The transfer portal is chaotic when it’s working efficiently – if that’s even a thing – and disastrous when tampering threatens to blow the whole thing up. Nonetheless, now that the dust has settled from a historically wild window, there are still winners and losers that come out of the pandemonium.
With the portal officially closed and most players now with their new teams, let’s dive into the winners and losers before the spring window opens in a few months.
Winners from college football’s winter transfer portal
Texas Tech gets much-needed upgrades after College Football Playoff dud
Texas Tech knew they needed to upgrade their offense after being shut out by Oregon in the Orange Bowl. So their first order of business was to land Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, one of the top quarterbacks in the portal, and then add Jalen Jones from Arizona State at wide out.
I’m not saying this will instantly make Texas Tech better, but they’re winners for identifying their needs and addressing them. More than that, they went for good fits too: Sorsby’s ability to create as both a runner and a passer is what the Red Raiders desperately need. They didn’t need to revamp their offense, but they realized a weak schedule didn’t help them see the holes in their offense until it was too late.
Tech fortified its defense as well, but that was never their problem. They struggled with generating offense, primarily because they didn’t have to for much of the season. They made sure those same issues wouldn’t resurface in 2026.
North Texas might just prove why the Group of 5 teams still matter
Consider both North Texas and Oklahoma State as winners. The latter because they added a transfer portal class primarily made up of North Texas transfers, all of whom decided to follow head coach Eric Morris to Stillwater. The Pokes finally get a competitive roster after years in the wilderness, and can hopefully put the 2025 season behind them.
But North Texas is the real winner because they produced all that talent. If Oklahoma State ultimately becomes competitive in the Big 12 overnight, it would show that the Group of 5 teams are a lot more than they might get credit for otherwise. They get the short end of the stick as their Power 4 counterparts like to judge them because they don’t play tough schedules. But with Oklahoma State primarily composed of North Texas talent, especially QB Drew Mestemaker and RB Caleb Hawkins, a Cowboys resurgence would show that there’s talent in the G5 — and a lot more than it gets credit for.
James Franklin turning Virginia Tech into a modern powerhouse
I’m not sure who the bigger winner is: James Franklin for getting the best revenge on Penn State, or Virginia Tech for finding arguably the best coach possible to turn them around in a very winnable ACC. Either way, it’s wins all around in Blacksburg, with Franklin getting active in retooling the Hokies.
Franklin needed to get out of Penn State to reignite that fire under him to build a powerhouse. I won’t speak for him, but I will say, it looked like he started to get complacent toward the end in Happy Valley, as though the weight of expectation was wearing on him.
Penn State firing him is the best thing that happened to Franklin, because he was able to land with a team that needs him more than instant success. Franklin shouldn’t have any trouble with the Hokies, and with how aggressive he's been in adding some of his former players, you have to think it will set Virginia Tech up to turn things around right around.
Biggest losers in the college football transfer portal
Duke Blue Devils quarterback drama overshadows strong 2025 finish
Duke should feel ultimately disrespected by Darian Mensah (and honestly Miami, if the rumors are true and he lands with the Hurricanes). Mensah first re-committed to Duke, despite not really needing to after he signed a multi-year contract last offseason. Then, after saying he was coming back to Durham, he decided to hit the portal anyway.
This is a big loss for Duke, because Mensah essentially told them they’ll never get him where he wants to — which is to compete for a national championship. Miami, who’s reportedly gone all in on landing Mensah to replace Carson Beck, went after a conference foe's star player with reckless abandon.
The Blue Devils won the ACC and somehow still came out as losers in a situation they were supposed to build on. Mensah has a $4 million buyout clause, so the fact that there’s a package out there that will cover that and pay him more proves Mensah isn’t motivated by money with this move.
Michigan’s quiet transfer portal is a bad omen
Michigan was behind the 8-ball this offseason, stemming from Sherrone Moore being abruptly fired and replaced by Kyle Whittingham. The biggest step, though, was neglected, in that the Wolverines weren’t really active in the transfer portal. They need some reinforcements on offense, especially when it comes to getting Bryce Underwood some help.
Whittingham should be good enough to work with a player like Underwood, when you think about the fact that he’s worked with quite a few quarterbacks while he was at Utah. But at Michigan, he’ll have access to better players, and he needs to get active. His late hire will probably mean he’ll be a lot more active in the spring window.
That said, it isn’t a good sign for Wolverines fans when you look at the state of this team, especially compared to some of the other teams that had really productive transfer portals.