We and other FWCD students gave our hot takes on the portal stars.
Who is the most impactful transfer portal player?
A simple question–what transferring player will have the biggest impact on their team?
We picked QB Josh Hoover. Hoover previously played at TCU, putting up great numbers and excelling in a pass-heavy TCU offense. Hoover is now headed to Indiana, who is coming off a legendary season. Head coach Curt Cignetti completed an insane rebuild of the program in a short period of time, taking the Hoosiers from a desperate program to National Championship winners in just two years. In 2025, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman and will likely be the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Mendoza was undoubtedly elite, but notably won the Heisman and National Championship with numbers that were on the lower end compared to past players/teams. This proves that Hoover doesn’t have to do too much to be as successful as Mendoza; rely on Cignetti and your team, and they will boost you to be great. We think he will likely win the Heisman next year.
Cal Neubauer ’26 picked EDGE Chaz Coleman. Coleman didn’t get much playing time last year at Penn State but will likely now be starting at Tennessee. We also like Coleman, who we have compared to young NFL standout Abdul Carter…notably, both played for Penn State. Penn State loved to move Coleman across the defensive line and occasionally back into the box, similar to Carter. Neubauer and us also both picked WR Cam Coleman. Coleman previously played at Auburn, showing great flashes despite inconsistent quarterback play. Coleman is now headed to Texas, where he will make a great weapon for Arch Manning in Steve Sarkisian’s offense.
Who is the most impactful transfer portal player moving into a Power 4 conference?
Same criteria as the previous question, but only looking at players in a Group of 5 conference who are moving into a Power 4 conference.
We like the new Oklahoma State QB-RB duo with Mestermaker and Hawkins. Both were at the top of the league statistically for their respective positions, and both have several years left of eligibility. It seems like things can only go up from here. RB Cam Cook is another name slipping through the cracks for most. Cook led the league in rushing yards at Jacksonville State, and since West Virginia does not have a stable quarterback, they will be leaning on the run game a lot. QBs Raynor and Odom are incredibly similar: dual threats who led their smaller programs to great success this year. We think both of these quarterbacks will be hard to stop in the Power 4 due to their athleticism. Benefield looks incredible out of Boise State; we believe he will excel in the SEC and might be a high draft pick in the NFL draft next year.
FWCD students liked Barnett. Barnett previously played at James Madison and led his team to a CFP appearance, gaining a lot of attention from the college football world. He will now be playing for UCF, who has been struggling a lot recently, so it will be interesting to see if Barnett can help turn the program around. Another player that caught the attention of FWCD students was QB Brown. Brown gained a lot of attention early in the season when he helped South Florida beat Florida in their own stadium, a shocking feat. Brown is now heading to Auburn, who is looking to rebuild their program after a disastrous recent history.
“Trinidad Chambliss” Award:
From 2021-2024, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss played for the Division II school Ferris State. In 2024, he led the team to a 14-1 record and won the Division II National Championship. With one year of eligibility left, Chambliss entered the transfer portal, rising to the Division I FBS level and committing to the Ole Miss Rebels. Chambliss began the year as a backup, but took the starting job after the player ahead of him was injured. From there, Chambliss led the Rebels to a 13-2 record and college football playoff semifinals appearance.
In honor of Chambliss’ surprisingly exceptional play, we’ve created the “Trinidad Chambliss” award. This award is given to a transfer quarterback who is rising up to the Division I level and has a chance to shock everybody with their performance. We are awarding the Trinidad Chambliss award to…Elijah Holmes and Jaden Craig!
QB Elijah Holmes 6’2” 215 lbs Previous School: Wingate
New School: Buffalo Experience: Redshirt Sophomore
Holmes previously played at Wingate, not picking up the starting job until his sophomore year in 2025. In twelve games across the season, he went 190/320 (59% comp) for 3040 yards, 24 TDs and six INTs. Holmes is a dual threat, also picking up 290 rushing yards (4.9 YPC) and 3 rushing TDs. He’ll be transferring to Buffalo, who is coming off a 5-7 season.
QB Jaden Craig 6’3” 230 lbs Previous School: Harvard New School: TCU
Experience: Redshirt Senior
Craig made his first collegiate starts midway through his redshirt freshman year, closing out an Ivy League co-championship season for Harvard. Harvard has been wildly successful under Craig’s reign, going 20-4 with him as the starter and winning three straight Ivy League co-conference championships. Craig threw for 2869 yards, 25 TDs, and 7 INTs this year and led Harvard to the FCS playoffs, where they lost to Villanova. Craig will be heading to TCU alongside the team’s new offensive coordinator, Gordon Sammis, who was previously the OC at UConn and had the 15th best offense in the league. TCU has yet to return to the conference championship, much less the national championship, after their historic 2022 season, so the team is searching for a fresh start on offense with Sammis and Craig.
