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West Virginia football transfer portal tracker

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West Virginia football transfer portal tracker


The transfer portal has become a hot topic across the realm of college football and that has been no different at West Virginia.

Several players have inserted their names into the portal, which is a database that allows other schools to contact them regarding a transfer, and WVSports.com will track it. It’s important to note that because a player is listed in the portal does not mean that they have to transfer out of the program, just that schools can contact them.

Here is a list of the Mountaineers that are currently in the portal exploring the possibility to transfer as well as who has transferred into the program and what it could mean to the current West Virginia football team.

For the purpose of this we will focus mainly on scholarship football players.

TRANSFERRED TO WEST VIRGINIA:

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Scruggs committed to West Virginia over scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Colorado, UNLV and a number of others. The nickel back recorded 70 tackles and an interception for South Alabama in 2024 and received an offer from the Mountaineers once Rich Rodriguez took over the program. Scruggs started his career at Washburn but did not record any statistics, then moved onto Central Missouri where he played in 11 games and recorded 37 tackles. From there, Scruggs moved onto Hutchinson C.C. where he had 38 tackles and an interception. The Missouri native has one year of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Singleton committed to West Virginia after an official visit to campus. The speedy wide receiver hauled in 64 catches for 639 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also had 23 rushing yards on 6 carries. The Florida native started his career at Akron but also spent time at Hutchinson C.C. He has one year of eligibility remaining in his career.

Young Bear appeared in 32 games during his time at Tulsa but took over a starting role in the final two games of his sophomore season before becoming a starter for all 12 games in 2024 at left guard. The Oklahoma native has played over 1,000 snaps at the college level and has one season of eligibility remaining in his career. Picked West Virginia over a number of other offers once he entered the portal.

Bowie was a standout wide receiver at Martinsburg and out of high school committed to Concord. There he would put together a massive season in 2022 where he hauled in 102 catches for 1,773 yards and 18 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. Bowie then moved onto Jacksonville State where he spent two seasons and appeared in 17 games. This past season, Bowie appeared in all 14 games and recorded 13 catches for 209 yards. He then elected to enter the transfer portal and returned home for his final two campaigns in Morgantown.

Barrick played 30 games over his three years at Jacksonville State and was primarily used as a blocking tight end with 428 of his total 614 snaps coming in that area. A native of Martinsburg, Barrick hauled in 9 receptions for 102 yards over his career and is coming off a season where he hauled in 6 catches for 70 yards. Barrick committed to West Virginia for the final year of his college career.

Henderson appeared in 10 games over his time at both Texas A&M and Fresno State. The California native had his most productive campaign in 2023 where he completed 53-78 passes for 715 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 104 yards and 2 scores while appearing in five games. Started his career with the Bulldogs where he appeared in five games and completed 5-8 passes for 49 yards. The signal caller has two years of eligibility remaining in his career.

A native of Parkersburg, Traugh spent two seasons at Youngstown State where he redshirted during his first season after appearing in just two games and then put together a strong freshman campaign with with 36 catches for 409 yards and 5 touchdowns across 12 games. That earned him FCS freshman all-American honors and Traugh then entered the transfer portal. Took an official visit to West Virginia in early January and would commit to the football program shortly after. Traugh has three years of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Woods spent only one season at North Carolina after enrolling early with the program as a 2024 four-star recruit. The Georgia native came to North Carolina after racking up 151 tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles as a senior which led to a long list of scholarship offers. Woods will have four years left in his career and brings a lot of potential and upside.

Vaughn spent two seasons at Jacksonville State where he started his career as a quarterback before making the move to wide receiver. The Georgia native then proceeded to emerge as the top pass catcher for the Gamecocks and hauled in 49 catches for 804 yards and 5 touchdowns and started nine of 14 games. Vaughn then entered the transfer portal Dec. 16 and took an official visit to Morgantown shortly after. Vaughn would then commit to the Mountaineers giving Rich Rodriguez a big outside option with both speed and elusiveness. He has three years left in his career.

Head spent only one season at Tulane where he made 4-5 field goals and had 77 kickoffs for 4,873 yards and 50 touchbacks. The Illinois native has three years left in his career and committed to West Virginia after an official visit to campus.

