Big Ten Transfer Portal Recap: Additions

Even before the 2025-26 college football season was officially over, schools across the country were signing new players left and right. As it stands now, there are 355 players who have transferred to a Big Ten team, per 247Sports.

355 new players! Yes, some may have transferred within the conference, but still it’s a significant amount. With that being said, here are the select players of those 355 that stand out the most for each Big Ten team.

Illinois Fighting Illini

East Carolina QB Katin Houser

In his fourth season of college football, Houser threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also added nine rushing scores with the Pirates as they finished the regular season 8-4. With one year of eligibility remaining, Houser is bringing his talents back to the Big Ten, but with a different team than before.

FIU WR Alex Perry

In his lone season with the Panthers, Perry had 56 receptions for 840 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns — all led his team. He was selected to the All-CUSA First Team from his efforts, and he is now entering his fifth year of college football with the Fighting Illini.

Indiana Hoosiers

TCU QB Josh Hoover

Out of high school, Hoover initially committed to play for Indiana before he flipped to play for the Horned Frogs. In 2025, Hoover threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns as he threw for over 300 yards in five different games. Following in the footsteps of Fernando Mendoza after he won the Heisman and led Indiana to its first-ever National Championship is hard to do, but Hoover has the talent to do just that.

Michigan State WR Nick Marsh

Marsh was undoubtedly one of the most talented wide receivers that entered their name into the transfer portal. I wrote a lot about him in my previous Big Ten transfer article, but to recap, the true sophomore caught 59 passes for 662 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. The year prior, he had the fourth-most receiving yards of all true freshman FBS wide receivers, and that group includes the likes of Jeremiah Smith. Indiana got a good one in Marsh.

Kansas State EDGE Tobi Osunsanmi

In just 303 defensive snaps, Osunsanmi recorded 5.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The junior edge rusher, alongside his teammate Chiddi Obiazor, decided to take his talents to Bloomington and be a key piece of Curt Cignetti’s defense.

Penn State CB A.J. Harris

With DeAngelo Ponds headed for the NFL, Indiana has found its lockdown corner replacement in Harris. Despite a down junior year, he was one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten as a sophomore, earning All-B1G Third Team honors. If he can return his production and play to what it was a couple years ago, Indiana will be just fine on the outside.

Iowa Hawkeyes

South Dakota RB L.J. Phillips Jr.

It’s no doubt that this year’s FCS Football Championship bracket turned out to be strange. Unranked Illinois State lost in the National Championship to No. 2 Montana State by just one point. South Dakota was the No. 11 seed in the bracket, and the Coyotes leaned heavily on Phillips in their three games played, including a 47-0 upset over No. 6 Mercer. In his third season of college football, Phillips rushed for 1,920 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He was selected to the All-MVFC (Missouri Valley Football Conference) First Team, as his rushing yardage total not only led the FCS, but also would have led the FBS by almost 300 yards. Safe to say, Iowa has got a dog, or should I say Coyote, in Phillips.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley WR Tony Diaz

In his first season of college football, Diaz took the Southland conference by storm. The UTRGV wide receiver was recognized as an All-Southland First Team player along with winning the Southland Freshman of the Year award. He caught 67 passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns, including four games with over 100 receiving yards.

Elon EDGE Kahmari Brown

As a true freshman in 2024, Brown was recognized as a first-team FCS Freshman All-American by Phil Steele after recording 33 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He followed his strong first season of college football with an even better 2025 season. Brown finished with 66 total tackles, 12 sacks (T-fourth in FCS), 16.0 TFLs (T-16th in FCS) and three forced fumbles as he was named to the All-CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) First Team. Edge is a position of need for the Hawkeyes, and Brown slots right in for them.

Maryland Terrapins

Old Dominion WR Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding

Maryland had arguably the weakest transfer class in the Big Ten. Nonetheless, Gladding stood out the most of the group. He was an All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention in 2025, leading the Monarchs with 51 receptions and six touchdowns while finishing third on his team with 667 receiving yards. With Malik Washington entering year two, having a receiver like Gladding is big for the Terrapins.

