2026 College Football Transfer Portal: Biggest and Most Unique Deals
The 2026 college football transfer portal window, which closed on January 16, delivered blockbuster NIL deals topping $5 million and unprecedented roster maneuvers that reshaped contenders.
Record-Breaking NIL Paydays
Quarterbacks drove the market with valuations soaring amid a thin talent pool, as teams like Texas Tech and LSU paid premiums for proven starters.
Player | Position | From → To | Reported Deal |
|---|---|---|---|
Drew Mestemaker | QB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $7.5M over 2 years |
Brendan Sorsby | QB | Cincinnati → Texas Tech | $5M |
Darian Mensah | QB | Duke → Miami (targeted) | $4M/year (prior, renegotiated higher) |
Sam Leavitt | QB | Arizona State → LSU | $4M+ multi-year |
Cam Coleman | WR | Auburn → Texas | $3M+ package |
Josh Hoover | QB | TCU → Indiana | $3M multi-year |
Rasheem Biles | LB | Unspecified → Texas | $2.5M guaranteed |
Jordan Seaton | OT | Colorado → Undecided | $2M+ |
DJ Lagway | QB | Unspecified → Unspecified | $2M high-end |
Caleb Hawkins | RB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $1.8M package |
Texas aggressively stacked talent with WR Cam Coleman, RB Hollywood Smothers, and OT Melvin Siani for a playoff push, while LSU added dual QBs and four-star receivers.
Standout Unique Strategies
Beyond cash, programs innovated with full-unit transplants and deadline drama that flipped narratives.
Oklahoma State imported North Texas' entire offense. QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, WR Wyatt Young, and 14+ teammates brought instant scheme continuity.
Penn State poached nine Iowa State players amid Cyclone exodus, blending bloc transfers with 23 individuals.
Duke QB Darian Mensah's last-second portal entry voided a $4M commitment, igniting a Miami-led bidding frenzy.
LSU snagged Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey from Nebraska, plus injured blue-chippers like RB CJ Baxter.
Kentucky monopolized top O-linemen (OT Lance Heard, IOLs Coleton Price and Tegra Tshabola), and West Virginia chased 75 newcomers for a total rebuild.
NIL Evolution
NIL evolved dramatically in 2026 versus prior years, shifting from scattered endorsements to structured multi-year guarantees topping $7M, fueled by revenue sharing and QB scarcity. Deals doubled average values from 2025's $1-2M peak.
This year's portal arms race signals a pro-free-agency model, with bloc imports and late flips accelerating parity.
About Rollfi
Rollfi empowers banks, vertical SaaS platforms, accounting firms, and fintechs to add payroll and benefits to their offerings through white-label solutions and robust APIs. With Rollfi’s infrastructure, platforms can unlock new revenue, boost customer retention, and gain valuable payroll data insights. Fast deployment and full regulatory coverage make Rollfi the easiest way to turn your platform into a one-stop shop for essential business services
The 2026 college football transfer portal window, which closed on January 16, delivered blockbuster NIL deals topping $5 million and unprecedented roster maneuvers that reshaped contenders.
Record-Breaking NIL Paydays
Quarterbacks drove the market with valuations soaring amid a thin talent pool, as teams like Texas Tech and LSU paid premiums for proven starters.
Player | Position | From → To | Reported Deal |
|---|---|---|---|
Drew Mestemaker | QB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $7.5M over 2 years |
Brendan Sorsby | QB | Cincinnati → Texas Tech | $5M |
Darian Mensah | QB | Duke → Miami (targeted) | $4M/year (prior, renegotiated higher) |
Sam Leavitt | QB | Arizona State → LSU | $4M+ multi-year |
Cam Coleman | WR | Auburn → Texas | $3M+ package |
Josh Hoover | QB | TCU → Indiana | $3M multi-year |
Rasheem Biles | LB | Unspecified → Texas | $2.5M guaranteed |
Jordan Seaton | OT | Colorado → Undecided | $2M+ |
DJ Lagway | QB | Unspecified → Unspecified | $2M high-end |
Caleb Hawkins | RB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $1.8M package |
Texas aggressively stacked talent with WR Cam Coleman, RB Hollywood Smothers, and OT Melvin Siani for a playoff push, while LSU added dual QBs and four-star receivers.