Walker spent five seasons at Ut Chattanooga where he was productive across 37 games racking up 147 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended and 4 interceptions. In 2024, the Alabama native recorded 60 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 4 tackles for loss while playing 749 snaps. West Virginia jumped into the mix with a scholarship offer Dec. 20 and took an official visit Jan. 2. A versatile safety that has played well in space and has one year of eligibility remaining in his career.

Perry spent three seasons at Jacksonville State where he was highly productive in each recording a total of 257 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions across 36 total games. The Georgia native earned freshman all-American honors in 2022 where he recorded 72 total tackles and an interception, while this past season Perry had 110 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Perry has experience playing under Rodriguez and has played almost 2,000 snaps in his college career. Committed to West Virginia after an official visit to campus and now has one season remaining in his college career.

Carter spent four seasons with the Gamecocks although he redshirted in his first year without seeing the field. Over the past three seasons, the Alabama native has appeared in 35 total games and recorded 89 tackles, 10 passes defended and an interception. The cornerback followed Rodriguez to Morgantown after taking an official visit and now has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Coats was a first-team all-Mountain West selection in 2024 after a campaign where he posted 41 tackles, 17 passes defended and 4 interceptions while charting elite coverage grades. The Mississippi native spent two seasons at Nevada and in the first recorded 13 tackles, 5 passes defended and an interception. Prior to his time at Nevada, Coats spent time at East Central C.C. where he appeared in 21 games and recorded a total of 47 tackles, with 6 pass breakups, 5.0 sacks and 4 interceptions as a productive piece across the board. Coats visited Morgantown Jan. 8 and committed leaving him with one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Golden-Nelson started his career at Memphis where he spent two seasons and appeared in four games prior to transferring to Akron. The Tennessee native then spent three seasons with the Zips where he appeared in 29 games during that time and recorded 66 tackles, 10 passes defended and a pair of interceptions. During the 2024 season, Golden-Nelson recorded 33 tackles, and 7 passes defended. Entered the transfer portal Dec. 17 and received offers from a number of programs prior to making a visit to Morgantown Jan. 7 where he would commit to the program. The experienced cornerback has played 1,060 snaps at the position during his time at Akron and has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.

Makane’ole spent four seasons at LSU where he was on the offensive line in the first three and then made the move to the defensive line in 2024. Over his time with the Tigers, the Florida native appeared across 63 total snaps on offense and 21 on the defensive side of the ball while also seeing time on special teams. The versatile lineman could potentially line up on either side of the ball and has one year left.

Edwards spent the past two seasons with the Panthers where he rushed for 1,557 yards and 11 touchdowns. That included this past season where Edwards rushed for 1,022 yards and 6 scores while catching 12 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. The Florida native also spent one season at Texas San Antonio as well as previous stops at Hutchinson C.C. and Georgia Military College. Edwards entered the transfer portal Dec. 26 after the JUCO ruling and currently has one year of eligibility remaining.

Harrington only spent one season at Washington where he appeared in just eight games and recorded a total of three tackles. But prior to that the North Carolina native was at Oklahoma for three seasons where he redshirted in one and then appeared in 15 games over two years where he recorded 29 tackles and a pair of interceptions. He also started two games at the cheetah position in 2023 prior to a season ending injury. Harrington started his career at Bakersfield College where he was one of the top junior college players in his class after recording 97 tackles and 7 interceptions. One year left.

Wilson spent five seasons with the Rams where he 234 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended, 6 sacks and 2 interceptions during that time. The Colorado native started 25 games the past two seasons and recorded 107 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 3 passes defended in 2023 and 98 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions this past season. Wilson entered the transfer portal Jan. 8 and quickly made the decision to commit. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Minor spent two seasons with the Penguins where he appeared in just one game. The former in-state product played high school football for Robert C. Byrd and was an Honorable-Mention Class AA selection for his efforts on the field. Minor entered the transfer portal Dec. 28 and received an offer from Marshall but committed to the Mountaineers after a visit with three years remaining in his career.

Martin only spent one season at North Carolina State where he did not see the field and entered the transfer portal where he would commit to West Virginia following an official visit to campus. The Huntington native was a top target of the Mountaineers during his initial recruitment and the first-team all-state selection now finds his way home. Martin has all four years of eligibility remaining and likely will play the interior offensive line.