Michigan Wolverines

Utah WR/TE JJ Buchanan

Buchanan is a wide receiver/tight end hybrid. Think Harold Fannin Jr. at Bowling Green. Per 247Sports, Buchanan was the highest-rated transfer that committed to Michigan. As a true freshman, Buchanan caught 26 passes for 427 yards and five scores. His 427 receiving yards across his 13 games played led all true freshman tight ends in the FBS. Like many others, he follows his coach Kyle Whittingham to play for the Maize and Blue.

Utah EDGE John Henry Daley

Staying consistent with Utes players following Whittingham to Michigan is Daley. In 2025, the star edge rusher started the first 11 games of the season before an injury sidelined him in Utah’s final regular season game and its bowl game. Daley was recognized by AP as a Second Team All-American, along with making the All-Big 12 First Team. This past season, he had 48 tackles, 17.5 TFLs (T-fourth in FBS), 11.5 sacks (T-sixth in FBS) and two forced fumbles. He will make an impact immediately and possibly be the best defender on the Wolverines’ roster this upcoming season.

Utah CB Smith Snowden

Aside from having a sick name, Snowden was a sick player for the Utes in 2025. He led Utah’s cornerback room with 37 tackles while also hauling in two interceptions and breaking up nine passes. Snowden was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team for his efforts on defense, but he started his 2025 campaign by leading his team in receptions against UCLA with six and totaling 85 all-purpose yards (15 rushing, 51 receiving and 19 kick return).

Michigan State Spartans

UConn RB Cam Edwards

Edwards is a dog. After a solid 2024 season, where he rushed for 830 yards and eight touchdowns, the redshirt junior ran wild. Edwards had 1,240 rushing yards and 15 rushing scores across the 13 games he played in, contributing as a big part of UConn’s 9-4 season that included a 6-0 home record. His rushing yard total was good for 15th-best in the FBS, and he averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

Ferris State TE Carson Gulker

Gulker is one of the most interesting players that entered the portal. At Ferris State, he won three D-II National Championships in four years. Take his stat line in this year’s D-II Championship Game for example: seven carries for 41 yards rushing, three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown, 2-of-2 passing for 47 yards. Talk about a do-it-all player, and he’s also listed at tight end. In 2025, Gulker threw for 141 yards while he ran for 541 and five touchdowns and caught 34 passes for 548 yards and seven touchdowns. His transition from a high school quarterback into a tight end with rushing prowess is such a cool thing to witness as he takes his talents to East Lansing.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

California EDGE TJ Bush Jr.

Out of all the players that transferred to Minnesota, Bush stands out the most. In his junior season and lone season with Cal, Bush finished the season with 40 total tackles, 11.5 TFLs (second on team) and 5.5 sacks (led team). The former FWAA Freshman All-American with Liberty back in 2023 is now taking his talents to the Big Ten.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

UNLV QB Anthony Colandrea

After playing his first two seasons at Virginia, Colandrea traveled across the country to join UNLV. He started all 14 games for the Rebels this season as he won the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award and was subsequently named to the All-MW First Team. Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while adding another 649 yards on the ground and 10 rushing scores. He is slated to be the starter for Matt Rhule come Week 1.

San Diego State LB Owen Chambliss

Staying in the Mountain West, Chambliss was a standout for the Aztecs. Like Colandrea, he, too, was named to the All-MW First Team, leading his team with 110 total tackles (T-25th in FBS). Chambliss also had 4.0 sacks, 9.5 TFLs and an interception in his 2025 campaign. He has “Big Ten Linebacker” written all over him.

Northwestern Wildcats

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles

Chiles has been covered extensively on this site so far. Recapping it all, he brings his raw talent to the table. That combined with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could lead to success for Northwestern’s offense. His rushing skills are especially notable.

Oklahoma State OT Grant Seagren

After spending his first two seasons at Nebraska, Seagren took his talents to Stillwater to play for Oklahoma State. With the Cowboys, he was their second-highest graded offensive lineman per PFF after starting every game at right tackle. A huge addition for an offensive line that is returning just one consistent starter from a year ago.

