16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

No team in the SEC took more transfers (32) than Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State this cycle, a necessity given last season’s lackluster finish. Outside of quarterback Blake Shapen, this is an entirely new team in Starkville and that’s a positive development.

15. Kentucky Wildcats

The Wildcats could have as many as a dozen new starters via the transfer portal, including former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada and Alabama wideout Kendrick Law. Kentucky’s offensive line is a question.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores

Continuing the momentum from last season’s improvement is a priority for Clark Lea and he brings Diego Pavia back under center to lead.

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Terrance Williams II transferred to USC for a final season of college basketball. After an injury cost him all but seven games, he’ll get another chance to suit up at the college level.

USC recently announced Williams, who played four years at Michigan, would return for the 2025-26 season. He told MLive his medical hardship waiver has already been approved by the NCAA.

Williams played in seven games for USC last year, starting six, before breaking the scaphoid in his right (shooting) wrist on Dec. 4. He did not appear in a game the rest of the season. The 6-foot-7 forward was averaging 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and shooting a career-best 51 percent from the field.

The Trojans went 17-18 last season under first-year head coach Eric Musselman, finishing 7-13 in the Big Ten. They’ll visit Ann Arbor next season at a to-be-announced date.

Williams was allowed to play last season because his freshman campaign in 2020-21 did not count against his eligibility due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver. Williams played in 21 games off the bench that year as Michigan won the Big Ten and reached the Elite Eight. His minutes doubled as a sophomore and he moved into the starting lineup for his final two seasons at Michigan, all under then-head coach Juwan Howard.

Williams graduated from Michigan and considered staying to play for new coach Dusty May. He ultimately chose to leave, but stay in the Big Ten, transferring to USC. In an interview with MLive before Michigan played at USC in January, Williams said he’d made a great decision to go to Los Angeles.

“I’ve run into many Michigan alumni and have great conversations with them,” Williams said. “They know I’ve got that Michigan degree, I’m a Michigan man.”

He was pondering a sixth season at the time, mentioning the money available to him through an NIL deal. Now that’s official.

Williams is already looking forward to the game against his former school. “Returning to Crisler definitely will be exciting,” he told MLive on Thursday, “because that’s where home was for me.”

Michigan is +2500 to win the Men’s National Championship over on BetMGM. Our BetMGM Sportsbook review shows you how to sign up and use their app.

Texas is seeking its first national championship in two decades in the 2025 season after two straight College Football Playoff semifinal knockouts. However, the Longhorns’ quest to get over the hump will come with an exuberant price tag.

The budget for Texas’ roster in 2025 sits between $35 million and $40 million, the Houston Chronicle reported. That money reportedly likely comes from Texas’ revenue-sharing allotment and payouts through the Texas One Fund, which is Texas’ name, image and likeness (NIL) collective. 

That figure doesn’t include the salary that returning quarterback Arch Manning will receive in 2025. Even though he’ll be Texas’ highest-paid player “by far,” Manning doesn’t take money from the school as he and his family have negotiated NIL deals on their own, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manning has the highest NIL value of any current college athlete at $6.6 million, On3 projects. It also reportedly isn’t known how many players on Texas’ roster will receive a salary worth at least $1 million.

The reported budget for Texas’ football roster might be the largest since NIL was introduced in 2021. While college roster budgets aren’t readily available, Ohio State’s NIL collectives issued approximately $20 million in salary to players for its roster in 2024, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork claimed before the season. It was believed that the number was a record at the time.

Of course, spending that money wound up paying dividends for the Buckeyes. They won the national championship in 2024, with transfers like quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs playing key roles in their title run.

As some teams who’ve spent big money have seen positive results, though, the price tags on some of these rosters might be becoming too much for schools to handle. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is expected to phase out using the school’s NIL collective to pay players in favor of the revenue-sharing agreement from the pending House vs. NCAA settlement, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“It’s just unsustainable,” a source reportedly told the Houston Chronicle of the price tag of Texas’ roster.

The Longhorns arguably have the most loaded roster in the sport ahead of the preseason. Despite only making two starts so far in his college career, Manning is widely viewed as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he were to declare. Steve Sarkisian aided the roster around Manning by landing the top-ranked high school recruiting class (via 247 Sports) and secured 10 transfers, with Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson headlining that group.

Caleb Downs & Arch Manning in Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft

In addition to Manning, Texas will also return 12 starters from last season, including All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., freshman All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons and second-team All-American safety Michael Taaffe. That list of starters doesn’t include running back CJ Baxter, who was set to be the Longhorns’ starter at the position in 2024 before tearing his ACL in preseason practice.

With all of that talent returning and incoming, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt ranked Texas No. 2 in his way-too-early top 25 in January. He’s become even more bullish about the Longhorns this upcoming season more recently.

“I really believe Texas is going to take the next step under Steve Sarkisian due to Manning,” Klatt wrote of Texas and Manning in his top 10 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. “If the Longhorns aren’t in the national championship game next season, I’m going to be fairly surprised. This Texas program is excellent, with Sarkisian continuously building this team closer and closer to a title. As Manning becomes the full-time starter next year, Texas will also bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Suffice to say, I’m in on Texas and Manning.”

Texas has the second-best odds (+550) to win the national championship as of Thursday, trailing only Ohio State (+500). The Longhorns are the favorite to win the SEC, though, at +280, via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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VILLANOVA, Pa. – William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard today announced his 2025-26 Villanova coaching staff. It includes six members of the group that led Maryland to 27 victories and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2024-25 along with a Villanova veteran who has served two stints with the Wildcats.
 
