In today’s landscape of college football of NIL and especially the era of the transfer portal, having a good off-season with the portal can flip a program in one season. Several Big Ten teams have used the 2026 cycle to plug major holes within their roster.
What makes a “winner” in the transfer portal?
Impact at QB or other premium positions
Number of starters added vs just depth pieces
Fit with scheme and timing for a 2026 run
Not just counting stars, but truly looking at how much better the team actually got
The first team to make this list is the 2025 national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers. The key needs that they had to fill were the quarterback position after Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, left for the NFL draft, WR depth, and pass rush.
They were able to add QB Josh Hoover (TCU, top returning passer), Nick Marsh (Michigan State), RB Turbo Richardson (Boston College) and EDGE Tobi Osunsanmi (Kansas State).
These players replace title winners with starters. Curt Cignetti’s system turns transfers into contenders, aiming for back-to-back Big Ten title games and possibly another national championship.
Ohio State lost tons of WR/OL depth from both the NFL draft and the transfer portal itself, as well as help in the secondary.
To help support themselves, they were able to get DL James Smith (Alabama), EDGE Qua Russaw (Alabama), K Connor Hawkins (Baylor), S Earl Little Jr. (Florida State), S Terry Moore (Duke) and WR Devin McCuin (UTSA). They were also able to keep some good core players via retention.
With these additions it will help the Buckeyes survive a brutal schedule with blue chip talent.
Oregon really didn’t have a ton of positions to fill after the 2025 season, but they were able to add some key pieces that will add depth to their roster.
They gained the following players through the portal: QB Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), S Koi Perch (Minnesota), CB Aaron Scott Jr. (Ohio State), WR Iverson Hooks (UAB), DB Carl Williams IV (Baylor) and DL Jerome Simmons (ULM).
The deep QB room plus Dan Lanning’s recruiting means that this Ducks roster is loaded. Oregon will stay elite in 2026 with an expanded Big Ten.
After a disappointing season, it was clear that the Nittany Lions needed to replace various starters across the board, and they did. Many of these transfers are coming from Iowa State
Here are some notable additions: QB Rocco Becht (Iowa State), RB James Peoples (Ohio State), S Marcus Neal Jr. (Iowa State), TE Benjamin Brahmer (Iowa State), OL Brock Riker (Texas State), WRs Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen (Iowa State), and LB Caleb Bacon (Iowa State).
With a new head coach in Matt Campbell and an outstanding portal class, Penn State is back on track to be a contender for the playoffs in 2026.
All these teams made the list because they added immediate starters, not just depth. All the teams on this list brought in enough talent to bring home the national championship as the fourth straight Big Ten team to do so next season.