Minnesota Duluth TE Luke Dehnicke

Dehnicke was arguably the best Division-II receiving threat in the country. His 61 catches for 1119 yards and 14 touchdowns was among the best in D-II, especially his yardage total, which put him second among all players. It’s no surprise that Dehnicke was named a D-II First Team All-American, but his jump from redshirting his first season to being among the receiving leaders in all of D-II is impressive. He will almost certainly be the one to lead Northwestern’s tight end room in the 2026-27 season.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Northwestern TE Hunter Welcing

Welcing had a breakout year with Northwestern. He was recognized as an All-B1G Honorable Mention for his 2025 season, in which he caught 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. While Welcing never had five or more receptions in a game this past year, he showed major flashes throughout the season, highlighted by a four-catch, 81-yard performance against Michigan.

Alabama DL James Smith

Listed as 6-foot-3, 297 pounds, Smith was once a highly-touted recruit out of high school, ranking as the fifth-highest defensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class. In 2025, he appeared in all 15 games the Crimson Tide played, totaling 28 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. At his size and position, those are solid stats. Smith now takes his talents and potential to Columbus to play for Ohio State.

Florida State S Earl Little Jr.

The son of nine-year NFL veteran Earl Little Sr. is on to his third team. In his second season with the Seminoles, Little made the All-ACC Second Team after recording 76 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. In the span of three games in the middle of the season, he forced five turnovers (three interceptions, two forced fumbles). Little also had two pass breakups in 2025, and he is now likely to be a starting safety for the Buckeyes with Caleb Downs headed for the NFL.

Oregon Ducks

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola

After suffering a broken right fibula against USC on Nov. 1, Raiola missed the remainder of the season for Nebraska, eventually entering his name into the transfer portal. The former five-star recruit was set to be the starter for Oregon in 2026, but Dante Moore decided to return to school for another year instead of going to the NFL Draft. With that, Raiola will likely follow a similar path as Moore did, when he sat behind Dylan Gabriel for a year after transferring in.

UAB WR Iverson Hooks

Hooks had a breakout season with the Blazers in 2025. He finished the season with 72 catches for 927 yards (33rd in FBS) and seven touchdowns, all of which led his team. Hooks was named to the All-AAC Second Team for his efforts in 2025 and is now taking his talents to Eugene to possibly be a go-to target for Moore.

Minnesota S Koi Perich

Talk about a jack-of-all-trades. Perich started his college career with a stellar true freshman season, in which he was named to the All-B1G First Team and recognized by FWAA as a Freshman All-American. He followed up his 2024 season with another good year, earning All-B1G Second Team honors from the media and All-B1G Third Team honors from the coaches. Perich saw action on offense and defense and functioned as Minnesota’s primary kick and punt returner. He will almost certainly play primarily as a starting safety for the Ducks, but he could very well see his role expanded on offense after catching four passes for 34 yards in Minnesota’s bowl game against New Mexico.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Iowa State QB Rocco Becht

In his three seasons as the starter for the Cyclones, Becht was a huge part of the rise of Iowa State football. Across his career, he has thrown for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns with 27 interceptions. Becht also has 19 rushing scores to his name. While his 2025 season was arguably worse than both 2023 and 2024, he’s following his head coach Matt Campbell to State College to be the starter for the Nittany Lions — that is, if he is healthy in time for the start of the season after undergoing surgery in the offseason.

Iowa State RB Carson Hansen

In 2025, Hansen led all Cyclones running backs with 952 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns (Becht had eight rushing scores). He earned himself All-Big 12 Second Team honors as he averaged 86.5 rushing yards per game, the third-highest mark in the Big 12. He, too, follows Campbell to Penn State to lead the backfield.

Iowa State TE Benjamin Brahmer

Brahmer led the Cyclones with 37 receptions and six receiving touchdowns in 2025, while his 446 receiving yards total was good for third on his team. He was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team alongside his teammate Hansen, and he is also following his coach to the Big Ten. Brahmer is set to be the starting tight end for the Nittany Lions in 2026.

Iowa State S Marcus Neal Jr.

The last Iowa-State-to-Penn-State transfer I’m going to discuss is Neal. He was recognized as a member of the All-Big 12 Third Team as he totaled 77 tackles (T-most on team), 11.0 TFLs (led team), 1.0 sacks, two interceptions (T-most on team) and a forced fumble. Entering his junior year, he will be a key piece on Campbell’s defense at Penn State.

