In many college football seasons, there are elite teams and the thought of anyone else winning the championship is farfetched — think Alabama under Nick Saban or LSU in 2019. Well, this is NOT one of those seasons and all the contenders have something which needs to be fixed or improved on.
With this in mind, we are going to imagine that college football has finally completed their transition to professionalism and that in-season transfers are allowed. We are going to take 10 of the top teams and give each of them a game-changing player from a team which has either been eliminated from contention or eliminated without help. Sorry, Ohio State.
It's just a thought exercise, but it's a fun one and imagines a reality far more exciting than the actual NFL Trade Deadline which is coming up.
Princewill Umanmielen to Alabama
Since the SEC is a stickler for rules suddenly, they may not allow this transfer to go through. But if they do, Umanmielen would bring even more pass rushes to an Alabama team which already has a good one.
With at least one more game against Georgia ahead on the schedule, having the depth to get through the Bulldogs offensive line will be key to defeating them this time. Alabama does not have many holes. We could have given them another receiver but building up the defense is their best way to go deep into the playoffs so we went with an elite lineman.
Drew Mestemaker to Indiana
Josh Hoover may not have the turnover issues we thought he had leaving TCU, but he does have injuries concerns now and he has not been dynamic enough for Indiana to pull away from teams. This is the exact reason we are taking the 2025 leader in touchdown passes and giving him to Indiana to partner with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.
This trifecta, alongside Turbo Richardson will provide with an offense capable of getting the Hoosiers back to the national title game in Las Vegas with a good chance to win. The defense has been playing well. It is time the offense started to keep up their end of the bargain.
Jeremiah Smith to Miami
Sorry Ohio State, I do not think you are a playoff contender without Julian Sayin at quarterback, so I had to give your best player to Miami for two reasons.
The first of those reasons is the unfortunate injury suffered by the second-best wide receiver in the nation, Malachi Toney — an injury which will keep him out for the rest of the regular season and means he could be limited in the playoffs.
The second reason he is going to Miami is because they were his second choice in high school, they offered to double his Ohio State NIL deal just to come for the rest of the season, and they also offered me a $750,000 finder’s fee. So yeah, I can be bought.
If Toney comes back healthy, this would be the best college receiver’s duo in the history of the game. If Toney cannot come back at full strength, Smith is the only receiver in the nation who can replace him and have it considered to be an upgrade.
Xavier Lewis to Notre Dame
Lewis, a sophomore at UNC, would not only move for this season, but he would also remain in South Bend for 2027 — something extremely important for Marcus Freeman to make this arrangement with Bill Belichick.
Lewis already has 6.5 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss on the season. This production will help the Irish as they will face good offenses when they get into the playoffs. And having this type of dominant lineman on the defensive side will allow Lance Moore and the rest of the secondary to clamp down on opposing receivers.
With the small injury to Moore against Miami on Saturday, it was an intriguing idea to bring another cornerback to Notre Dame, but Lewis is the pick here.
Jesse Legree to Oregon
Legree is the best freshman receiver in the country. He has been amazing with the Oregon State Beavers and has already re-signed with them for another season. But if the Ducks came calling midseason, he might have to change his mind.
The Ducks will allow him to be surrounded by a superior amount of talent — talent which will allow him to flourish even more as a sophomore and junior. With the ability he has, he will be the next great receiver in line after Jeremiah Smith in the Big Ten Conference.
A quarterback was certainly tempting for Oregon but Dylan Raiola was solid against Ohio State, leading the Ducks to 38 straight points in the win. If he continues to play to this level and the defense continues their play, the only thing Oregon needs is another pass-catcher to supplement their ailing room of receivers.
Trinidad Chambliss to Texas
This one is obvious to me. Texas needs a quarterback badly and Chambliss is the best one available. On an additional bright side, Texas Tech was also after Chambliss, but the Longhorns were able to beat them to the punch and get him before Cody Campbell had his checkbook out.
Sam Leavitt to Texas Tech
After losing out on Chambliss, Texas Tech will go out and overspend on Sam Leavitt, who has already received $4.5 million from LSU. He, like Smith and Miami, will now get double this to finish the season in Lubbock.
Thomas Castellanos had five touchdowns against West Virginia on Saturday and Texas Tech has an easy remaining schedule. But this is about the playoffs. The Red Raiders were shut out last season by Oregon, and they do not want this to occur again. Leavitt would be a better option with more skill and escape ability then Castellanos. In a team full of mercenaries, what better one than a last-minute highly paid quarterback signing?
Dylan Stewart to UCLA
UCLA has been a running team with a solid defense all season. The Bruins do not have the money to get a player like Lewis, who will cost a ton this season and even more next year. But they do have the ability to take on the salary of Dylan Stewart of South Carolina, a player who can wreck opponents when he is on the field.
Stewart has a high motor. Sometimes it is too high, but this is what UCLA will need if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
UCLA is another team who could use a quarterback but they have done extraordinary things this far into the season without an elite signal caller. We can let that go until next season and see how far this magical season can go with a better defense.
Trey’Dez Green to Utah
Devin Dampier can do everything at quarterback for the Utes.
On Saturday against BYU in the Holy War, Dampier ran for 2 touchdowns, threw for 2 touchdowns and had a reception in the game. If he had more weapons on offense, he would not be forced to be everything for the Utes. Enter Green.
Green, the 6-foot-6 tight end from LSU, is the best catching tight end in the country and he will immediately bring a dangerous weapon to an offense who needs it. I do not know how his personality would fit in Utah’s state culture. But, for a few million dollars, he can help them out for a few months before moving somewhere else to train for the NFL combine.
KJ Duff to Wake Forest
They might not be a real playoff contender but Wake Forest are another fun story and as of now, they would be in the ACC Championship Game against Miami.
Wake Forest has been playing solid defense and has been able to put up points all season, including 77 against an overmatched Merrimack on Saturday.
Adding a big receiver like KJ Huff from Rutgers — who will be able to go up and get balls at 6-foot-5 — brings a new dynamic to the offense, one which could give them a chance to defeat Miami in the rematch after losing 31-20 in the first game. If Huff can be the player who can take advantage of a lackluster Miami secondary, Wake Forest would be the best ACC team outside of Miami to compete in the playoffs.
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