Transfer Portal Bombshell: Which Schools Are Losing the Most Players?

The latest college football transfer portal frenzy has officially wrapped up—and wow, what a whirlwind it’s been! Teams across the nation saw a flurry of departures, many sparked by seismic coaching changes that sent rosters into a spin. Oklahoma State shattered previous records by losing 64 players, eclipsing Colorado’s 2023 high of 56. On the flip side, Iowa held firm with just eight players leaving—a beacon of stability amid the chaos. These upheavals aren’t just numbers; they’re stories of shifting loyalties, rebuilding efforts, and fresh starts that will reshape the landscape of college football. Curious which programs were hit the hardest and how they’re responding? Dive into our detailed breakdown revealing the most significant portal exits and the ripple effects on each team’s future. LEARN MORE

With the transfer portal window officially closed, it’s time to look back and see which programs were hit with attrition. In most cases, coaching turnover led to a mass exodus, but there were other reasons, too. Oklahoma State surpassed Colorado’s record 56 departures from 2023 with 64 players leaving the program.

Iowa (eight) had the fewest transfer portal entries in this cycle. On3 is breaking down the most college football transfer portal departures by school:

With Mike Gundy’s firing just three games into the 2025 season, the 30-day portal window opened for Oklahoma State players. The opportunity to leave early, coupled with a second portal window for Oklahoma State players in January, led to a mass exit. New head coach Eric Morris comes in from North Texas and has rebuilt the roster in short order, adding 54 new transfers. That includes North Texas standouts in quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. Notable losses for Oklahoma State in the portal included EDGE Wendell Gregory, wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd and offensive lineman Noah McKinney.

For years, Matt Campbell turned down jobs to stay at Iowa State. But in this coaching cycle, Penn State went all-in on Campbell and he took the opportunity. The decision led to the departure of some of the top talent in the Iowa State program, including starting quarterback Rocco Becht, standout tight end Benjamin Brahmer, safety Marcus Neal and cornerback Jeremiah Cooper. In total, Campbell brought 23 Iowa State players with him to Happy Valley. It’s a core of experienced talent to lean on who know the system and culture he is trying to build. Iowa State moved quickly to hire Washington State’s Jimmy Rogers as its next head coach. He’s worked to stop the bleeding, adding 48 new players, but it will be difficult to replace the amount of talent lost.

Penn State’s decision to fire James Franklin in October led to a cascade of players hitting the portal in January. Matt Campbell was able to retain some talent, including linebacker Tony Rojas and cornerback Daryus Dixson, among others. But a handful of players hit the portal, with some looking for a fresh start and others following Franklin to Virginia Tech. Twelve Penn State players are joining Franklin in Blacksburg, including quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and tight end Luke Reynolds.

Rich Rodriguez continues his flip of the West Virginia roster, now in his first full offseason with the Mountaineers. Part of that was letting some talent leave. In total, the Mountaineers lost 44 players to the portal but added 34. Most notable was the pick up of Oklahoma transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins, who is the presumed starter entering spring practice. West Virginia did lose experience on the offensive line with Donovan Haslam transferring to Tennessee, and wide receiver Cam Vaughn left for Miami.

Arkansas saw 38 players enter the portal, with the Razorbacks firing Sam Pittman before the halfway mark of the season and hiring Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield. Silverfield went to work reshaping the roster quickly, however, adding 41 new players. Arkansas ranks No. 8 in the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings for the talent it brought in under Silverfield, which includes Kentucky EDGE Steven Soles and Michigan running back Jasper Parker. Cornerback Jaheim Singletary and offensive tackle Jac’Qawn McRoy were among the notable transfer portal entries.

Entering Year 3 of the Jeff Lebby era, Mississippi State saw 38 players hit the transfer portal. The Bulldogs retained a handful of talent, including quarterback KaMario Taylor. He’s expected to ascend to the starting job as a sophomore in 2026. Among the top losses to the portal were starting offensive tackle Jayvin James (Alabama), offensive lineman Zack Owens (Missouri), cornerback Jayven Williams (BYU) and defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones (Alabama). Lebby added 24 players to fill the holes, including seven offensive linemen. Missouri transfer wide receiver Marquis Johnson is expected to come in and be an immediate impact player, following a 2025 season with 28 catches for 340 yards.

Michigan State fired Jonathan Smith in November and quickly moved to hire former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. The move brought plenty of turnover, however, with the Spartans losing 37 players to the portal. Among the losses to the portal include starting running back Makhi Frazier (Ole Miss), linebacker Aisea Moa (Michigan), cornerback Chance Rucker (Arizona State), quarterback Aidan Chiles (Northwestern) and standout wide receiver Nick Marsh (Indiana). Fitzgerald was able to retain quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who emerged as Michigan State’s starter in November. The Spartans also added 28 transfers, including Notre Dame wide receiver KK Smith and North Dakota State All-American center Trent Fraley.

Auburn’s decision to fire Hugh Freeze created a rush on the Tigers’ roster. By far the biggest portal loss for Auburn was wide receiver Cam Coleman, who transferred to Texas. Other notable portal exits included cornerback Kayin Lee, safety Kensley Louidor-Faustin, wide receiver Horatio Fields, defensive lineman Amaris Williams, offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin and defensive lineman Malik Blocton. New head coach Alex Golesh brought in 39 new players, with 13 from USF, including quarterback Byrum Brown. The 2026 season will be the fourth season that Golesh and Brown work together, and it could give the Tigers their best quarterback situation in five years.

Coming off a 5-7 season and finishing 13th in the ACC, Mike Norvell saw 36 players enter the transfer portal. That included starting safety Earl Little Jr., wide receiver Lawayne McCoy, tight end Randy Pittman, safety Edwin Joseph and linebacker Justin Cryer, among others. Replacing that production will not be easy for the Seminoles, but they did add 22 new transfers. The most notable pickups are quarterback Ashton Daniels and running back Tre Wisner, who will be expected to lead the FSU offense in 2026.

10. Cal – 35

Cal decided to fire head coach Justin Wilcox and hire Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi. The move led to roster turnover, but Cal was able to retain starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who emerged as one of the up-and-coming stars in the sport as a true freshman in 2025. Despite losing 35 transfers, Cal has replaced them with 31 new additions.

Here are the remaining top portal departures:

34 – Colorado, Washington State
33 – LSU, UCF, Baylor, North Carolina
32 – Ohio State
31 – Kansas State
30 – Louisville, Oregon
29 – Florida, Illinois, Boston College
27 – UCLA, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Michigan
26 – Missouri
25 – Kansas
23 – Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama

22 – Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Pitt,
21 – Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Arizona, Arizona State, USC
20 – South Carolina
19 – Miami, SMU, Purdue, Virginia, Syracuse
18 – Minnesota, Washington, Cincinnati, Utah
17 – Nebraska, Duke
16 – Rutgers, Georgia Tech
15 – Houston, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, NC State
14 – Texas A&M, Georgia
13 – BYU, Clemson, Maryland

10 – Indiana, Stanford, TCU, Northwestern
8 – Iowa