Instant Impact: 2025 Preseason All-Transfer Portal Team

The college football transfer portal has reshaped how programs construct rosters in recent years. Some top programs continue to lean into high school recruiting, while programs like Texas Tech spent over $10 million on acquiring its portal class.

Transfers are not depth pieces in this age of college football. They’re expected to step in and be instant difference-makers on teams with College Football Playoff ambitions. Here is On3’s Preseason All-Transfer Portal Team entering the 2025 season. Check out the team below:

QB Carson Beck, Miami

Miami locked in a commitment from Georgia quarterback transfer Carson Beck less than 24 hours after he entered the portal. A projected first-round pick entering the 2024 season, Beck opted for a final season of college football coming off an injury to his throwing elbow in the SEC title game. He’s now healthy and expected to help the Hurricanes contend for their first ACC title and a College Football Playoff berth.

“Shannon [Dawson] loves him,” a source close to the Miami offensive coordinator told On3 this week. “He thinks he has another No. 1 pick in Carson.”

RB Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma

The Cal running back flirted with the transfer portal in December, but ultimately did not head for free agency until the spring. Oklahoma and Georgia were closely tied to Jaydn Ott when he entered in April. The Sooners won out, as quarterback John Mateer helped close out the recruitment. If the 2023 first-team All-Pac 12 player can stay healthy and put together a 1,000-yard season, it will be a difference maker in Oklahoma’s bid for a College Football Playoff berth.

WR Eric Singleton, Auburn

Auburn wanted to bring in another piece to its wide receiver room this offseason to complement Cam Coleman. Auburn had to hold off a final effort from the Yellow Jackets, but the Tigers reeled in Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton. One of the most proven wideouts available in the portal, Singleton has 104 receptions and nine touchdowns in the last two years at Georgia Tech. Known for his speed, his 1,468 receiving yards over the last two seasons are the second most among returning Power Four wideouts.

WR Barion Brown, LSU

When LSU found out Garrett Nussmeier was returning to Baton Rouge for a final season and passing on the 2025 NFL draft, the Tigers were aggressive in the portal to surround their quarterback with talent. Enter Barion Brown, who is one of the most experienced wide receivers in the SEC. He ranked No. 10 on Kentucky’s all-time receiving yards list (1,528) and has 3,277 career all-purpose yards. The2024 First-Team All-SEC selection is also Kentucky’s record-holder for kickoff returns for a touchdown in a career, with five.

WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

 At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Malachi Fields is a physical wide receiver who was a major portal pickup for Notre Dame this winter. The Virginia transfer will provide a big target for CJ Carr to throw the ball to this fall. Known for his ability to pull down contested passes, he finished eighth in the ACC last season with 55 catches for 808 receiving yards. Despite being raised in Charlottesville and a team captain at UVA, Fields opted to play his final season at Notre Dame.

TE Max Klare, Ohio State

All eyes will be on Jeremiah Smith whenever Ohio State passes the ball this season, but the addition of Purdue tight end Max Klare adds another option through the air for the Buckeyes. Ohio State battled Louisville for the top tight end in the portal. With a 6-foot-5, 243-pound frame, Klare enters the 2025 season with 73 career catches for 881 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons. Klare averaged 13.4 yards per catch as a redshirt sophomore last season and his 684 receiving yards is the most among returning Power Four tight ends. He now enters an offense where he will not be the No. 1 receiving target.

OT Isaiah World, Oregon

Dan Lanning’s program reworked its offensive line through the transfer portal this offseason, adding Texas State’s Alex Harkey and USC’s Emmanuel Pregnon. But the headliner was Nevada offensive tackle Isaiah World. The 6-foot-8, 312-pound offensive lineman’s name is already being tossed around as a potential top-10 pick if he can put together all his skills this season and reduce his penalties. He graded out with an 82.4 pass-blocking grade at left tackle for Nevada in 2024.

OG Tomas Rimac, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech lost multiple pieces of its offensive line to the portal this offseason in Braelin Moore and Xavier Chaplin. But the Hokies also picked up a three-year starter out of the portal in West Virginia’s Tomas Rimac. He was one of five interior offensive linemen last year to grade out with a run and pass-block grade of 77 or higher. The 6-foot-6, 317-pound Rimac played 937 total snaps last season and will be charged with leading an offensive line that will need to protect quarterback Kyron Drones, who is coming off a spring surgery.

C Luke Petitbon, Florida State

Wake Forest transfer Luke Petitbon might be Florida State’s top transfer acquisition, a source told On3 this week. Described to On3 as a “ballplayer,” there is a lot of optimism about what he can do on the field for the Seminoles in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 310-pound redshirt senior was a 2024 All-ACC honorable mention selection and has played in 35 career games with 23 starts.

OG Wendell Moe, Tennessee

The two-year starting offensive guard at Arizona, Wendell Moe, has not missed a beat since transferring to Tennessee this offseason. One of Tennessee’s most heralded portal pickups in fall camp, he played 760 snaps without a penalty or giving up a sack last year and has shown why to this point in training camp. “He’s really, really good,” a source told On3. The 6-foot-2, 335-pound offensive lineman chose Tennessee over Auburn and started 11 of 12 games last season for the Wildcats.

