I don’t understand.

Overwhelmingly on this board the sentiment was to pay players. No forethought or implication considerations, just pay them. They deserved it.

Now, the aftermath isn’t so cozy anymore. I read where upwards of 70% of transfers will not receive a scholarship at the next school.

So they either get paid NIL riches or they find themselves in a pickle. In either case this is what the vast majority wanted.

Remember, you wanted this.

Ready shoot aim is eviserating college sports. These are minor leagues. Get what you can while you can. It’s a business now since NIL was introduced. Free movement has little to do with it. It’s all about getting it now

Remember y’all wanted this

College Football Enquirer co-hosts Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey discuss why college football fans should care about the transfer portal and all its storylines. Hear the full conversation on the “College Football Enquirer” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

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Video Transcript

We want to have a transfer portal discussion that is really not for recruitment.

It is for the mainstream college football fan.

Yes.

…who wants to know why all of this rigmarole matters.

And I feel like you’ve gotten enough evidence in the last few days, In the last few weeks, the last few months, to understand why this matters.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Why, when, when a D2 quarterback from Ferris State commits to be the backup at Ole Miss out of the transfer portal.

Might be important.

…could be important later on.

Why, when the quarterback from a .500 Cal team decides to go to Indiana, and you may not have known who else was looking at him during his Recruitment, that it may matter, that he might wind up holding the Heisman Trophy.

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He might wind up destroying Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

So this matters quite a bit.

It does.

Quite a bit.

It matters, and yet, as the sort of Everyman proxy on this program, I think people are still learning how to, Pick up on the portal and figure out what’s important about it.

Like, I’ve had a lot of just college football dads in the real world just say, Like, “Hey, I, you know, I get it.

I, I get that Fernando Mendoza, I didn’t know who that guy was last year, and now he’s quarterback of probably the best team left in our tournament.

But am I, like, really fired up right now about The Cincinnati quarterback?

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Like, am I, like, “Why does my team need Brendan Sorsby?”

I think there’s, There’s a lot, there’s a lot that’s kind of lost in translation about this one.

Like, who to target, who to get excited about.

Close

The offseason ahead of the 2026 season is eventful for many players. With the transfer portal open, thousands of college football players are explosing transfer options. That said, the NFL Draft opens for underclassmen on January 5th, except for CFP competitors, who may declare on January 23rd.

While only third-year players or later are eligible for the NFL Draft, there are still plenty of players trying to weigh the decisions to either return to school, hit the transfer portal, or enter the NFL Draft. Those players have the most complicated offseason.

Alabama QB Ty Simpson is perhaps foremost among those players weighing options. On3.com projects an NIL valuation of $2.1 million for Simpson in the 2026 season. That figure ranks 19th of all college athletes, and includes four college basketball players.

Simpson has also commanded significant respect as an NFL Draft prospect. Draft guru Mel Kiper has Simpson as the third projected QB on his 2026 NFL Draft board, trailing only Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore.

Simpson’s agent Peter Webb told On3, “No decisions have been made about Ty declaring for the Draft at this point, and he is still evaluating everything with his family and close advisors.”

The other issue here is that if Simpson’s value is $2.1 million, it would likely be more on the open market. Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby, for instance, has been valued by some at over $5 million. If that figure is accurate, it would not be surprising if Simpson commanded a similar value.

In 2025, Simpson took over at Alabama after throwing only 50 total passes in his first three years at UA. He passed for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading the Tide to the College Football Playoff and a second-round battle with Indiana. With other QBs like Brendan Sorsby, Sam Leavitt, or others headlining the portal, it’s not hard to imagine that Simpson would be at the top of the group.

Meanwhile, 2026 NFL Draft valuation says that the pure finances of the decision could be tough. A $2.1 million price tag for 2026 would be the rookie scale amount for picks 39-41 of the Draft. On the other hand, $5 million would be the rookie scale amount for the 11th pick.

Simpson thus is stuck trying to firm up his NIL market situation, weigh his NFL Draft decision, and decide what role competing at Alabama versus potentially playing in the NFL would pay. It’s an interesting situation, but it’s also unsurprising that Simpson is still weighing his options.

Half the fun of the transfer portal is the endless evaluation. Considering a player in one system and projecting him into possible landing spots can make everything different. It’s why a Division II QB and a mildly above average ACC QB can morph into two of the best passers in the nation a season later.

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill has scouted QBs for over 20 years at ESPN. Luginbill was once a QB himself and where he once might have spent much of his energy scouting college QBs for the NFL Draft, he’s now contemplating the portal college football market increasingly.