Purdue Boilermakers

Texas RB Jerrick Gibson

After a solid freshman season in 2024, where Gibson took advantage of opportunities presented due to injuries ahead of him, he played in just four games before redshirting his sophomore year. He did see 37 carries in 2025, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown. He could make monumental impact on the Boilermakers’ program if he can live up to his potential.

FIU S Mister Clark

Clark has, hands down, one of the best names in all of college football. As a redshirt junior, he had 63 tackles and three interceptions, earning him All-CUSA First Team honors. Clark also had 6.5 TFLs and a forced fumble, along with 13 PBU’s (T-second in FBS). His impact could be felt immediately on defense for Purdue.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Tulsa EDGE J’Dan Burnett

After spending four years with Louisiana Tech, Burnett proved to be a valuable player for Tulsa. He was named to the All-AAC Second Team after recording 28 total tackles and leading his team with both 9.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. In Tulsa’s first seven games of the season, Burnett recorded a sack. While the end of his 2025 season wasn’t as productive, if Rutgers can get the version of Burnett from the beginning of the season, he could prove to be extremely valuable.

UCLA Bruins

James Madison RB Wayne Knight

Knight was a star for the Dukes. Across his 207 carries, Knight rushed for 1,373 yards (seventh in FBS) and nine touchdowns on his way to making the All-Sun Belt First Team. Additionally, he set the single-season all-purpose yards record for James Madison with 2,039 as he added on 397 receiving yards on 40 catches and 269 kick and punt return yards. Knight was recognized as a Second-Team All-American all-purpose player by AP, Sports Illustrated and USA Today. Along with many of his teammates, Knight followed his head coach Bob Chesney from the East Coast to the West Coast to play for the Bruins.

James Madison EDGE Sahir West

After just two appearances in 2024, West became a standout for James Madison. Not only was he named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and selected to the All-Sun Belt Second Team, but West was recognized by the Athletic as a Freshman All-American. He led the Dukes with 14.0 TFLs (third in Sun Belt) and 7.0 sacks (fifth in Sun Belt) as JMU made it to the College Football Playoffs. West also forced a fumble and had four PBUs in 2025. Like Knight and many others, West is following his coach to UCLA.

USC Trojans

NC State WR Terrell Anderson

In his second season of college football, Anderson hauled in 39 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns. While he caught four or fewer passes in all but one game and had 50 or more receiving yards five times, he was most prolific in the middle of the season. Anderson’s performance against Duke on Sept. 9 was most notable, as the sophomore had a career-high six catches for a career-high 166 receiving yards and another career high with two touchdown receptions. USC is betting on the talent here to try and replace the void that will be left by Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane both leaving for the NFL.

Washington Huskies

Sacramento State DL DeSean Watts

In his sophomore season and first season playing at the non-JUCO level, Watts was fantastic for Sacramento State. He earned All-Big Sky First Team honors for his play in 2025, and at 6-foot-2, 318 pounds, he is a monster of a man. He will likely continue his role as a primary nose tackle with his entrance into the Big Ten.

Wisconsin Badgers

Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph

Joseph defined what being a dual-threat quarterback was in the 2025 season. He threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns along with 10 interceptions with the Monarchs in his sophomore season. Those stats alone look alright. What jumps off the page is the fact that Joseph was among the top-50 FBS rushing leaders, totaling 1,007 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns. In his two seasons with Old Dominion, he has scored 24 touchdowns with his legs. Joseph’s efforts in 2025 earned him Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors, yet he was selected to the All-Sun Belt Second Team because of James Madison’s Alonza Barnett III taking home the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year award. Nonetheless, he’s a big get for a Wisconsin team that has been looking for strong and consistent quarterback play.

Iowa State RB Abu Sama III

Sama was a consistent back for the Cyclones in his three seasons there. He rushed for 614 yards and six touchdowns in 2023, 587 yards and two touchdowns in 2024 and a career-high 732 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Sama and Hansen handled the bulk of the carries for Iowa State, and Sama’s 2025 season earned him the honor of being an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. With Campbell now at Penn State and Hansen there with him, Sama decided to go to a different Big Ten team.