Big Ten and SEC own the 2025 NFL draft in the NIL transfer portal era

The transfer portal’s flow of talent to the top conferences is underscored by 2025 NFL draft numbers in which the Big Ten and SEC really cleaned up.

This weekend marked the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay. Over the past three days, hundreds of college football players found out where they will be beginning their professional careers. Think of the NFL as the pro version of the transfer portal. In a way, this year’s draft was a rather fitting microcosm of college football in 2025, in that it was dominated by the sport’s new “Power Two” conferences. Of the 32 players selected in the first round Thursday night, 26 came from schools in either the SEC or the Big Ten. (Although interestingly, two of the six exceptions were the top two picks.)

Given the current landscape of the sport, this was rather fitting. It sends a clear message: It is extremely hard to be successful in college football in 2025 without being part of either the SEC or the Big Ten.

These two conferences dominate in recruiting every year. They dominate in the transfer portal. They dominated the first 12-team playoff this past season, claiming 7 of the 12 spots (a number that would have been higher if not for automatic bids) and three of the four semifinalists. And now, they are dominating the NFL draft.

Do not expect this trend to change anytime soon. During the 2010s and early 2020s, the top conferences in college football were known as the “Power Five”. In today’s era, however, it is clear that two conferences are head and shoulders above the rest.