Luginbill saw a standout QB he is impressed with in Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby. Luginbill praised Sorsby’s “excellent size, arm strength, and mobility.” Sorsby also caught Luginbill’s attention as a “powerful runner” who “anticipates extremely well and helps players get open with his throws.” ESPN ranks Sorsby as the top prospect in the portal and Luginbill terms him “an instinctive player… with elite processing and navigation skills when pressured.”

On3 wasn’t quite as impressed with Sorsby. While the site’s NIL valuation estimator gives Sorsby a hefty $3.3 million valuation, he is ranked No. 15 nationally in the site’s transfer portal rankings. That’s behind other QBs like Sam Leavitt, Byrum Brown, and Dylan Raiola. 247sports ranks Sorsby second behind only Leavitt.

Of course, the bigger question than whether Sorsby is the best or second-best or even sixth-best portal prospect is where the passer will spend the remainder of his career. Unsurprisingly, that’s not very clear either. On3’s picks favor Texas Tech while 247’s picks favor LSU.

Among the other schools mentioned as possibilities for Sorsby have been LSU and Miami from one expert. Other rumors have circulated that Sorsby will command a payment of over $5 million for his final portal destination.

Sorsby started his collegiate career at Indiana, where he sat in 2022 and split time in 2023 ahead of the hiring of Curt Cignetti. Sorsby passed for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. He continued to blossom at Cincinnati, throwing for over 5,600 yards and rushing for another 1,000 yards across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

In his total college career, Sorsby has thrown for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. He’s rushed for another 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns. In 2025, Sorsby led the Big 12 in total touchdowns created (36) and yards per passing attempt (9.3).

He’s one of the most experienced and talented players in the portal and the evidence of Luginbill’s testimony certainly is unlikely to hurt his seven-figure NIL offers. Sorsby may end up pacing the NIL market in 2026.

The NCAA transfer portal officially opened for all college football players looking to compete for different programs on Friday. The transfer portal will remain open until Jan. 16.

A myriad of players from all different levels decided to enter the portal in the weeks after the end of the 2025 regular season. Power Four quarterback transfers have been a major talking point, but plenty of other coveted offensive skill players are entering the portal.

One skill player that is sought after by multiple major college football programs is former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder arrived at Auburn as a freshman in 2024. He appeared in 10 of 12 games for the Tigers in his freshman season, catching 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team for the strong start to his college career.

Coleman was Auburn’s most productive wide receiver in 2025. He grabbed 56 receptions for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns in his final season at Auburn. Head coach Hugh Freeze was fired following Auburn’s loss to Kentucky, and Coleman officially decided to transfer on Dec. 29, 2025.

Every recruiting service ranks Coleman as the No. 1 overall prospect in the transfer portal, something that will have some of the top programs in the country interested in him. Pete Nakos of On3 reported that four different schools are jockeying for Coleman in the portal.

USC

The Trojans have positioned themselves well enough to receive a visit from Coleman on Thursday. Quarterback play was an inhibitor for Coleman’s production at Auburn the last two seasons, but that would not figure to be an issue with Jayden Maiava set to return for USC next year.

2025 Trojans wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane have both declared for the 2026 NFL draft, so Coleman could slide in to fill a need for USC. CeeDee Lamb, Hollywood Brown and Jordan Addison are among the wide receivers to play for Lincoln Riley and find success in the NFL.

Texas A&M

Coleman has a visit to Texas A&M scheduled for Sunday. The Aggies had Coleman committed to their 2024 signing class for four months before he flipped to the Tigers on Early Signing Day.

Texas A&M will return starting quarterback Marcel Reed for at least one more season. Reed has experience working with transfer wide receivers in KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, the former of which has declared for the 2026 NFL draft.

Texas

Steve Sarkisian has helped multiple high profile wide receiver prospects make their way to the NFL as an offensive play caller. 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, Xavier Worthy and Matthew Golden are among the wide receivers taken in the first round of the NFL draft and play for Sarkisian.

The return of an improving quarterback in Arch Manning figures to be a draw for high-profile portal receivers to Texas. Ryan Wingo will return for the Longhorns in 2026, but the second and third most productive receivers, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Parker Livingstone, are both heading for the transfer portal.

Livingstone issued a statement that said “some things are out of my control,” potentially implying he was asked to leave in favor of a transfer.

Alabama

If proximity to home matters, and Auburn was not going to be a good fit with Alex Golesh, Alabama is the only other option for Coleman in his home state. Of course, Coleman transferring to Alabama would add an extra level of intrigue to the 2026 Iron Bowl.

The quarterback situation in Tuscaloosa is less certain than the prior three schools competing for Coleman, as it is unclear what Ty Simpson will do in 2026. The Crimson Tide will lose its lead receiver from 2025 in Germie Bernard, but neither Ryan Williams nor Isaiah Horton appears to be going anywhere.