Joining the Villanova staff from Maryland are assistant coaches David Cox, Kevin Norris, Greg Manning Jr. and Ricky Harris. Ashley Howard, who served as a Wildcats’ assistant coach from 2013-18 and returned to the staff in 2023, will continue to serve in that role. In addition, Brenton Petty has been named Director, Player Personnel while Charlie Butler is the new Director, Basketball Operations. Petty and Butler were also part of the Terrapins’ staff before joining the Wildcats.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome an outstanding group of coaches to Villanova,” stated Willard. “In this era of college basketball staff cohesion is incredibly valuable. To be able to maintain that with coaches who are also a great fit for this community is a huge win. Together we have a group that brings extensive Big East recruiting experience along with a proven track record of on-court development.
 
“It’s a great day to be a Wildcat.”
 
Assistant Coach David Cox
 
Former Rhode Island head coach David Cox (2018-22) most recently served alongside Willard for three seasons at Maryland.
 
A Landover, Md., native, Cox first worked in the Big East Conference as the video coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006-07. He was then hired as an assistant coach at Georgetown (2007-10) and then was named associate head coach at Rutgers (2010-14).
 
In 2014, Cox joined Dan Hurley’s staff at URI and two years later was named associate head coach. When Hurley accepted the job at the University of Connecticut in 2018, Cox was tabbed head coach of the Rams. He won 64 games in his tenure.
 
Cox spent the last two seasons as Maryland’s associate head coach, playing a key role as the Terrapins earned a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference.
 

A 1995 graduate of William & Mary, Cox was a three-year starter at point guard for the Tribe.
 
Assistant Coach Kevin Norris
 
Kevin Norris returns to the Big East Conference, where he excelled as a point guard for coach Leonard Hamilton at the University of Miami from 1995-98. The former Big East All-Rookie Team selection is the only player in program history to lead the Hurricanes in assists for four seasons.
 
As a coach, Norris moved to Maryland ahead of a special 2024-25 campaign after serving eight seasons on Johnny Dawkins’ staff at UCF. While at UCF, Norris helped the Knights to a 148-103 overall record and was a key figure in the program achieving its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
 

In addition to his time on the UCF staff, Norris also coached at USC (2013-16), FGCU (2011-13), UNC Wilmington (2010-11), and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2008-10). He was part of Andy Enfield’s staff when FGCU stormed past No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Philadelphia’s Well Fargo Center.
 
Assistant Coach Ashley Howard
 
Philadelphia native Ashley Howard joined Villanova’s staff in 2013 after serving a season at Xavier University and had a hand in one of the program’s most successful eras. The Wildcats won Big East regular season titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and claimed Big East Tournament crowns in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
 
Howard also earned NCAA national championship rings with the Wildcats in both 2016 and 2018. Among the Wildcats legends he helped tutor were Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson.
 
In 2018, Howard was named head coach at La Salle University, where he served until 2022. A year later Howard returned to Villanova as an assistant coach.
 
Assistant Coach Greg Manning Jr.
 
A former standout player at Loyola University (2004-08), Manning Jr., spent the last seven seasons at Maryland, during which he helped the Terrapins position themselves for five NCAA Tournament appearances (the 2019-20 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
 
Manning began his coaching career at Siena under his former college coach Jimmy Patsos. Manning helped guide the Saints to the program’s first MAAC Championship game appearance in seven years during the 2016-17 campaign. Siena won 13 of its final 19 contests to amass a 17-17 overall record and finish tied for third in the MAAC with a 12-8 league mark.
 
Manning joined the staff at Maryland in 2018, serving as the program’s video coordinator until 2021. At that point he was elevated to director of basketball operations. In 2023, he was promoted to an assistant coaching position under head coach Kevin Willard.
 
Assistant Coach Ricky Harris
 
One of the most prolific scorers in UMass basketball history, Ricky Harris served the last two seasons as Maryland’s Director of Player Personnel.
 
Harris joined the Terps after spending the previous two seasons as the Director of Operations at his alma mater. Prior to that, he played 11 professional seasons overseas in Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Argentina.
 
A 2010 graduate from UMass, Harris helped lead the Minutemen to a 73-58 record during his four-year career highlighted by a pair of NIT appearances. The Baltimore native played 129 career games at UMass finishing third all-time in scoring with 1,960 points. He ranks second for single-season three pointers made (104, 2007-08) and is tied for the single-game record for threes in a game (8 on Mar. 3, 2010). 
 
Director, Player Personnel Brenton Petty
 
Brenton Petty comes to Villanova after serving as Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach in 2024-25. Prior to that, he served as Maryland’s video coordinator, a role he assumed in 2021.
 
A native of Washington, D.C., Petty served as a graduate manager for Maryland from 2018-20 and was also a basketball operations assistant for the Detroit Pistons before rejoining the Terps.
 
Petty played collegiately at Fordham University from 2015-18 and graduated with a degree in communications. He earned his master’s degree from Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in 2020.
 
Director, Basketball Operations Charlie Butler
 
The move to Villanova is also a return to the Big East for Charlie Butler, who began his career in basketball working with Kevin Willard while a student manager at Seton Hall University from 2011-15.
 
He spent six seasons on Willard’s staff at Seton Hall as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team, a position he was appointed to in July 2017. Prior to this promotion, Butler spent two years as the video coordinator and four years as a team manager during his undergraduate career at The Hall.
 
A native of Annapolis, Md., Butler came to Maryland in 2022. He was appointed as Director of Basketball Operations for the Terrapins in 2023 and spent the past two seasons in that role.