Standout Unique Strategies
Beyond cash, programs innovated with full-unit transplants and deadline drama that flipped narratives.
Oklahoma State imported North Texas' entire offense. QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, WR Wyatt Young, and 14+ teammates brought instant scheme continuity.
Penn State poached nine Iowa State players amid Cyclone exodus, blending bloc transfers with 23 individuals.
Duke QB Darian Mensah's last-second portal entry voided a $4M commitment, igniting a Miami-led bidding frenzy.
LSU snagged Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey from Nebraska, plus injured blue-chippers like RB CJ Baxter.
Kentucky monopolized top O-linemen (OT Lance Heard, IOLs Coleton Price and Tegra Tshabola), and West Virginia chased 75 newcomers for a total rebuild.
NIL Evolution
NIL evolved dramatically in 2026 versus prior years, shifting from scattered endorsements to structured multi-year guarantees topping $7M, fueled by revenue sharing and QB scarcity. Deals doubled average values from 2025's $1-2M peak.
This year's portal arms race signals a pro-free-agency model, with bloc imports and late flips accelerating parity.
About Rollfi
Rollfi empowers banks, vertical SaaS platforms, accounting firms, and fintechs to add payroll and benefits to their offerings through white-label solutions and robust APIs. With Rollfi’s infrastructure, platforms can unlock new revenue, boost customer retention, and gain valuable payroll data insights. Fast deployment and full regulatory coverage make Rollfi the easiest way to turn your platform into a one-stop shop for essential business services
The 2026 college football transfer portal window, which closed on January 16, delivered blockbuster NIL deals topping $5 million and unprecedented roster maneuvers that reshaped contenders.
Record-Breaking NIL Paydays
Quarterbacks drove the market with valuations soaring amid a thin talent pool, as teams like Texas Tech and LSU paid premiums for proven starters.
Player | Position | From → To | Reported Deal |
|---|---|---|---|
Drew Mestemaker | QB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $7.5M over 2 years |
Brendan Sorsby | QB | Cincinnati → Texas Tech | $5M |
Darian Mensah | QB | Duke → Miami (targeted) | $4M/year (prior, renegotiated higher) |
Sam Leavitt | QB | Arizona State → LSU | $4M+ multi-year |
Cam Coleman | WR | Auburn → Texas | $3M+ package |
Josh Hoover | QB | TCU → Indiana | $3M multi-year |
Rasheem Biles | LB | Unspecified → Texas | $2.5M guaranteed |
Jordan Seaton | OT | Colorado → Undecided | $2M+ |
DJ Lagway | QB | Unspecified → Unspecified | $2M high-end |
Caleb Hawkins | RB | North Texas → Oklahoma State | $1.8M package |
Texas aggressively stacked talent with WR Cam Coleman, RB Hollywood Smothers, and OT Melvin Siani for a playoff push, while LSU added dual QBs and four-star receivers.
Standout Unique Strategies
Beyond cash, programs innovated with full-unit transplants and deadline drama that flipped narratives.
Oklahoma State imported North Texas' entire offense. QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, WR Wyatt Young, and 14+ teammates brought instant scheme continuity.
Penn State poached nine Iowa State players amid Cyclone exodus, blending bloc transfers with 23 individuals.
Duke QB Darian Mensah's last-second portal entry voided a $4M commitment, igniting a Miami-led bidding frenzy.
LSU snagged Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey from Nebraska, plus injured blue-chippers like RB CJ Baxter.
Kentucky monopolized top O-linemen (OT Lance Heard, IOLs Coleton Price and Tegra Tshabola), and West Virginia chased 75 newcomers for a total rebuild.
NIL Evolution
NIL evolved dramatically in 2026 versus prior years, shifting from scattered endorsements to structured multi-year guarantees topping $7M, fueled by revenue sharing and QB scarcity. Deals doubled average values from 2025's $1-2M peak.
This year's portal arms race signals a pro-free-agency model, with bloc imports and late flips accelerating parity.
About Rollfi
Rollfi empowers banks, vertical SaaS platforms, accounting firms, and fintechs to add payroll and benefits to their offerings through white-label solutions and robust APIs. With Rollfi’s infrastructure, platforms can unlock new revenue, boost customer retention, and gain valuable payroll data insights. Fast deployment and full regulatory coverage make Rollfi the easiest way to turn your platform into a one-stop shop for essential business services