Davis spent three seasons with the Panther on the field where he is coming off a season where he recorded 56 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and a pair of interceptions earning first-team all-conference honors at the nickel back position. Over the course of his time at Virginia Union, Davis had a total of 115 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 9 interceptions, 4 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles as a two year starter. The versatile safety could fill a number of roles in his final season of eligibility.

Siders spent four seasons at Wyoming and started 26 of 33 games after redshirting in his first campaign. The Colorado native was productive in his three seasons on the field recording 91 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. That included the 2022 campaign where he had 44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. Siders entered the transfer portal in early December and gives West Virginia a seasoned defensive lineman. He has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.

Crawford has spent five seasons at the college level with four at Arkansas and one at Charlotte. During that time, the Texas native has appeared in 39 career games and made a total of nine starts. The former-four star prospect in 2020 class has played primarily at right tackle over the course of his college career. Crawford initially committed to UCLA after entering the transfer portal Dec. 9 but after an official visit to Morgantown elected to flip his pledge. Crawford has one year remaining in his career.

Brown spent only one season at Charlotte where he started four games and threw for 563 yards with 3 touchdowns and six interceptions. Prior to that Brown spent two years at Florida where he redshirted in his first before completing 19-28 passes for 192 yards. Put together a prolific high school career where he recorded 4,416 passing yards and 68 touchdowns in two seasons at Lincoln Christian in Oklahoma. Brown has two years remaining in his career after committing to the Mountaineers.

Chambers only spent one season with Appalachian State where he appeared in 11 games and recorded a total of 38 tackles, 2 passes defended and an interception. Prior to that Chambers was at North Carolina Central where he spent two seasons. In 2023, Chambers was a first-team HBCU all-American after he recorded 41 tackles, 6 pass breakups, 3 interceptions and a forced fumble. His efforts also was a finalist for the Aeneas Williams Award which is given to the top HBCU defensive back in DII. As a freshman Chambers made 27 tackles and broke up a total of seven passes. The North Carolina native has one year remaining.

Robinson is coming off a massive campaign at Texas San Antonio where he was named American Athletic Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference after recording 43 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. The Virginia native spent four seasons with the Roadrunners where he recorded a total of 110 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and 3 forced fumbles across 43 games. Robinson narrowed his choices down to West Virginia and Virginia Tech prior to committing to the Mountaineers and giving the coaching staff one of the top edge rushers available in the transfer market. The former junior college prospect has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Weimer started his career at the junior college level at Hartnell College where he caught 78 passes for 1,040 yards and 11 touchdowns. He then moved to City College of San Francisco where he had 75 receptions for 1,253 yards and 17 touchdowns. Weimer would sign with UNLV where he appeared in seven games and recorded 26 catches for 278 yards and score. The California native then moved to Idaho State where he had 75 grabs for 1,016 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024. Weimer should have one year left in his career and is a veteran pass catcher that has been productive at multiple stops.

Clay started his career at the junior college level but then moved onto North Alabama where he spent three seasons and appeared in 29 games during that time with 15 starts. Clay started all 12 of the games during his final season with the Lions where he played a total of 792 snaps and performed well at right tackle. The Cincinnati native has one season of eligibility remaining in his career due to the junior college ruling and committed to the Mountaineers football program during the spring portal window.

Taylor spent only one season with the Mountaineers where he played in the final seven games of the season including one start. He finished that run with 10 tackles and a pass breakup across 147 total snaps. The Georgia native entered the transfer portal and committed to West Virginia with three years of eligibility remaining.

Barnes spent two seasons with the Huskies and was productive in both. During the 2023 campaign, Barnes had 23 catches for 422 receiving yards and five touchdowns with his 18.3 yards per catch leading the team along with the touchdown grabs. The year prior Barnes hauled in 31 catches for 338 yards and four scores. The California native spent two seasons at American River College where he was an all-American in 2022 catching 38 passes for 526 yards and 4 touchdowns and the year prior had 23 catches for 381 yards and a score. Barnes committed to the Mountaineers after an official visit to campus and has one season of eligibility remaining.

