman that includes Canadian college star Giordano Vaccaro.
Connelly’s take: The Boilermakers have the worst returning production and recruiting rankings in the conference and therefore rank last here. But that’s only because there’s no “nowhere to go but up” factor built into the formula. Odom hasn’t added known studs, but Purdue will have almost no choice but to improve in 2025.
Key additions: WR Malachi Fields, CB DeVonta Smith, WR Will Pauling
Key departures: S Xavier Watts, QB Riley Leonard, DT Rylie Mills
Top incoming recruits: OLB Madden Faraimo, OT Will Black, TE James Flanigan
Biggest coaching move: Notre Dame will miss defensive coordinator Al Golden, who won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, before returning to the NFL. Coach Marcus Freeman went with experience in hiring Chris Ash — the former Rutgers head coach and defensive coordinator at Ohio State, Texas, Arkansas and Wisconsin — to oversee a defense that had four players selected in the NFL draft.
What went wrong: Notre Dame knew it would be losing several defensive standouts to the NFL, which played out during draft weekend. The Irish aren’t a volume transfer portal team and returned a large group of defenders with starting experience. But the team’s defensive transfer additions might have been a tad underwhelming, outside of defensive backs DeVonta Smith (Alabama) and Jalen Stroman (Virginia Tech). Notre Dame knew it likely couldn’t carry three quarterbacks past spring practice, but Steve Angeli’s portal entry leaves the Irish without any real game experience at the position. Three offensive linemen with starting experience Pat Coogan, Rocco Spindler and Sam Pendleton — all transferred out.
What went right: The Irish kept their most important players, likely prevented a significant dip and set up another push for the CFP and a national title. Although teams can never have enough capable offensive linemen and some of the transfer departures sting, Notre Dame retained younger, more talented players who could form one of the nation’s best O-lines for multiple seasons. Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiyah Love returns, but so do Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams, as Notre Dame will have arguably the nation’s top running backs room. The Irish also addressed their biggest offensive need at wide receiver with transfers Fields (Virginia) and Will Pauling (Wisconsin).
Connelly’s take: Freeman didn’t need a ton of portal additions — we’ll see if he brought in enough at receiver — and will be banking on a young blue-chip player at quarterback. Replacing Golden with Ash feels pretty uninspiring, but lord knows Ash will inherit some experienced pieces.
SEC
Key additions: WR Nic Anderson, WR Barion Brown, DB Mansoor Delane
Key departures: OL Will Campbell, TE Mason Taylor, DE Bradyn Swinson
Top incoming recruits: OT Solomon Thomas, CB D.J. Pickett, RB Harlem Berry
Biggest coaching move: LSU had the quietest coaching staff offseason since Brian Kelly arrived on the Bayou in 2022. All of the team’s primary coordinators are back and the only notable changes were at defensive line coach, with former LSU All-America defensive tackle Kyle Williams taking over for Bo Davis, and former Florida State OC Alex Atkins coming in as tight ends coach and run game coordinator.
What went wrong: The last-minute loss of No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood to Michigan, after the quarterback’s nearly year-long commitment, was a brutal setback late in a season that ended with LSU outside the Top 25 at 9-4. Starting QB Garrett Nussmeier bypassing the NFL draft and returning for another season did help soften that blow, and the Tigers ended up losing only two starters — receiver CJ Daniels (Miami) and DB Sage Ryan (Ole Miss) — among the 22 scholarship players who entered the portal after the season.
What went right: LSU set out to build an elite portal class in December and won a lot of tough battles for proven starters at critical positions. Nussmeier gets to work with two extremely talented wideouts in Anderson (Oklahoma) and Brown (Kentucky), new additions at tight end and two of the top offensive linemen in the portal in center Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech) and guard Josh Thompson (Northwestern). Second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker is getting a ton of help with five transfer D-linemen and four new DBs, and nobody will be shocked if Pickett, their five-star freshman cornerback, is playing early and often.
Connelly’s take: Kelly retained one of the most proven quarterbacks in the SEC and brought in the most celebrated transfer class in the league as well. One might have suggested bringing in another O-lineman or two, but it sure seems like the Tigers enjoyed the best offseason this side of Norman.
Key additions: QB John Mateer, RB Jaydn Ott, LB Kendal Daniels
Key departures: LB Danny Stutsman, S Billy Bowman Jr., WR Nic Anderson
Top incoming recruits: OT Michael Fasusi, DE C.J. Nickson, WR Elijah Thomas
Biggest coaching move: Entering a pivotal year, coach Brent Venables made a major offensive coordinator hire in Ben Arbuckle, who brought Mateer with him from Washington State. Arbuckle coached Cam Ward and Mateer in Pullman, and he should immediately boost a Sooners offense that finished 97th nationally in scoring last season.
What went wrong: Almost nothing went right for the Sooners in 2024 across a disastrous SEC debut that resulted in the program’s second losing season since 1998 and turned up the heat on Venables’ seat. That prompted the offensive overhaul. Past Mateer, Ott, Florida State edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. and Daniels marked Oklahoma’s flashiest bits of portal business. But questions remain over whether the Sooners did enough to bolster the wide receiver and offensive line units that cratered their season a year ago.
What went right: Oklahoma got its quarterback situation sorted when it swapped Arnold (Auburn) for Mateer, who accounted for 3,319 passing yards and 44 total touchdowns last fall. The fourth-year passer provides the Sooners with dual-threat playmaking ability, but also a certain confidence Oklahoma sorely lacked in 2024. If he can stay healthy, Ott, who rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 scores in 2023, is another new weapon for Arbuckle’s offense. And the Sooners added plenty of new options in the passing game with JaVonnie Gibson (UAPB) and Isaiah Sategna (Arkansas) among four new wide receivers joining returners Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson.
Connelly’s take: No one needed a good offseason more desperately than Venables, but he probably put together the best offseason in college football. We’ll see if it translates to wins against another brutal schedule, but Arbuckle, Mateer & Co. should produce a solid turnaround in the points department. Offseason national champions.
Key additions: WR Eric Singleton Jr., QB Jackson Arnold, OL Xavier Chaplin
Key departures: RB Jarquez Hunter, WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith, LB Jalen McLeod
Top incoming recruits: CB Blake Woodby, DE Jared Smith, QB Deuce Knight
Biggest coaching move: Head coach Hugh Freeze retained his coordinators despite a 5-7 season but added several new position coaches, including Chad Lunsford, the former Georgia Southern coach, who will oversee special teams. Roc Bellantoni, an Auburn assistant in 2021 and 2022, returned as outside linebackers coach.
What went wrong: The Tigers endured a rough 2-6 run through SEC play in Year 2 under Freeze and still have more building to do, but it’s clear this roster is heading in the right direction. Among the 23 scholarship players who hit the portal this offseason, only two — OL Percy Lewis (Ole Miss) and DB Caleb Wooden (Arkansas) — earned more than three starts last season. They experienced significant attrition in a couple of spots, with seven defensive backs and three backup quarterbacks moving on, but in most cases they recruited over their departures.
