Koi Perich has thrown his hat into the NCAA transfer portal and there’s no way to spin this as a positive for the University of Minnesota’s football program.

Or college football.

Even if he wasn’t the Gophers’ best safety this season — that was Kerry Brown — and coach P.J. Fleck can use the money the U was paying Perich on more than one transfer who can help next season, the fact is, the best in-state prospect to buy into P.J. Fleck’s row-the-boat paradigm has taken a long look and decided he’s more interested in the big-time NIL paradigm.

Whether it’s more money, more national exposure or a more likely path to the NFL — debatable — Perich has decided it won’t happen at Minnesota.

As a college football fan, one has to wonder if watching most of your school’s best players go look for the bigger, better thing after every season is palatable. And as a Gophers’ fan, one has to accept that this just doesn’t bode well for the program’s viability as, for all intents and purposes, a small-market professional football franchise.

One could look at what Indiana has done the past two seasons and see a crack under the fence just big enough for those without a ticket to crawl through. We know that, for now, it’s possible for an also-ran Power Four program to genuinely contend for a national championship. But Minnesota appears to be moving the other way at an inopportune time.

The Gophers went 8-5 after beating New Mexico in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix. The Lobos were one of two bowl teams they beat this season, and Minnesota was 0-3 against the best Big Ten teams they played — Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon — and was outscored 123-19.

With talented young quarterback Drake Lindsey under center and what they believed would be a prolific running game — it wasn’t — the Gophers had their eyes on another move up the conference ladder. Instead, it was a typically OK season.

It’s probably not lost on longtime Gophers fans that Indiana started the season as the only other OG Big Ten school with a Rose Bowl drought (1968) nearly as long as Minnesota’s (1962). And the Hoosiers just humiliated Alabama in Pasadena on New Year’s Day to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

This space has been used, fairly recently, to praise the job that Fleck has done in his nine seasons in Dinkytown. A large reason for that is the way he cleaned up an ugly culture fomented by former coach Jerry Kill that later exploded into ugly, and very public, behavior under replacement Tracy Claeys.

What was once a national embarrassment for the Gophers has changed for the better under Fleck. Against most odds, his dedication to teaching his players how to meditate and where to place the salad fork has, in fact, resulted in a program that Minnesota can be proud of off and, largely, on the field.

When, for instance, they were short of the six wins required to earn a berth in one of 41 bowl games in 2023, they became eligible because they had the best graduation rate of available teams. That matters, or used to, anyway.

Further, Fleck’s teams are 7-0 in bowl games, including a victory over a then-Top 10 Auburn team in the 2019 Outback Bowl that pushed them to a program-record 11 wins and No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll. The Gophers also have been sending more players to the NFL, a recruiting point that could help build the talent coffers.

Landing Perich, a four-star recruit from Esko who turned down 2025 national champion Ohio State to stay home, was another positive step. Losing him, as seems inevitable, is two steps back, because whatever the safety and kick returner’s goals are, he’s convinced they will be easier to meet elsewhere.

Even Darius Taylor, a talented but oft-injured tailback, who will no doubt be the Gophers’ starter next season, waited until the last moment — at least publicly — to renew his vows with Minnesota.

Fleck did something smart when this season ended, when he publicly revealed that he was allowing Lindsey to help him target receivers in the next recruiting class. In the absence of the big, big money, giving a promising QB like Lindsey that kind of ownership is the next best thing to the bigger, better thing.

But isn’t it exhausting? Not just for Fleck, or athletics director Mark Coyle, but everyone with an emotional stake in the Gophers’ success.

Fleck has been conspicuously tied to just about every coaching opening that appears to be a step up from Minnesota. If any of that was real, and those offers come again, he might want to finally take one with more money in the slush fund.

Oklahoma State just got itself a boost at the quarterback position.

Drew Mestemaker, who led all of FBS college football in passing yards with North Texas this season, will be transferring to Oklahoma State next season, according to multiple reports.

According to On3, Mestemaker also has a “two-year deal” worth $7 million attached to his commitment to Oklahoma State, which is seemingly connected to an NIL contract.

Mestemaker, who just completed his freshman season with the Mean Green, will be joining former North Texas coach Eric Morris, who signed a five-year deal with Oklahoma State to replace Mike Gundy in December.

“I think just the relationships that I’ve built there with Coach Morris, Coach [Sean] Brophy and that whole staff, offense and defense,” Mestemaker said to ESPN. “I think Coach Morris is the best play-caller in the nation. The insight he has, and the way he sees offense, and the way he makes me at quarterback comfortable in everything we are running.

“I feel like sets me up for success in everything that he calls.”

Mestemaker led the FBS by throwing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns while completing 68.9 percent of his passes, helping lead North Texas to a 12-2 record and a bowl win over San Diego State.

The 20-year-old chose to remain loyal to Morris, saying that he is excited to continue playing under him in Stillwater.

