2025 NCAA Transfer Portal Sees Major Player Movements Across Football, Basketball

The NCAA transfer portal continues to reshape college football, especially for Group of Five (G5) programs, which frequently lose top talent to Power Four schools but also use the portal to rebuild with experienced transfers and promising young players. This offseason saw notable quarterback moves, such as Joey Aguilar leaving Appalachian State for Tennessee and TJ Finley departing Tulane without playing a game, while programs like Fresno State responded to key departures by bringing in 18 new players, including several from Power Five schools, to address depth and roster needs. The portal's significance has grown in the new 12-team College Football Playoff era, where G5 schools have an automatic bid but must maximize transfer opportunities to remain competitive. Programs like James Madison and Fresno State have worked to bolster their playoff hopes by targeting transfers that fill critical gaps and add leadership. Despite losses, G5 schools are finding ways to remain competitive through strategic portal use, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities the system brings.