What went right: Freeze and his staff went into December determined to load up with a strong portal class and certainly accomplished their mission. The duo of Arnold and Knight gives this program an extremely bright future at quarterback. Arnold had a rocky season as Oklahoma’s starter, but the former five-star recruit is working with a much better supporting cast on offense with Singleton, a coveted transfer from Georgia Tech, and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest) teaming up with rising sophomores Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons. Chaplin (Virginia Tech) was a massive get at left tackle. Nine incoming transfers on defense will help create a lot more competitive depth for a squad that is counting on a bunch of standouts from its 2024 recruiting class to shine as second-year players.
Connelly’s take: There’s continuity atop the coaching org chart, and there will be plenty of blue chippers on the two-deep. Hugh Freeze had a solid offseason as we’re defining it, but the season will ride on whether Auburn’s completely new quarterbacks room produces an SEC-caliber starter.
Key additions: DT Maraad Watson, TE Jack Endries, WR Emmett Mosley V
Key departures: OT Kelvin Banks Jr., CB Jahdae Barron, WR Matthew Golden
Top incoming recruits: DT Justus Terry, S Jonah Williams, WR Jaime Ffrench
Biggest coaching move: Coach Steve Sarkisian retained primary coordinators Pete Kwiatkowski (defense), Kyle Flood (offense) and Jeff Banks (special teams) after his second straight CFP run. He lost safeties coach Blake Gideon to Georgia Tech but replaced him with veteran Duane Akina, who coached Longhorns defensive backs under Mack Brown from 2001 to 2013.
What went wrong: It’s hard to find much on this front with a Texas program that just reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. Quarterback Quinn Ewers sliding to the seventh round of the NFL draft was unfortunate, as was offensive tackle Cameron Williams falling to the sixth after going pro early. The Longhorns must replace 13 players who were in the starting lineup against the Buckeyes, nearly all of whom are now on NFL rosters. But as the Arch Manning era officially gets underway in Austin, Sarkisian has this program looking ready to reload.
What went right: This has been a smooth offseason in a lot of ways for Sarkisian and his staff entering Year 5. The Longhorns finished with ESPN’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class, inking 17 ESPN 300 prospects and closing by winning a battle with Georgia for Terry, the No. 8 overall recruit. They dealt with minimal roster attrition and had no trouble addressing their few remaining needs in the portal. The staff boosted depth up front with five new D-linemen, found a new No. 1 tight end in Endries and upgraded on special teams with kicker Mason Shipley (Texas) and punter Jack Bouwmeester (Utah) coming in. A school-record 12 draft picks — and 23 over the past two years — show how far this program has come in four years under Sarkisian. Now the pressure is on to go play for a national title.
Connelly’s take: If Manning takes the leap people expect, that could paper over a bunch of cracks, especially considering the continuity at coordinator. But even with good recruiting and decent portal work, losing four offensive line starters and your top four on the defensive line feels pretty scary.
Key additions: WR J.Michael Sturdivant, CB Micheal Caraway Jr., DT Brendan Bett
Key departures: WR Chimere Dike, DT Cam Jackson, CB Jason Marshall Jr.
Top incoming recruits: WR Vernell Brown III, WR Dallas Wilson, ILB Ty Jackson
Biggest coaching move: Florida’s defensive staff received a mini shakeup with Austin Armstrong joining Houston in the same role. Coach Billy Napier brought in Vinnie Sunseri, a rising young assistant with NFL and college experience, to replace Armstrong and work alongside veteran Ron Roberts. Deron Wilson also comes over from Arkansas to coach defensive backs.
What went wrong: The Gators salvaged their 2024 season and saved Napier’s job in the back half of the 2024 season, then dove into as quiet of an offseason of roster turnover as an SEC program could seemingly ever ask for in 2025. Quarterback DJ Lagway‘s limited participation in spring camp (shoulder) ahead of his first full season as a starter was not ideal, nor was losing the collection of talent that included Dike and leading tacklers Trikweze Bridges and Shemar James to the NFL. But the Gators held onto the deep base of young talent that fueled last fall’s late-season resurgence and return seemingly well-equipped to contend with one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2025.
What went right: Florida has a quarterback in Lagway and a lead running back in Freshman All-SEC Jadan Baugh. But the Gators had work to do replacing Dike and 2024 receiving yards leader Elijhah Badger. Sturdivant arrives from UCLA as an experienced option, while ESPN 300 freshmen Brown, Wilson and Naeshaun Montgomery round out a young, talented wide receiver group around Eugene Wilson III, who returns after undergoing season-ending hip surgery last fall. The late addition of cornerback recruit J’Vari Flowers, No. 73 in the 2025 ESPN 300, marked an impressive final flourish for the Gators’ 10th-ranked signing class.
Connelly’s take: Florida has top-20 returning production levels, which can mean something pretty great when you finish the season as strong as the Gators did. The portal movement was light, which could turn out to be either a great sign (they already had what they needed) or a foreboding one (they overestimated what they had). We’ll see.
Key additions: WR Zachariah Branch, WR Noah Thomas, LB Elo Modozie
Key departures: DL Mykel Williams, DL Jalon Walker, S Malaki Starks
Top incoming recruits: DT Elijah Griffin, DE Isaiah Gibson, OLB Zayden Walker
Biggest coaching move: Despite a shaky season on offense, coach Kirby Smart kept Mike Bobo as the unit’s coordinator. Most of the on-field staff is back after defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and tight ends coach Todd Hartley received head coach interest. Smart promoted Andrew Thacker, the former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator to nickels/stars coach.
What went wrong: The SEC champs’ season didn’t end the way they’d hoped with a CFP quarterfinal exit, and the way it ended put them in a difficult position with their quarterback plan for 2025. The timing of Carson Beck’s injury, draft declaration and belated portal decision made it tough to get involved in the transfer QB market. Smart and his staff briefly explored bringing in Fernando Mendoza but ultimately stuck with backup Gunner Stockton, who started the CFP game, as their best option. This year’s squad must replace 13 NFL draft picks and 17 transfer departures but has a ton of young talent ready to step up.
What went right: Smart and his staff did an excellent job of addressing their roster needs over the course of the offseason. They secured serious upgrades at wide receiver in Branch (USC) and Thomas (Texas A&M) after finishing with 36 drops last season, most among all Power 4 offenses, per ESPN Research. Daylen Everette and Christen Miller bypassing the draft was big for their defense, and the Bulldogs got much-needed help at outside linebacker with the post-spring addition of Modozie, an All-AAC performer at Army, plus experienced depth at safety with three transfer pickups. Josh McCray, Illinois’ leading rusher last season, is also coming in this summer to give Georgia a strong No. 2 back behind Nate Frazier.
Connelly’s take: Recruiting will always be strong in Athens, but Smart has never shown much interest in mastering the portal; we’ll see if that backfires after the loss of about 15 starters. (We’ll see if loyalty to the offensive coordinator backfires, too.) The developmental pipeline must continue to produce.