“To be the starting point of it all, and the one that’s locked in first, I hope getting that out there will help more name [players] realize how special this staff really is,” Mestemaker added. “If I didn’t 100 percent trust these guys with my career, I’d take longer to see what’s out there and test out the waters.”

The move comes following another underwhelming season for the Cowboys, who finished with a 1-11 record, failing to land a win in the Big 12.

Mestemaker acknowledged that there is a lot of work to do in Stillwater for a potential turnaround.

“I know Coach Morris knows there’s work to do,” he said. “But he’s never shied from that. We knew last year, there was work to do. People thought we’d be struggling to make a bowl game again.

“I know this staff on offense and defense never shied away from a challenge.”

With collective bargaining at the forefront of the college sports conversation, former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl voiced his support. He discussed his plan to help try and settle the landscape.

Pearl, now an analyst for TNT Sports, broke down four things he would do differently. One would be to pave the way for collective bargaining, allowing for the players to be involved in talks about the rules. That, he argued, would take the courts out of the equation.

SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter

Pearl then argued for multi-year contracts and a new approach to revenue-sharing with different funds for football and basketball. Finally, he said players should get five years of eligibility without the ability to appeal.

“No. 1, we’ve got to get Congress to help us establish some collective bargaining,” Pearl said Saturday. “What that would do is, that would have the players and both parties be able to agree. That’s where the courts would have no say. We’d have to adjust the transfer portal. My idea is to let the kids sign two- or three-year contracts. If you want out of a two-year contract, both have to agree.

“I think we’ve got to decide what the rev-share is going to be. … The last thing is, five years of eligibility, no appeals. That takes a lot of the legislation out of it.”

Bruce Pearl: Collective bargaining is ‘where we need to go’

While there’s still a debate around whether college athletes could be considered employees, collective bargaining continues to be floated as a potential answer. Tennessee athletics director Danny White most recently spoke in support of the idea, and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas – a practicing attorney – has done so, as well.

In August, On3’s Pete Nakos reported 23 Power Four football general managers also backed collective bargaining in a closed-door meeting. Bruce Pearl is also among those in favor of the move, calling the current off-court situation “out of control.”

“Guys, collective bargaining, for me, is where we need to go,” Pearl said. “I just don’t see Congress fixing it. In other words, somebody representing college basketball, college football. Somebody representing the players. Have them get together, decide what the rules are going to be. Agree to it, then the courts are out of it.

:Right now, the game is terrific on the court. But it’s completely out of control off the court.”

Less than 48 hours into the transfer portal window, there’s already been a handful of top talents who have found landing spots. While many of the nation’s top players are just starting to figure out visits, others have the portal decision completely wrapped up.

According to On3’s rankings, here are the top five transfer portal commitments who made near-instant decisions on their portal destination.

Drew Mestemaker, North Texas QB to Oklahoma State

A nearly out-of-nowhere star at North Texas, Mestemaker passed for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns for the Mean Green and coach Chad Morris. So when Morris hit the road for a new job following Oklahoma State legend Mike Gundy, Mestemaker didn’t need much time to make his decision. He’s got three seasons to play and is now the presumptive starter at an Oklahoma State team that will need plenty of help to rebuild off a 1-11 season in 2025.

Benjamin Brahmer, Iowa State TE to Penn State

A 6’6″ middle of the field target, Brahmer had a quick jaunt in the portal. Last year, he snagged 37 passes for 446 yards and six touchdowns. He also had a big 2023 season with an injury-plagued 2024 in between. Brahmer’s coach, Matt Campbell took the Penn State job following the departure of James Franklin. Brahmer followed him to State College and should help Penn State’s passing game in 2026, which will be his final year of eligibility.

Abu Sama, Iowa State RB to Wisconsin

A 5’11” back, Sama has been a steady contributor through three seasons of college football. He ran for 732 yards and five scores in 2025 at Iowa State, which brought his career numbers to 1,933 yards and 13 touchdowns. Like Brahmer above, Sama had played for Matt Campbell. But he didn’t follow his prior coach, instead moving on to Wisconsin, where Luke Fickell needs to juice up a ground game that had no back running for more than 363 yards in 2025.

Noah McKinney, Oklahoma State OL to TCU

McKinney started his career at UNLV and saw extensive action there in 2023 before missing most of the season in 2024. He came to Oklahoma State and was part of the disastrous 1-11 season in 2025. McKinney has now left OSU to finish up his college career with a season at TCU. The Horned Frogs averaged 30.7 points per game in a nine-win season in 2025 and McKinney should see early time there.

Houston Thomas, Texas-San Antonio TE to Texas A&M

Thomas posted back-to-back seasons with 34 receptions for UTSA in 2024 and 2025. For his career, he has 78 catches for 918 yards and five touchdowns. The 6’4″, 245 pound target is moving on from UTSA for his final college season at Texas A&M. Two of A&M’s top three pass-catching tight ends in 2025 were seniors, so Thomas should get a shot.