Kelly started his career at South Florida where he played in 11 games and recorded 19 tackles before moving onto Georgia Tech where he recorded 36 tackles and then elected to transfer once again to Missouri. The Florida native played in all 13 games this past season and recorded 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The talented defensive lineman committed to West Virginia following an official visit to Morgantown. Kelly has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Hamilton spent two seasons with the Tar Heels where he redshirted in the first season after appearing in three games with 3 catches for 20 yards. As a redshirt freshman, Hamilton then had 7 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. Hamilton committed to West Virginia following an official visit to campus April 18-19. The North Carolina native has three years of eligibility remaining in his career.

Bogle has spent three years with the Salukis where he appeared in four games and redshirted and then played in 13 games with one start as a redshirt freshman with 32 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss. But broke out as a redshirt sophomore when Bogle recorded 87 tackles, a conference-best 16.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks and 2 interceptions while starting the final 10 games of the season. Bogle was a Second Team All-MVFC selection and earned honorable mention all-American honors in the process. The Florida native has two years of eligibility remaining in his career after committing to the Mountaineers once the program got involved in his recruitment.

Aisosa enrolled at Oklahoma in January of 2024 but only spent one season with the football program prior to entering the transfer portal. The Oklahoma native has all four years of eligibility remaining and visited West Virginia April 22 which led to his commitment to the Big 12 Conference program. Aisosa is likely an interior option.

Hensley spent four years with the Chanticleers and three as the starting field goal kicker where he connected on 34-43 field goal attempts with a long of 49 in two separate seasons. The Tennessee native entered the transfer portal April 17 and committed to the Mountaineers giving the program a seasoned field goal kicking option. Hensley has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Smith-Brown spent three seasons with South Carolina State where he hauled in a total of 81 catches for 1,196 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Florida native had his most productive year this past season where he had 54 grabs for 749 yards and 4 scores. Smith-Brown took an official visit to Morgantown April 21and then committed to the program giving the Mountaineers a wide receiver with over 1,300 snaps played at the position. Smith-Brown has one year of eligibility remaining.

Agbo spent three seasons with Texas where he served in multiple roles as an offensive tackle, a jumbo tight end and an offensive guard. He entered the transfer portal April 18, and the Mountaineers were able to get him on campus for an official visit and close out his recruitment. Agbo has played 20 games as a blocker during his time with the Longhorns and 32 overall. A former four-star prospect, Agbo has two seasons of eligibility remaining in his career and gives the Mountaineers an athletic offensive lineman option.

Knighton is an experienced running back that has spent five seasons between stops at SMU and Miami, where he began his career. The former four-star prospect was limited to just 43 yards on 12 carries and had 4 catches for 42 yards in a season shortened to just three games in 2024 due to injury but rushed for 745 yards and 7 touchdowns, an average of 5.5 per carry and also made 13 catches for 89 yards and a score the previous year. The Florida native started his career at Miami and appeared in 27 games and rushed for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns during that time. Knighton has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.

McCants spent three years at Jacksonville State under Rich Rodriguez before entering the transfer portal. After a redshirt season, McCants played in 12 games with one catch for 28 yards. Last season, McCants made his biggest impact with 15 catches for 146 yards for the Gamecocks. The Alabama native has experience in the scheme and two years of eligibility remaining in his career.

Lee only remained with Mississippi State for a few months prior to re-entering the transfer portal but immediately became one of the most sought after interior options along the offensive line. Prior to his stint at Mississippi State, Lee was at Eastern Michigan where he made starts at center, right guard and left guard for the Eagles. He started 10 games in 2024 with starts at all three interior spots and six more at center during the 2023 season. Lee started his career at Colorado and has one year left. The Colorado native brings over 1,100 snaps played to the West Virginia offensive line.

Lewis has spent all four years of his career at Akron where he has appeared in 36 total games and recorded 205 tackles, 17 passes defended, 10.5 tackles for loss and 2 interceptions. The Ohio native is coming off a season where he recorded 74 tackles, 7 passes defended and an interception. Entered the transfer portal in April and committed to West Virginia following a series of official visits. Lewis is a versatile defensive back that has spent time at various positions including slot cornerback. Has one year left.