Key additions: WR Kevin Concepcion, WR Mario Craver, CB Julian Humphrey
Key departures: DE Shemar Stewart, DE Nic Scourton, DT Shemar Turner
Top incoming recruits: OT Lamont Rogers, WR Jerome Myles, CB Adonyss Currie
Biggest coaching move: Coach Mike Elko will have much-needed continuity on his staff entering Year 2, as coordinators Jay Bateman (defense) and Collin Klein (offense) are back. Elko added a notable assistant to the defensive staff in Lyle Hemphill, a former defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, Duke and, most recently, James Madison.
What went wrong: The Aggies’ 2024 season peaked in a 38-23 win over LSU on Oct. 26. From there, Texas A&M slid heavily, dropping each of its last four games against Power 4 opponents. Likely most troubling to Elko is the fact that his defense gave up nearly 35 points per game across those losses. In 2025, Texas A&M is looking to rebuild better on defense, but without a trio of star defensive linemen who helped the Aggies create the 24th-most pressure in college football last fall. A failed transfer experiment with former five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson this spring marked a speed bump in the program’s offseason efforts to reinforce its pass-catching depth.
What went right: The Aggies held onto all five starters from an offensive line that powered the SEC’s second-leading rushing attack in 2024. That bodes well for second-year starting quarterback Marcel Reed and returning rushers Rueben Owens, Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels. As crucially, Texas A&M brought in much-needed talent at wide receiver between Concepcion (NC State), a former freshman All-American and Craver (Mississippi State), a 2024 breakout player. Texas tight end transfer Amari Niblack has the tools to replace Tre Watson‘s downfield production from a year ago. On defense, transfers T.J. Searcy (Florida), Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State) and Dayon Hayes (Colorado) will all play a role in Elko’s revamped defensive line unit.
Connelly’s take: A&M has what a lot of other SEC schools lack: continuity at coordinator, experience at quarterback and a veteran-heavy offensive line and secondary. There will be lots of new names, however, in the receiving corps and on the defensive front. Will Elko’s portal work there stave off problems?
Key additions: WR Isaiah Horton, OL Kam Dewberry, TE Brody Dalton
Key departures: OL Tyler Booker, LB Jihaad Campbell, QB Jalen Milroe
Top incoming recruits: QB Keelon Russell, CB Dijon Lee Jr., CB Ivan Taylor
Biggest coaching move: Coach Kalen DeBoer reunites with longtime friend and assistant Ryan Grubb, who will serve as Alabama’s primary offensive coordinator after a year with the Seattle Seahawks. Grubb was instrumental in Washington’s run to the national title game under DeBoer in 2023, and helped groom quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and other standouts.
What went wrong: The transition to Year 2 under DeBoer saw 23 scholarship players move on from the program, including running back Justice Haynes and defensive lineman Damon Payne Jr. transferring to Michigan, nickel DeVonta Smith going to Notre Dame and tackle Elijah Pritchett joining Nebraska. It’s not surprising that all 23 of those outgoing players, most of whom were recruited by Nick Saban’s staff, landed at other Power 4 programs. At a few spots, like wide receiver and tight end, the Tide will need young reserves or newcomers to step up and prove they’re ready to contribute.
What went right: The Crimson Tide have a strong core of returning starters to build around with 14 players who started six-plus games in 2024. Quarterback is the big exception with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Russell competing for the starting gig. Simpson holds the lead following spring practice, but whoever earns the job will benefit from a strong supporting cast and Grubb’s arrival in Tuscaloosa. Horton is a big 6-foot-4 target who put up 616 receiving yards at Miami last season. He’ll form a trio with Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard that should be among the conference’s best. On defense, the Tide did a nice job of fortifying their depth with quality portal additions like Nikhai Hill-Green (Colorado) and blue-chip recruits like Lee who could contribute early.
Connelly’s take: DeBoer reunited with Grubb and neither needed nor got much out of the portal. He kept the blue-chip train rolling in recruiting, and Grubb has what he needs at quarterback, so everything should fall into place pretty nicely.
3:43
Hottest takes for the 2025-26 CFB season
Each member of the SEC Now crew goes over their boldest predictions on who will have a breakout year, take home the SEC Championship, and potential Heisman candidates.
Key additions: QB Beau Pribula, RB Ahmad Hardy, DE Damon Wilson II
Key departures: WR Luther Burden III, OT Armand Membou, QB Brady Cook
Top incoming recruits: DE Javion Hilson, QB Matt Zollers, RB Marquise Davis
Biggest coaching move: Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has been mentioned as a candidate for other jobs, but he will return for his third year as Missouri moves on from longtime quarterback Brady Cook. Coach Eliah Drinkwitz selected Derek Nicholson, who has spent the past five seasons with Miami and Louisville, to lead the linebackers.
What went wrong: After leading Missouri to its first back-to-back 10-win seasons in a decade, Drinkwitz faces the challenge of getting the Tigers over the hump and into the program’s first-ever CFP berth. He’ll embark on that mission in 2025 without field general Brady Cook, star pass catcher Luther Burden III, No. 7 overall pick Armand Membou and top tacklers Corey Flagg Jr. and Johnny Walker Jr., all of whom landed in the NFL this spring. The portal departures of former ESPN 300 signees Williams Nwaneri and Jaylen Brown marked blips in an otherwise effective roster retool for the Tigers this offseason.
What went right: There’s a lot of ifs on the roster, but if Missouri’s portal moves pan out, the Tigers have potential to sustain another playoff pursuit. The program brought in Penn State transfer Beau Pribula to take over for Cook and added one of the nation’s top young running backs in UL Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy, who ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman last fall. Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (Mississippi State) and tackles Keagen Trost (Wake Forest) and Jaylen Early (Florida State) arrive as respective potential replacements for Burden and Membou. The Tigers used the portal to fill holes on defense with former West Virginia linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive backs Stephen Hall (Washington State) and Jalen Catalon (UNLV) among the notable additions.
Connelly’s take: Drinkwitz brought in a transfer for every starter lost — 11 starters gone, 11 FBS starters incoming — and held onto both coordinators. That’s a good way of going about your business. We’ll see if Pribula can turn out to be as good a close-game muse as Brady Cook, however: Mizzou was 10-1 in one-score finishes in 2023-24.
Key additions: RB Rahsul Faison, DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, CB Brandon Cisse
Key departures: S Nick Emmanwori, DE Kyle Kennard, DT T.J. Sanders
Top incoming recruits: WR Donovan Murph, WR Jordon Gidron, OT Damola Ajidahun
Biggest coaching move: The big change comes at offensive coordinator as Dowell Loggains landed the Appalachian State head coaching role. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer promoted Mike Shula, the former Alabama coach and an NFL offensive coordinator with three teams, to take over the unit and continue working with star quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
What went wrong: The Gamecocks have big-time expectations going into 2025 and haven’t run into many issues this offseason. They were able to get Sellers, DE Dylan Stewart and their key returning players locked in on new deals and did not lose any starters during the two portal windows. In fact, the 20 scholarship players who’ve transferred out combined for a grand total of one start last season. That one belonged to backup QB Robby Ashford, who’s now competing to start at Wake Forest. His replacement, Ohio State transfer Air Noland, was a top-100 recruit in 2024. The Gamecocks’ defense does need to replace five NFL draft picks, but they have players ready to step in at those spots.