OT Xavier Chaplin, Auburn

The only transfer offensive lineman to earn a Preseason All-SEC nod, Xavier Chaplin, is expected to be a key figure on an Auburn offensive line that will be tasked with protecting Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. Chaplin is already picking up potential first-round NFL draft buzz after he started 12 games at left tackle for the Hokies in 2024 and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors. He allowed only two sacks in 2024 in 315 pass-blocking snaps.

EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech

From the jump of David Bailey’s transfer portal recruitment, Texas Tech was involved. The Red Raiders were aggressive in the winter window, putting together the top-ranked portal class. But they viewed Bailey as the finishing piece. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound EDGE has posted 111 career tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks in his career. He’s also forced seven fumbles in his career. Bailey was viewed as a potential 2025 NFL draft prospect, but will now return to college and prove he can be an early-round pick in 2026. The former Freshman All-American touted the No. 1 pass rush win rate in the nation last season and also ranked in the top 10 in impact and havoc rates.

DL Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

A pillar of Texas Tech’s No. 1 transfer portal class this offseason, Lee Hunter earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last year at UCF. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Hunter led all defensive tackles in tackles in 2023. With one year of eligibility remaining, Hunter is coming off a 2024 season where he posted 45 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss with a sack. With 25 starts in the last two seasons at UCF, Hunter had 69 tackles, 11 for a loss and three sacks in 2023.

DL Maarad Watson, Texas

Texas went to work adding talent at defensive tackle this offseason, bringing in five transfers. But the Longhorns scored their biggest win in the spring window, landing Syracuse freshman standout Maraad Watson. The 6-foot-3, 313-pound defensive lineman finished his 2024 season with 31 tackles and a sack. He also showed up as a disruptor against Miami, forcing chaos and pressure on quarterback Cam Ward. He’s expected to be a key piece of the Texas defensive line in the years to come, with three years of eligibility remaining, and he’s strung together a strong fall camp, according to sources.

EDGE Damon Wilson, Missouri

Missouri and Ohio State battled into mid-January for Georgia transfer EDGE Damon Wilson, but the Tigers ultimately won out. Now the 6-foot-4, 250-pound EDGE is expected to be an instant impact player for Missouri. In 26 games over the last two seasons, the former five-star recruit amassed 26 tackles, including seven for loss and 3.5 sacks, to go with two forced fumbles.

LB Amare Campbell, Penn State

After losing Ta’Mere Robinson to USC in April, head coach James Franklin made clear that Penn State would like to find another addition via the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions got aggressive and picked up North Carolina transfer Amare Campbell, edging out SMU. Campbell has come in and quickly emerged as a leader in the linebacker room. In two seasons in Chapel Hill, the linebacker posted 90 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two deflections and a forced fumble and interception. That includes a breakout 2024 season with 11 tackles for loss.

LB Andrew Simpson, North Carolina

Boise State’s Andrew Simpson transferred to North Carolina this spring and immediately became the most experienced linebacker on the depth chart. He made 11 starts in 2024, recording 46 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. In his three seasons at Boise State, the 6-foot, 240-pound linebacker posted 141 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He also posted three interceptions with five forced fumbles and five pass breakups.

LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri

The son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and brother of current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Josiah Trotter transferred from West Virginia to Missouri this winter. A 2024 Freshman All-American and the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, the 6-foot-2, 237-pound linebacker posted 92 tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception last season. The rising redshirt sophomore also posted two pass breakups and five quarterback pressures as he posted eight or more tackles in seven games.

CB Jeremiah Wilson, Florida State

Arguably the most talented transfer pickup for Florida State this offseason, Houston cornerback Jeremiah Wilson is expected to be an immediate contributor this fall. He’s continued to pick up praise in fall camp, too. A former Syracuse transfer, Wilson finished third in the Big 12 with four interceptions last season. With two career pick-sixes, he graded out with an 86.9 PFF grade in 2024, the sixth-highest grade of any Power Four cornerback in the country.

CB Tacario Davis, Washington

Arizona transfer cornerback Tacario Davis has reunited with his former head coach Jedd Fisch at Utah. Davis opted to stay in college football for the 2025 season rather than enter the NFL draft, despite earning some first-round mock draft grades entering 2024. He picked up a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season and was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. Davis started 11 of 13 games as a sophomore in 2023, too, earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors. During his three seasons with the Wildcats, Davis logged 76 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and 23 passes defended.

S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Ranked as the No. 1 safety in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings, Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman picked Oregon over Ohio State. Already earning Preseason First-Team All-American honors, the safety with elite speed picked off six passes in his first college football season in 2023, to go along with 74 tackles en route to earning several national and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Awards. Thieneman followed up that special campaign with another 70 tackles and six pass breakups this fall. He’s viewed as one of the top instant impact transfers entering the 2025 season.

S A.J. Haulcy, LSU

One of the final dominoes to fall in the transfer portal this spring, Big 12 first-team all-conference selection A.J. Haulcy picked LSU over Miami. The Houston transfer finished the 2024 season with 74 tackles. His five interceptions ranked first in the Big 12, and his 13 passes defended were second in the league. With 703 defensive snaps played, he was viewed as one of the most experienced and proven players to hit the portal in the spring.