Lewis transferred to UNLV in the winter after four seasons at Mississippi State where he played a total of 365 snaps across 40 games. Over the course of his career Lewis recorded 44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup and played a number of different linebacker spots during that time. Lewis entered the transfer portal April 21 after previously entering the database in December when he committed to UNLV. Will join the West Virginia football program with one season remaining.

Katzer walked on to Washington State and did not appear in a game after a redshirt year before having six carries for 54 yards the following season. The Washington native spent a season at Citrus College where he rushed for 975 yards and 16 touchdowns. He then transferred to Ferris State where he put together a massive campaign with 1,128 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Entered the transfer portal in February and committed to West Virginia after an official visit April 30. Katzer has two years of eligibility remaining.

Haslam spent three years with the Governors where he appeared in 24 games. Haslam started nine games in 2024 at left tackle and the Georgia native entered the transfer portal with two years remaining. Has played multiple positions and is an experienced offensive line option. Committed to West Virginia following an official visit to campus.

Ramper entered the transfer portal April 30 and picked up an offer from West Virginia. From there, Ramper would take an official visit to Morgantown a few days later and ultimately commit to the program. The Pennsylvania product spent three years with the Slippery Rock football program where he appeared in 28 contests and he recorded 74 catches, 1,165 yards and 14 touchdowns. This past season Ramper caught 42 passes for 748 yards and 8 touchdowns. Ramper has one year of eligibility remaining.

Bussell spent two seasons with the Tennessee football program after enrolling in January of 2023. The Tennessee native redshirted during his first year before playing in three games at right guard this past season. After a strong spring with the Volunteers, Bussell elected to enter the transfer portal April 22, and the Mountaineers were able to get him on campus for an official visit. Bussell has three years of eligibility remaining in his career and could potentially play multiple spots up front.

Crutcher spent last season at West Florida where he appeared in ten games and recorded 13 tackles and an interception to go along with 4 pass breakups. Prior to that the Alabama native was at Dodge City C.C. where he recorded 19 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2023 at the junior college level. Crutcher is slated to play cornerback for the Mountaineers and has at least one year remaining in his career.

Grant finished last season with 31 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble. That was a significant jump from the 13 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks that he posted the year prior. The Texas native spent his first three years at Colorado where he appeared in just two games on special teams in 2020 and then played in three games the year after with 13 tackles and 3.0 for a loss. Grant then appeared in 10 games where he had 15 tackles and 2.0 for loss. He entered the transfer portal April 25 and committed to West Virginia following a visit. The key pass rushing target has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.

Ward spent only one season at North Carolina where he appeared in nine games overall and three at the tight end position. The New Jersey native entered the transfer portal April 25 and immediately became a hot commodity given his profile and upside at the tight end position. Ward hauled in 85 receptions for 1,823 yards and 27 touchdowns during his time at the high school level and has three years of eligibility remaining in his college career. He took official visits to both West Virginia and Virginia prior to committing to the Mountaineers.

IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL:

Games: 28

Spells spent three seasons with the West Virginia football program where he appeared in 28 games and recorded 25 tackles, 4 passes defended and an interception. The Florida native elected to enter into the transfer portal following the conclusion of spring football and now has one year of eligibility remaining in his career.

Games: 1

Collins, a Princeton native, spent only one season with West Virginia where he was used on a single snap as a deep threat. The former first-team all-state selection had a senior season where he hauled in 83 catches for 1,897 yards and 27 touchdowns along with 5 more rushing scores. Collins has four years of eligibility remaining.

Games: 12

Collins spent three seasons with the West Virginia football program and did not appear in a game this past season. The one-time safety grew into a linebacker during his time with the Mountaineers but recorded just 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss during his college career with the program. Has two years remaining.

HAS TRANSFERRED ELSEWHERE:

Games: 12

Trotter spent two seasons with the West Virginia football program, but missed the entirety of the first due to injury. As a redshirt freshman, Trotter collected 92 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 0.5 a sack and an interception as one of the best players on the defense. The Pennsylvania native didn’t have any shortage of opportunities and took visits to both Washington and Missouri. Committed to Missouri and still will have three years left in his career.

Games: 30

Donaldson spent three seasons at West Virginia and he rushed for 2,058 yards and 30 touchdowns during that timeframe. The former tight end transitioned to the running back spot and became a very valuable piece to the roster. Donaldson will have one season of eligibility remaining in his college career after committing to Ohio State.