What went right: South Carolina added a bunch of quality players to its two-deep via the portal, which should create competition and depth this fall. Faison could become one of the great steals of this portal cycle. The Utah State transfer still needs to get cleared for an extra season of eligibility by the NCAA but was one of the best backs in the Mountain West last season, rushing for 1,109 yards and eight TDs. Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2022 ESPN 300, struggled to break through at Texas A&M but looks poised to contribute, and Cisse, a nine-game starter at NC State last season, could start as well. The portal class might not yield a high number of plug-and-play starters, but that’s arguably a good thing. This team has enough coming back to not be overly reliant on its new arrivals.
Connelly’s take: Beamer did his best to offset some mammoth losses on defense with portal newcomers, but experience levels definitely seem to be down on that side of the ball. That will put a lot of pressure on Sellers and a rebuilt offensive line to carry the load, but Sellers might be capable of doing just that.
Key additions: WR De’Zhaun Stribling, OL Patrick Kutas, DE Princewill Umanmielen
Key departures: QB Jaxson Dart, DT Walter Nolen, WR Tre Harris
Top incoming recruits: WR Caleb Cunningham, OT Devin Harper, CB Cortez Thomas
Biggest coaching move: Coach Lane Kiffin retained his staff after a 10-3 season, which will help as the Rebels replace eight NFL draft picks. Among the returnees is Joe Judge, the former New York Giants coach who served as an analyst in 2024 but will work as quarterbacks coach this coming season.
What went wrong: The Rebels shoved all-in for 2024 with one of the most talented portal classes in college football but came up short in their quest for a CFP bid, winning 10 games and finishing No. 11 in the AP poll. This offseason was inevitably going to bring massive roster turnover with the loss of a program-record eight draft picks plus 14 more undrafted players who were picked up by NFL teams. Add in 24 scholarship players transferring out of the program and you get a challenge that Kiffin and his staff clearly anticipated: building up a squad that will depend on lots of newcomers and new leaders this fall.
What went right: Kiffin’s latest portal class might not have the headliners of last year’s haul, but the Rebels have achieved a lot with the 28 players they’ve picked up. They’ve executed a major overhaul at wide receiver led by Stribling (Oklahoma State), Harrison Wallace III (Penn State), Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and Caleb Odom (Alabama) joining returning starter Cayden Lee. They’ve also brought in seven new transfer defensive backs, five new offensive linemen, one of the top tight ends available in Luke Hasz (Arkansas), an All-Sun Belt back in Damien Taylor (Troy) and plenty more experienced help throughout the depth chart.
Connelly’s take: Once you’ve committed to using the portal as heavily as Kiffin has, you have to keep doing it. He couldn’t quite match the production he lost with incoming production, however, and the Rebels will bring one of the league’s lowest returning production averages to the table.
Key additions: WR Trent Hudson, OG Jordan White, S CJ Heard
Key departures: S De’Rickey Wright, OL Gunnar Hansen, S CJ Taylor
Top incoming recruits: CB Carson Lawrence, WR Cameran Dickson, CB Vanzale Hinton
Biggest coaching move: After coach Clark Lea served as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator in 2024, he passed along the responsibilities to Steve Gregory, who served as associate defensive coordinator and secondary coach last fall. Lea also promoted Nick Lezynski to co-coordinator and hired Bob Shoop, a Vanderbilt DC under James Franklin from 2011 to 2013, as senior defensive analyst.
What went wrong: There wasn’t much to complain about this offseason following Vanderbilt’s first winning campaign since 2013. The question now: can reigning SEC Coach of the Year Clark Lea and the Commodores build on their momentum in 2025? The departures of four starting offensive linemen won’t help, nor will the loss of two safeties who combined for 68 career starts. But Vanderbilt has the core of the team that upset No. 1 Alabama last October — most notably quarterback Diego Pavia — and returns with the pieces to contend for a second consecutive bowl appearance this fall.
What went right: The eligibility ruling that granted Pavia’s return in 2025 marked the single biggest development of Vanderbilt’s offseason. But the Commodores are bringing back more than just their quarterback. Tight end Eli Stowers, who led the program in catches (49), receiving yards (638) and touchdowns (five) last fall, returns alongside junior wide receiver Junior Sherrill and transfer newcomer Trent Hudson, Pavia’s former New Mexico State teammate. Lead running back Sedrick Alexander is back following his most productive college season, and Vanderbilt returns its top three tacklers between linebackers Langston Patterson, Bryan Longwell and Randon Fontenette. Accounting for heavy losses on the offensive line, the Commodores added four transfers with starting experience in tackles Bryce Henderson (South Dakota) and Isaia Glass (Oklahoma State) and interior linemen White (Liberty) and Sterling Porcher (Texas Tech).
Connelly’s take: They got Pavia back, and they rank in the top 10 in returning production. That’s great. But recruiting is only ever going to be so good at VU, and the line in front of Pavia will be almost completely new. We’ll see if last season’s turnaround was a one-off or the start of something awesome in Nashville.
Key additions: QB Zach Calzada, RB Dante Dowdell, DL Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace
Key departures: DT Deone Walker, WR Dane Key, WR Barion Brown
Top incoming recruits: DE Javeon Campbell, TE Mikkel Skinner, QB Stone Saunders
Biggest coaching move: Coach Mark Stoops recently has faced a bit of a revolving door at wide receivers coach, making new hires each of the past two winters. He brought in L’Damian Washington, a rising 33-year-old who coached South Florida’s receivers the past two seasons and played wideout in the SEC at Missouri.
What went wrong: The Wildcats lost several key pieces this offseason between draft exits for defenders Deone Walker, Zion Childress and Jamon Dumas-Johnson and the portal departures of leading pass catcher Dane Key (Nebraska) and Barion Brown (LSU). But Stoops and Kentucky were ready for a roster overhaul following the 4-8 finish that snapped the program’s eight-year bowl streak last fall. Reloaded on both sides of the line of scrimmage, the Wildcats have retooled with a more Stoops-like roster capable of playing the type of physical football that’s powered Kentucky’s best teams over the past decade-plus.
What went right: The Wildcats gave up 35 sacks last fall (109th nationally) and responded by adding four experienced starters along the offensive line, led by tackles Shiyazh Pete (New Mexico State) and Alex Wollschlaeger (Bowling Green) and former Western Kentucky center Evan Wibberley. Kentucky turned to the portal for veteran defensive line talent, too. Defensive tackle David Gusta (Washington State) and Humphrey-Grace (South Dakota) will anchor a new-look unit up front in 2025. Stoops hired a rising talent to coach receivers in Washington and brought in seven newcomers at the position, including transfers Kendrick Law (Alabama), Troy Stellato (Clemson) and J.J. Hester (Oklahoma). Calzada, the former Texas A&M, Auburn and Incarnate Word quarterback, and former Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell round out a revamped offense in Lexington.