Pete Golding gave an intriguing statement about the current Ole Miss staffers who are under contract at LSU. Essentially, the former Rebels’ coaches are on loan from former coach Lane Kiffin, who departed for the Tigers.

Ole Miss is now 2-0 in the College Football Playoff with wins over Tulane and Georgia. It’s been a great start to Golding’s head coaching tenure as they prepare for Miami in the CFP Semifinals.

But Golding was honest about guys like Charlie Weis Jr. and others who are finishing out the playoff run with Ole Miss. He’s simply not paying them but they’re free to keep doing what they’re doing.

“They’re doing two jobs,” Golding said, via OM Spirit’s Ben Garrett. “They’ll be at the practices and all those things. They have every opportunity to [keep coaching]. They’re not employed by me.”

AD Keith Carter told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger that he was unsure if those departed assistants would continue with Ole Miss in the semifinals and potentially national championship. Everyone’s status seems to be up in the air.

“I don’t know,” Carter said. “We’re going to celebrate tonight and get ready for Arizona in the morning.”

Those six assistants, currently ‘working’ under Golding include: Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, receivers coach George McDonald, inside receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, quarterbacks coach Dane Stevens, and running backs coach Kevin Smith.

Amid the opening of the transfer portal, things could get crazy as Ole Miss players could be enticed to leave Golding’s watch and go play for Kiffin at LSU, at some point. Having former staffers who left for Baton Rouge in the building is certainly a unique situation, particularly for a final four team.

“There are going to be some fireworks,” an unnamed Ole Miss source said, via ESPN. “We always knew this might be a possibility.”

Golding and Ole Miss will keep eyes forward while Kiffin collects contract bonuses from the Rebels advancing. How the situation manifests itself after the CFP semifinals is anyone’s guess.

After Kiffin’s high-profile departure for LSU, Golding took over as Ole Miss’ full-time head coach. But the Tigers said they would include “ancillary benefits” in Kiffin’s deal with the Rebels, and that means a $500,000 payout because his former program is advancing in the CFP.

The NCAA transfer portal has opened for all college football players seeking a new destination for the 2026 season. The portal is open for a two-week period that ends on Jan. 16.

In the weeks following the end of the 2025 regular season, thousands of players decided to leave the school they had play for to go to different places in 2026.

While Power Four quarterbacks have been a dominant topic in the weeks leading up to the portal opening, other significant offensive skill players are also shifting across the college football landscape.

One skill player on the move is former NC State running back Hollywood Smothers. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his third school.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder began his college football journey under Brent Venables at Oklahoma in 2023. He played in the maximum four games to maintain his redshirt with the Sooners, logging 42 rush yards on 11 carries and catching a pass for a yard.

Smothers transferred to NC State in the 2024 season. He missed a pair of games due to injury but still ran for 571 yards and six touchdowns while grabbing 19 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He ran for 100 yards in a blowout win over Stanford and in the Military Bowl against East Carolina.

Injuries once again hampered some potential production from Smothers in 2025. He finished with 939 rush yards and six touchdowns to go with 37 catches for 189 yards and another touchdown in 11 games in his last season with the Wolf Pack. He was named All-ACC First Team for his 2025 output.

Smothers’ production in the 2025 season has programs across the Power Four landscape vying to acquire him from the transfer portal. Pete Nakos of On3 reported three different participants in the 2025 College Football Playoff are making the heaviest pushes for Smothers on Friday.

Alabama

One of the weaknesses plaguing Alabama in 2025 was the inability to produce on the ground offensively. With Jam Miller’s eligibility expiring and Richard Young heading for the transfer portal, the depth at running back is going to thin out for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama has not used the transfer portal to acquire running backs in Kalen DeBoer’s two seasons in Tuscaloosa. However, the last time the Crimson Tide went into the portal to find a running back, it catapulted Jahmyr Gibbs to stardom. Gibbs’ all-purpose numbers in his final season at Georgia Tech bear some similarity to Smothers’ at NC State in 2025.

Georgia

The Bulldogs have shifted to a running back by committee approach in the last six seasons of Kirby Smart’s tenure. Injuries have forced Georgia’s hand in that philosophy sometimes, but the talent pool in Athens is deep enough each season to where the Bulldogs can feature multiple running backs.

As for the portal, Georgia has acquired a running back each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs brought in Trevor Etienne (Florida) in the 2024 offseason and Josh McCray (Illinois) in the 2025 offseason. Georgia could be looking at Smothers to add as a rotational piece with its other running backs in 2026.

Ole Miss

The biggest potential obstacle to Smothers seeing the field at Ole Miss hinges on whether or not AP All-American running back Kewan Lacy stays with the Rebels next season. Lacy has 295 carries on the season for Ole Miss, 266 more than the next man in the Rebels’ running back room.

However, should Lacy return, he will not have much depth behind him to give him a breather. Logan Diggs and Damien Taylor are both out of eligibility, so Smothers could fill a rotational need for the Rebels by transferring to Ole Miss in the offseason.