Here are superlatives for nine area teams who added (or, in some cases, were taken from) this transfer period. <\/p>\n
Texas Tech: The Big Fish Award<\/p>\n
Sports Roundup<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Megabooster Cody Campbell declared that the Red Raiders would double down on resources after their College Football Playoff loss to Oregon<\/a>. He didn\u2019t lie. <\/p>\n Tech signed quarterback Brendan Sorsby<\/a> \u2014 the second-ranked player in this year\u2019s transfer portal class, per 247Sports.com, and the top-ranked player that any in-state team added \u2014 to replace Behren Morton behind center. He gives Texas Tech<\/a> a veteran quarterback to lead their offense and, ideally, avoid any additional postseason shutouts. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a big swing. The Red Raiders have become accustomed to those. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Did it work for Florida? Well, no, not exactly. Will it work for Baylor<\/a>? The Bears will bet on the pedigree and see. Quarterback DJ Lagway \u2014 a five-star recruit from Willis and the sixth-ranked signal caller in the portal \u2014 is the prized jewel of Baylor\u2019s transfer class<\/a>. <\/p>\n They\u2019ll hope that a change of scenery and a return to his home state can unlock the talent that once made Lagway such an attractive prospect. He passed for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 intereptions for the Gators last season and was hardly mobile enough to justify his dual-threat descriptor. It\u2019s a project for offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, but, if it hits, it could be a beneficial one. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n The Aggies were rewarded with a College Football Playoff berth last season when they matched quarterback Marcel Reed with two high-level wide receivers by way of the portal<\/a>. They stuck to the same trend this offseason and signed Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton to pair with Mario Craver next season<\/a>. <\/p>\n Horton, the second-ranked wide receiver in 247Sports.com\u2019s portal class, caught 42 passes for 511 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide last season. He\u2019s a big-bodied pass catcher at 6-foot-4 and will once again give Texas A&M<\/a> one of the best wide reveiver duos in the conference despite KC Concepcion\u2019s entry into the NFL draft<\/a>. Craver, originally a Missisippi State transfer, caught 59 passes for 917 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n A Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback needs weapons. The Longhorns went out and got some. Texas<\/a> signed the portal\u2019s top-ranked wide receiver (Auburn transfer Cam Coleman<\/a>), the second-ranked running back (N.C. State transfer Hollywood Smothers<\/a>) and the fifth-ranked running back (Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown<\/a>) to give quarterback Arch Manning a high-end stable of skill position players. It helped solidify a transfer class that, per 247Sports.com, is the third-best in the country. <\/p>\n Manning elevated his play in the second half of last season but was at times hampered by a lack of dynamic wide receivers and consistent run game. His much-maligned offensive line improved around him over time but the ground attack (which averaged just 137.7 yards per game) remained stagnant and limited the team\u2019s offensive capabilties against premier defenses. With Coleman out wide, and with Smothers and Brown in the backfield, the Longhorns took necessary steps to remedy that. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n SMU<\/a> brought in 20-plus transfers in each of the previous three portal cycles. This winter \u2014 though time to add remains \u2014 they\u2019ve only signed 13 players in the portal. <\/p>\n The baker\u2019s dozen that they\u2019ve added confirmed that the Mustangs are content to further build around veteran quarterback Kevin Jennings. Their biggest additions \u2014 East Carolina four-star wide receiver Yannick Smith<\/a> and Texas A&M four-star tight end Theo Melin Ohrstrom<\/a> \u2014 provide additional options on offense for the South Oak Cliff passers. Jennings, a junior, passed for 3,641 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season for a Mustangs team that fell just short of a second-straight trip to the ACC championship game. <\/p>\n They\u2019ve had it good since their power conference jump. There\u2019s no reason to disrupt the upward flow just yet. <\/p>\n Oklahoma: The Rivalry Award<\/p>\n The Red River Rivalry game didn\u2019t lack any juice, but, hey, Oklahoma<\/a> went out and added some anyways. The Sooners signed Texas wide receiver transfer Parker Livingstone<\/a> and, in turn, quickly sparked an internet back-and-forth between both fanbases. <\/p>\n The drama is one thing. The potential gain for the Sooners is another. The Lovejoy graduate caught 29 passes for 516 yards and 6 touchdowns last season and will now pair with Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer north of the border. His addition could help spark a Sooners offense that needed one last season. It\u2019ll spark the rivalry regardless. <\/p>\n North Texas: The Nametag Award<\/p>\n They\u2019re going to need \u2018em when the team first gathers. North Texas<\/a> \u2014 whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State<\/a> alongside former head coach Eric Morris \u2014 have signed 42 transfers. Only the Cowboys, who have added 49 players through the portal, signed more. <\/p>\n The class included 23 players who transferred from power conference programs and three four-star recruits (Texas offensive lineman Neto Umeozulu, Missouri offensive lineman Jaylen Early and Boise State safety Ja\u2019Bree Bickham) per 247Sports.com\u2019s metrics. It gives first-year head coach Neal Brown<\/a> a base to work with. Now he\u2019s got to make it mesh.<\/p>\n TCU: The Biggest Loss Award<\/p>\n Technically, per most major evaluators, North Texas suffered the biggest inidividual loss of any in-state team when quarterback Drew Mestemaker bolted for Oklahoma State alongside his former head coach<\/a>. <\/p>\n That was an expected casualty of college football\u2019s portal and name, image and likeness era. Quarterback Josh Hoover\u2019s decision to leave the Horned Frogs in favor of top-ranked Indiana<\/a> was different. Hoover, a Rockwall-Heath alum, passed for 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns in three seasons as TCU<\/a>\u2019s starter and was primed to be among the Big 12\u2019s most experienced signal callers next season. <\/p>\n He\u2019ll instead replace Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at Indiana while the Horned Frogs will turn to Harvard transfer Jaden Craig<\/a>. Craig, a first-team All-Ivy League selection last season, brings experience of his own. Time will tell if it can play at the power conference level.<\/p>\n New trend of high school coaches jumping to college ranks based in belief, bonds<\/a>2026 NCAA football transfer portal: Tracking moves for Texas Tech, SMU, other area schools<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Cincinnati](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ZVKFAYIPC7NJ44HEVCRWA552CA.jpg\")
Baylor: The Reclamation Award<\/p>\n![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/EU5XUC5252UPBWGYIMWOXML72E.jpg\")
Texas A&M: The Pattern Award<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2DO5QXBYRBA6RAOAZPAHRXQAIQ.jpg\")
Texas: The Fixer Award<\/p>\n![\"Auburn](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768574897_995_2AFT52BTLZAKXOS2EUUMTDTRNY.jpg\")
SMU: The Status Quo Award<\/p>\n