Connelly’s take: After his worst season since 2013, Stoops needed a great offseason to get back on track. It doesn’t really seem like he got it. Despite tons of new blood for the offense, the QB options are either unproven or uninspiring. The new pass rushers could be excellent, at least.
Key additions: QB Joey Aguilar, RB Star Thomas, OG Wendell Moe Jr.
Key departures: QB Nico Iamaleava, RB Dylan Sampson, DE James Pearce Jr.
Top incoming recruits: OT David Sanders, DT Isaiah Campbell, QB George MacIntyre
Biggest coaching move: Coach Josh Heupel kept his coordinators, including Broyles Award finalist Tim Banks, after reaching the CFP. His staff had minimal changes, as he promoted analysts Levorn “Chop” Harbin (outside linebackers) and Evan Crabtree (special teams coordinators) to on-field roles, and hired former Central Michigan coach John Bonamego, a longtime NFL special teams guru, to work with Crabtree.
What went wrong: The Vols entered 2025 prepared to build on the program’s first-ever CFP appearance behind Nico Iamaleava, the former top quarterback recruit who appeared poised to take another jump in his second season as starter. Circumstances aside, Iamaleava’s late-spring departure for UCLA was a worst-case scenario for Tennessee’s 2025 season. The Vols made a solid recovery in the quarterback “swap” with UCLA transfer and former Appalachian State passer Joey Aguilar, but the Iamaleava saga marked a disastrous ending to an otherwise quiet offseason that saw Tennessee’s biggest losses come in the NFL draft.
What went right: Landing Aguilar, it should be reiterated, was a major boon for the Vols considering the timing of Iamaleava’s exit. However, if Iamaleava’s accuracy and reading of defenses was a problem at times, Aguilar — who completed 55.9% of his passes and threw 14 picks in 2024 — might not be a perfect solution. Filling the shoes of 2024 SEC rushing yards and touchdown leader Dylan Sampson won’t be simple, but Tennessee should have healthy competition at the position between returners DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis and Thomas (871 rushing yards, seven touchdowns in 2024 at Duke). The addition of Moe, a 27-game starter in three seasons at Arizona, could prove especially important if the Vols go with Sanders, a five-star freshman at right tackle.
Connelly’s take: Iamaleava didn’t leave an impossible bar to clear at quarterback, but obviously the timing of that saga was about as suboptimal as possible. Still, the Vols enjoy extreme continuity on defense, and considering how well the defense played last season, that could be a very good thing.
Key additions: WR O’Mega Blake, OT Corey Robinson II, RB Mike Washington
Key departures: DE Landon Jackson, WR Isaac TeSlaa, WR Andrew Armstrong
Top incoming recruits: OLB Tavion Wallace, DT Kevin Oatis, DT Reginald Vaughn
Biggest coaching move: After a splashy offseason in 2024 that included Bobby Petrino’s return to Arkansas, things were much quieter this spring. Coach Sam Pittman’s only on-field staff change came with the secondary, as Nick Perry arrives after NFL stops with Seattle and Atlanta.
What went wrong: Few programs lost more volume (and some quality) in the transfer portal this offseason than the Razorbacks, prompting another roster retool for Pittman ahead of a crucial sixth season in charge. The list of key transfer departures includes offensive linemen Patrick Kutas (Ole Miss) and Addison Nichols (SMU), wide receiver Isaiah Sategna (Oklahoma) and tight end Luke Hasz (Ole Miss). Arkansas worked the portal plenty hard, too. But, at least on paper, the Razorbacks failed to pull in the kind of bona fide, proven contributors needed to account for the NFL draft losses of top rusher Ja’Quinden Jackson, SEC receiving yards leader Andrew Armstrong and a handful of defensive starters, led by defensive end Landon Jackson.
What went right: The Razorbacks had to rebuild on the offensive line after giving up 36 sacks that ranked 114th nationally. They’ll hope the portal additions of six offensive linemen, headlined by Robinson, Oregon’s Shaq McRoy and UCF’s Caden Kitler, can provide a platform for Taylen Green, and keep the dynamic redshirt senior quarterback upright. Arkansas worked hard to provide Green with new downfield targets, too, with Blake (Charlotte), Raylen Sharpe (Fresno State) and former All-AAC return man Kam Shanks (UAB) among five transfer wide receivers on the roster. Former Montana State tight end Rohan Jones (30 catches, 470 yards, nine touchdowns in 2024) arrives as another potential playmaker if he can adjust to the physicality of SEC football.
Connelly’s take: It’s a make-or-break year for Pittman in Fayetteville, and it’s unclear whether he made the right portal moves or simply made a lot of them. The season — and the fate of Pittman’s tenure — could come down to whether the attempted upgrades in the receiving corps and secondary come up big.
Key additions: RB Fluff Bothwell, QB Luke Kromenhoek, DL Red Hibbler
Key departures: WR Kevin Coleman Jr., WR Mario Craver, CB Brice Pollock
Top incoming recruits: OLB Tyler Lockhart, OLB Tyshun Willis, QB KaMario Taylor
Biggest coaching move: Despite a 2-10 season, coach Jeff Lebby brought back his primary coordinators but made some other changes, including plucking two assistants — Phil Loadholt (offensive line) and Vincent Dancy (defensive ends/outside linebackers) — from Colorado’s staff. Loadholt, a Minnesota Vikings lineman from 2009-15, previously worked with Lebby at Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
What went wrong: Lebby and his coaches inherited a serious roster rebuild and are hard at work trying to build up a team that can keep up in the SEC after a winless run through conference play in Year 1. It was a high-attrition offseason as one would expect after a 2-10 season, with 33 scholarship players transferring out, though only four of them — Coleman (Missouri), Pollock (Texas Tech), QB Michael Van Buren Jr. (LSU) and OL Makylan Pounders (Louisville) — started more than six games last season. In fact, more than half of Mississippi State’s departures ended up at G5 or FCS programs. The portal can help expedite rebuilds, but the process of building up a truly competitive, experienced two-deep is likely going to require some time and patience.
What went right: Mississippi State has a much brighter future at quarterback going forward thanks to the arrival of Taylor and Kromenhoek, a Florida State transfer. Sixth-year senior QB Blake Shapen opting to return for another season takes some pressure off those former ESPN 300 recruits, but they’re going to catch up quickly. Bothwell, an All-Sun Belt performer as a freshman at South Alabama, gives the Bulldogs a strong trio of backs, and they’ve remade their receiver room with six portal pickups. Lebby has also overhauled up front by bringing in seven transfer offensive linemen and eight defensive line/edge additions. If they can achieve a solid hit rate among their more than 30 portal newcomers, expect good progress in Year 2.
Connelly’s take: As expected after a dreadful debut season, Lebby had lots of holes to fill and did his best. We’ll see if the offense has the weapons it needs, but at the very least the Bulldogs should be much deeper and more experienced in the trenches. And Fluff Bothwell could turn out to be an absolute steal.
Overall top 10
1. LSU Tigers: A combination of player/staff retention and some much-needed portal upgrades puts coach Brian Kelly’s team in the top spot. The Tigers get quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for another year, brought back linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. from injury and addressed key positions through the portal, including wide receiver, safety and both lines.
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders: From a purely personnel standpoint, Texas Tech might have been the team of the offseason, doubling down in investments. The team retained general manager James Blanchard, made strong coordinator hires in Mack Leftwitch and Shiel Wood, and pounded the portal, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. A CFP push in Lubbock could be coming.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions: Not every great offseason stems from heavy portal additions. Penn State improved its roster, especially at a lagging wide receiver spot with Trebor Pena and others, but it also kept NFL prospects Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in the backfield, and made the top coordinator hire of the winter in Jim Knowles from Ohio State.
4. Oregon Ducks: Dan Lanning has made Oregon a place where people want to work and play. He retained almost his entire staff from the Big Ten championship team. The Ducks kept wide receiver Evan Stewart and several key defenders. They also added All-Big Ten defensive backs Dillon Thieneman and Theran Johnson, Doak Walker Award semifinalist Makhi Hughes and others from the portal.
5. Clemson Tigers: Coach Dabo Swinney’s aversion to transfers often made Clemson an unlikely candidate for a top offseason. But this winter, Swinney went to the portal for defensive end Will Heldt and others. Clemson also kept quarterback Cade Klubnik, talented defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and a dynamic group of receivers from the ACC championship team. He also upgraded the defensive staff with coordinator Tom Allen.
6. Oklahoma Sooners: OU needed a big offseason after a disappointing 2024 and delivered. An embattled offense landed the Pullman package deal of coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer from Washington State. OU added help around Mateer with running back Jaydn Ott and others. The team also has a clear personnel direction with Jim Nagy, the former Senior Bowl executive director.
7. Auburn Tigers: The financial clout we heard about during Auburn’s courtship of Lane Kiffin showed up this offseason. Auburn bolstered its receiving corps with Eric Singleton Jr. and others, added coveted offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin and gave quarterback Jackson Arnold a reset opportunity. Coach Hugh Freeze should have what he needs for a Year 3 breakthrough.
8. Miami Hurricanes: The Hurricanes’ inclusion here will undoubtedly trigger some eye rolls, but Miami continues to thrive in the offseason. Quarterback Carson Beck could be one of the best portal pickups, and Miami also added notable transfers at wide receiver, defensive back and offensive line. The team retained offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and made a strong defensive coordinator hire in Corey Hetherman.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini: When teams like Illinois have 10-win seasons, the biggest challenge is often retention. Coach Bret Bielema not only kept his staff together but brought back a group of NFL draft hopefuls, even fending off a late Tennessee push for quarterback Luke Altmyer. The Illini also kept national awards candidate Gabe Jacas in the linebacker corps and addressed their primary need at wide receiver through the portal.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils: After a shocking run to the Big 12 title and the CFP, Arizona State is positioned well for an encore. Coach Kenny Dillingham didn’t lose key assistants, has quarterback Sam Leavitt back in the fold along with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and others. ASU also helped its offensive backfield with running back Kanye Udoh and made other strong additions at wide receiver and in the secondary.
Sports
Yates’ preseason NFL mock draft for 2026: Six first-round quarterbacks? A pair of early trades?
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Field Yates
The 2025 college football season kicks off Saturday with a ranked Iowa State-Kansas State matchup. The following Saturday — officially Week 1 — brings big-time showdowns of Texas-Ohio State, LSU-Clemson and Notre Dame-Miami. And then the NFL season begins just a few days after that. Buckle up … football is here!
That means we can really start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft. And it means we can celebrate with my first mock draft for what should be an exciting class of players.
I’ll say this right off the top: A lot can — and will — change over the next eight months. There are a lot of snaps to be played, and plenty of events will alter top prospects’ outlooks before Round 1 on April 23. Consider that I had Carson Beck going No. 1 in my preseason mock draft at this time last year, and he ultimately stayed in school and transferred from Georgia to Miami. There are just a lot of unknowns in August.
One of those unknowns is the draft order. For this exercise, I used ESPN’s Football Power Index — which uses thousands of simulations to predict the entire NFL season — to project where every team will make its pick. Remember that only 30 franchises currently have a first-round selection, though. The Jaguars and Falcons both dealt away their 2026 Day 1 picks during the 2025 draft. I also crafted two more moves at the top of the order that would make sense if things played out like this. In all, I have six quarterbacks coming off the board — two of them after projected trades.
Let’s begin with the Browns, who have the top pick in the FPI simulations and could be looking for another quarterback come April. Here are my early preseason predictions for all 32 picks in next year’s Round 1.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Yes, Archie Manning recently stated that his grandson will stay at Texas for at least two seasons, a belief many in the scouting community share. But ultimately, Arch is eligible to declare in 2026, and if he performs up to his potential, he might just have to consider the NFL leap in this coming draft class. So I’m including him … for now.
Manning has a very good build, throws with accuracy to all levels of the field and shows solid movement traits. He’s a different QB than his uncles Peyton and Eli were in that he is a threat with his legs. He is inexperienced and needs to add more weight to his 6-foot-4 frame, but it’s easy to see his immense ceiling. I know the Browns just drafted two passers this year, but if they are picking first overall next year, then yes, they’ll be taking a quarterback.
Projected trade: East Rutherford swap
With Jaxson Dart in waiting, the Giants aren’t likely to be drafting a first-round QB next April. But the Jets could absolutely be in that mix, so I could see these MetLife Stadium roommates making a deal in this scenario, with the Jets moving up from No. 4 to No. 2. The Giants, meanwhile, could pick up extra premium picks and still be in position to land either the best or second-best non-QB in the class.
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
A bottom-five record this season — which would be the case if the order plays out like this — would mean Justin Fields isn’t a lock to start in 2026. This would be an opportunity to get a franchise QB. Sellers is a huge and powerful thrower who made massive strides in his game in 2024. His escapability from pressure in the pocket is a true X factor; some plays on his tape show shades of Josh Allen. His best moments are jaw-dropping, and his overall mobility is superb. Sellers threw the football much better in the second half of last season, too, finishing with 18 TD passes and seven INTs. Continued improvement on his ball placement will put him in top pick consideration.
Projected trade: Saints join QB run
Derek Carr retired, and none of Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough nor Jake Haener is a sure thing. New Orleans could be watching two QBs come off the board to start Round 1 and want to jump into the party. Trading up from No. 5 to No. 3 with Tennessee — which has its QB in Cam Ward but needs a lot around him — would make sense as New Orleans seeks a long-term option under center.
Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Klubnik would become the first quarterback taken in the first round by the Saints since Archie Manning in 1971. New Orleans bypassed the position at No. 9 in April, but it’d be hard to do it again in the top five next year. Klubnik is a mechanically sound and accurate passer who accounted for 43 total touchdowns during his breakout 2024 season (36 passing, seven rushing). He lacks elite size at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, but he’d offer the Saints some stability at QB as they reset their roster.
Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Entering the season, two non-quarterback prospects rise above the rest for me: Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Woods. The Giants are well-positioned at safety after signing Jevon Holland, so I’m going with Woods and adding to an already outstanding defensive line. Woods is a chaos causer. He had just three sacks in 2024 after none as a freshman in 2023, but his game goes far beyond the box score; every opponent O-line had a plan for him on each snap last season. He also has the positional versatility to line up and rush from multiple spots, which would help alongside Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence II and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
It’s not often a safety generates top-five consideration, which is a testament to Downs’ skill set. He is a no-weakness prospect who brings a physical and imposing demeanor when playing in the box and defending the run. But Downs also boasts excellent range, ball skills (two INTs and seven pass breakups in 2024) and vision as a middle-of-the-field pass defender. He has the ability to entirely reshape a secondary from the moment he steps on the field. Tennessee is looking for cornerstone players, and its defense ranked 30th in points allowed per game last season (27.1). Downs would instantly alter the outlook.
Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
I’m optimistic about Carolina quarterback Bryce Young after what we saw in the second half of 2024, but picking this high would likely spark a debate about whether to pivot from him. Regardless, with three QBs off the board, I’m sticking with Young for now and looking for a difference-maker elsewhere on the roster.
Faulk has the length and torque to rush off the edge, but his 6-foot-6, 288-pound frame really allows him to be disruptive and attack from a variety of alignments. He had seven sacks last season. The Panthers made a pair of Day 2 investments on the edge this year (Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen) but should keep working on this pass rush group. The team’s 5.4% sack rate tied for fourth worst in the NFL last season.
Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Fano has played both left and right tackle at the collegiate level, and I think he can do it in the NFL, too. He has terrific length and impressive footwork, as he effortlessly matches and mirrors edge rushers as a pass protector. But Fano is not just a movement/finesse player; he has an edge and mean streak to his game that shows up when finishing blocks. The Raiders recently reinvested in veteran left tackle Kolton Miller, but throwing more resources at the line will always be a focus for GM John Spytek.
T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
Parker brings a blend of versatility and pass-rushing nuance. He is at his best as an edge rusher, but he has also shown the capacity to kick down to a 4i alignment (inside shoulder of the offensive tackle) and even drop into coverage. His production speaks for itself — he forced a Clemson-record six fumbles and had 11 sacks in 2024, and his 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023 were a school record for a true freshman. The Patriots, meanwhile, were last in the NFL in sacks in 2024 (28) and must keep addressing their pass rush. New coach Mike Vrabel will want to be tough on both sides of the line.
Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State
The Rams can capitalize on a bonus first-round pick after Atlanta traded up for James Pearce Jr. in the 2025 draft. It’s not clear whether Matthew Stafford will be playing in 2026, but the Rams can add his heir apparent at the draft either way. Leavitt is an innovator, showing exceptional poise, moxie and creativity under duress. The redshirt sophomore is a talented thrower and very strong runner. He had at least three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in five of his final seven matchups last season, and he finished with 443 rushing yards on the year. L.A. can start thinking about the future under center with this top-10 pick via Atlanta.
Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
One thing we know about Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is that he likes versatile defensive players. Hill fits that mold. He brings an immense skill set as a standup inside linebacker, but he also has an eye-opening 13 sacks in two seasons at Texas, including eight in 2024. He shows sideline-to-sideline range that led to 113 tackles and four forced fumbles in 2024, too.
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
The Colts recently named Daniel Jones as their starter for the 2025 season, which underscores the team’s big need for a true QB of the future. The ship seems to have already sailed on Anthony Richardson Sr. Allar has ideal 6-foot-5, 235-pound size, good mobility and a rocket arm. I also see moments of creativity on the tape. The tools and upside have evaluators intrigued, but they also want to see more consistency and urgency in the pocket in 2025. If he puts it all together, Allar would be a great get for the Colts in this range.
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Mel Kiper Jr.’s top players to watch for the 2026 NFL draft
Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down his top prospects to watch for the 2026 NFL draft, including Penn State quarterback Drew Allar,
Austin Barber, OT, Florida
We got a new QB for the Browns at No. 1 in this mock draft. Now, they have to improve the protection with their other pick, courtesy of the Jaguars via the Travis Hunter trade. Insert Barber, who has excellent length and extensive experience as both a right and left tackle. Barber can really bend and pass protect, something he’ll do at a high-stakes level this season in manning the blind side for 2027 QB prospect DJ Lagway. He allowed three sacks last season over 13 starts. The Browns need to get younger along the offensive line; they allowed 66 sacks last season, second most in the league.
Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
The Cowboys enter the 2025 season looking to right some of the wrongs from their forgettable 2024. One big area of concern is the interior defensive line. Their porous run D (4.8 yards allowed per carry, tied for third worst) cannot continue if they want to keep contending in the NFC. Banks could help fix it. He has outstanding size at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, but he also displays the quickness and power to be a disruptive interior rusher. He began his career at Louisville, but his best college season came in 2024, when he had 4.5 sacks for the Gators — including 2.5 in his dominant game against Ole Miss.
Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
Throughout the predraft process this year, I often linked offensive tackles to the Cardinals. That need will likely only grow next year, given that veteran right tackle Jonah Williams is going to be a free agent in March. Mauigoa has played right tackle in each of his first two college seasons, boasting great 6-foot-6 size, nimble feet and immense power that all project well to the NFL level. He made life easier on Cam Ward in 2024, not allowing a single sack over 13 games. Could he have a similar impact on Kyler Murray?
Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
The Dolphins enter the 2025 season razor thin at cornerback. Jalen Ramsey is gone, and Artie Burns and Kader Kohou both suffered season-ending injuries this spring. So it’s easy to match Miami to the CB class. Terrell — the younger brother of Falcons standout A.J. Terrell Jr. — has fantastic ball skills and a contagious confidence (it seems to run in the family). During his breakout 2024 season, the younger Terrell intercepted a pair of passes, broke up 12 more and forced three fumbles. When opposing quarterbacks targeted Terrell in 2024, he allowed just 26 of 60 attempts to be completed and surrendered only two completions for at least 20 yards.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
This would be the second time in three years we saw six quarterbacks in the top half of Round 1. But hey, there are a lot of QB-needy teams picking early, and there are a lot of really good QB prospects potentially available. And Aaron Rodgers recently said this could be his last NFL season, probably making QB a primary need in Pittsburgh next offseason.
Nussmeier — the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier — is like a point guard on the field, playing with elite processing skills and very good accuracy. He lacks dynamic athleticism and has just solid arm strength, but he is still able to deliver the ball on time and to spots where his receivers can create after the catch. Nussmeier — who is dealing with patellar tendinitis — threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last season at LSU.
One more QB prospect who could be in the mix: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. He has an impressive ability to process and play under duress, and I saw some “wow” throws on tape.
Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
If not for an ACL tear suffered in January, McCoy would be much higher. He has returned to the practice field in some capacity, but it’s unclear when he will be cleared to play in games. He is a terrific perimeter cover corner, though, with ideal speed, length and ball disruption skills for the NFL. McCoy had an incredible debut season at Tennessee in 2024 after spending one year at Oregon State, picking off four passes and breaking up eight more. The Bears need more perimeter corners opposite Jaylon Johnson, so this makes sense.
Anto Saka, Edge, Northwestern
Saka is one of those players who immediately widens your eyes when you watch his tape. His incredible explosiveness puts pass protectors on their heels. Saka’s numbers are just OK through two seasons (nine sacks over 22 games), but he draws a lot of attention from opponents and is still a bit raw as a prospect. The starter kit of desirable traits is there.
Is edge rush a gigantic need for the Vikings? No. Is there such a thing as too much depth at that position? Also no. Saka could fit in nicely with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.
Matayo Uiagalelei, Edge, Oregon
Uiagalelei is hard to miss on tape, thanks to a massive 6-foot-5, 272-pound frame. He aligns from a variety of spots along the defensive front and causes havoc from all of them, with 10.5 sacks in 2024. He wins with power and relentlessness. The Packers have poured resources into their pass rush and finished last season with 45 sacks (tied for eighth), but they did not have an impactful enough group in critical moments and could use more help.
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Tyson had 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns last season prior to getting hurt, and that kind of production could be perfect for Bo Nix and the Broncos. The Broncos are well-stocked at most spots on the roster, but putting another difference-making playmaker alongside Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Evan Engram could lift the whole offense. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson is extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands and has very good instincts after the catch. He had five games with over 100 receiving yards in 2024 and joins Leavitt to form one of the best QB-WR duos in college football this season.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
With Joe Mixon signed only through 2026, the Texans could use some reinforcements at running back. Next year’s class at the position isn’t particularly strong, especially in comparison to 2025, but Love is the exception. He has dynamic movement skills — including unique speed, acceleration and burst — to go along with real pass-catching ability. He rushed for 6.9 yards per carry last season en route to 1,115 yards and scored a total of 19 touchdowns (17 rushing, two receiving).
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
One of the NFL’s best recent pass-rush pipelines has been through Penn State. Dennis-Sutton has a chance to be the third straight first-round Nittany Lions pass rusher (Chop Robinson in 2024, Abdul Carter in 2025). He stepped up in 2024 with 8.5 sacks and showed stout run defense to complement his pass-rush production. This season, he’ll face a new challenge, with teams not paying prominent attention to the now-departed Carter opposite him.
The Bucs’ pass rush will be a group in focus for this upcoming season, considering they didn’t have any full-time edge rushers with more than five sacks last season.
Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College
Bowry played left tackle in 2024 and will be there again this season, but he has played both tackle spots, and some scouts have even projected him as an NFL guard. With San Francisco, Bowry could play anywhere on the O-line and be groomed as Trent Williams‘ heir apparent at LT. The 49ers need offensive linemen with above-average foot speed to play in their zone scheme, and Bowry’s footwork really pops on tape. He shows an impressive ability to get lateral and handle rushers who try to cross his face to work inside.
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Although the Bengals have Orlando Brown Jr. under contract through 2026, any investment that protects Joe Burrow is worthwhile. After all, Cincinnati had the league’s worst pass block win rate (50.1%) last season. Proctor is massive at 6-foot-7 and 366 pounds, and he spent the past two seasons holding down the left side of the Alabama offensive line. Proctor’s power, length and physicality are all impossible to miss on tape, but his overall athletic ability could determine how high he goes in the draft. Can he consistently handle explosive edge rushers? Does he have the reactive skills to mirror players who are trying to bend the edge around him? If he can show that at a high level this season, Proctor will be a first-round lock — and perhaps go much higher than this.
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
The Terry McLaurin contract situation heightens the Commanders’ big need at wide receiver. Deebo Samuel should provide a boost this season, but he’s scheduled to be a free agent in March. Jayden Daniels needs playmakers around him. Bernard led Alabama in catches (50) last season, but it still feels like a bigger breakout year is due; this could be a productive season for the 6-foot-1 speedster. He had a reception of at least 20 yards in 10 separate games last season en route to 794 receiving yards.
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Jalen Milroe finds Germie Bernard wide open for 34-yard Bama TD
Alabama takes an 8-point lead with under two minutes left as Jalen Milroe slings one to an open Germie Bernard for a 34-yard touchdown.
Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke
One of my favorite players to study in the early part of the 2026 draft process is Rivers, a versatile corner with excellent ball skills. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he has aligned both on the perimeter and in the slot, showcasing sticky coverage skills, good instincts and even some blitzing ability. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 by picking off three passes and allowing just 13 catches all season. Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart both had strong rookie seasons in Los Angeles in 2024, but corner is still a longer-range need for the stout Chargers defense. Rivers could thrive there.
Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
I went into the 2025 draft thinking cornerback was a key area of need for the Rams, but they didn’t take anyone at the position across six picks. I still think some reinforcements there would be helpful; both expected starters on the outside (Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon) are in their 30s. Everette’s excellent length and instincts around the football would boost the unit. He enters his third season as a starter for Georgia with four career picks. And although Everette does not have elite short-area quickness, his 6-foot-1 size and great defensive IQ make him a high-end coverage player.
A.J. Harris, CB, Penn State
Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie are both free agents in March, and Marlon Humphrey is signed through 2026. Corner is likely a 2026 offseason focus in Baltimore. Harris is entering his second season with Penn State after beginning his career at Georgia, and he plays with an infectious energy, opportunistic ball skills and a willingness to enter the fray as a run defender. Opposing quarterbacks did not test him much in 2024, but he still came away with a pick and five pass breakups.
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Detroit could probably go a few different directions here, but addressing the defense makes a lot of sense. The Lions took a linebacker in the first round in 2023 (Jack Campbell), and they could go back to that well in 2026. Alex Anzalone will be a free agent in March, potentially opening up a spot at the position.
Versatility, communicator and athleticism — those are some words that initially come to mind when scouting Styles, who began his OSU career at safety before moving to linebacker full time in 2024. It almost looks like he’s gliding on the field because he moves so gracefully, which helped him pile up 98 tackles and six sacks in 2024.
Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
World joins Oregon this season after spending the past four years at Nevada, playing both right and left tackle. He brings premier length at 6-foot-8 and moves very well — especially as a pass protector. World allowed zero sacks last season, but this year will be an elevated test. And although the Chiefs addressed offensive tackle this offseason, nothing is a sure thing there. They have reasonable contract outs on both Jawaan Taylor and Jaylon Moore after the 2025 season, and World could help protect Patrick Mahomes for the long haul.
Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
Miller is an experienced right tackle (41 starts) with very good movement skills and the lateral agility to stick with edge rushers. Yes, the Eagles don’t have many pressing needs at the moment. But they have always been ahead of the curve on offensive line investments, and this would give them a promising player in the pipeline to develop behind 35-year-old Lane Johnson.
Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC
The fact that ESPN’s FPI has the Bills picking No. 32 underscores what we know: This roster is loaded. One question mark is at WR, though. The Bills lack a clear alpha wideout despite a capable group overall. (Keon Coleman has flashed upside.)
Lane caught 12 touchdowns last season after just seven total catches in 2023. He is a fluid mover and displays very good route running and comfort catching the football inside and outside his frame. Lane also showed some contested catch ability and toughness in the middle of the field on the tape. Josh Allen would approve.
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