Games: 38

Rimac spent four years with the program and has been a three-year starter at left guard and started 29 games during that time for the Mountaineers. Was set to be the lone returning starter on the offensive line from last year’s unit but elected to enter the transfer portal with one year left in his college career. Committed to Virginia Tech after Matt Moore made the move there.

Games: 22

Ray spent two years with West Virginia where he was thrust into a large role early in his career at the wide receiver position. The Florida native hauled in 46 passes for 747 yards and 8 touchdowns over that time and was leading the program in receiving this past year before an injury cut his year short. Ray has two years left in his career and committed to Mississippi after taking several visits.

Games: 22

Lathan spent three seasons in Morgantown where he emerged as a starter after a redshirt year but appeared in just five games recording 27 tackles and a forced fumble before being sidelined due to injury. Lathan then played in all 13 games this past year where he he recorded 79 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Lathan has two years of eligibility remaining in his career and committed to Kansas.

Games: 23

Clement was a former walk-on for West Virginia that spent three years with the Mountaineers. The Martinsburg native earned a scholarship during his redshirt freshman season and over his two years on the field hauled in 73 catches for 1,221 yards and 9 touchdowns including leading the Mountaineers in 2024 with 51 grabs for 741 yards and 5 scores. The in-state native will have two years remaining after he elected to transfer to Illinois.

Games: 12

Sammarco appeared in all 12 games as a true freshman across 96 snaps and he caught one pass for four yards. He remained with the team through the coaching change and spring ball but was removed from the roster in April. Sammarco has three years of eligibility remaining in his college career and committed to Alabama.

Games: 12

Williams was primarily a reserve over his first two years but displayed plenty of promise, including filling in for Consensus All-American Wyatt Milum at left tackle when he was out. Williams played 240 snaps after a redshirt season and is a massive offensive tackle that won’t hurt for suitors. He has three years of eligibility remaining and committed to head to Missouri as his next college stop.

Games: 0

Terry was only with the West Virginia football program one season and actually entered the transfer portal twice. Terry first did in the winter then elected to return after the coaching change before jumping back into the portal after the spring. The offensive lineman should have all four years of eligibility remaining. Committed to Ohio State.

Games: 11

Farmer appeared in all but two games during his true freshman season where he recorded 6 catches for 54 yards. The Florida native was underutilized in his lone season on campus and entered the transfer portal with three years remaining. Committed to UCF which brings him closer to home.

Games: 0

Altuner spent only one season at West Virginia where he missed the majority due to injury but did make it back by the end of the year. Altuner, a native of Maryland, will have all four years of eligibility remaining in his career. He would follow Matt Moore to Virginia Tech.

Games: 6

Garnes transferred to West Virginia for Duquesne but spent only one season with the program which was cut short due to injury. Garnes recorded 25 tackles and a pass defended and will have one season of eligibility remaining. Committed to Arizona.

Games: 0

Austin only spent one year with the football program and decided to enter the transfer portal. The offensive tackle will have four years left. He followed Matt Moore to Virginia Tech for the next step of his career.

Games: 1

Byerson, the son of former basketball player Brad, spent only one season with the West Virginia football program where he appeared in just one game. Byerson entered the transfer portal after the spring and will have all four years remaining after committing to Boston College.

Games: 8

Crandall arrived at West Virginia after one season at Colorado State but spent only one year with the Mountaineers before entering the portal yet again. Crandall appeared in 11 games and recorded a total of 9 tackles. He will have two years left at his next stop after committing to Oregon State.

Games: 13

Joseph transferred to West Virginia from Northwestern where he put together a solid career with 38 tackles and 3 interceptions which by far his most playing time in his last year with the Wildcats. During his lone year with the Mountaineers Joseph recorded 40 tackles and an interception. The Miami native will have one season of eligibility remaining in his college career after committing to UNLV.

Games: 0

Williams was with the West Virginia football program one season where he did not see the field as a reserve linebacker. The Ohio native has all four years left and committed to Toledo.

Games: 1

Fisher only saw action in one game during his two years with the program and the pass rusher elected to enter the transfer portal after spring practice. Fisher has three years of eligibility remaining in his college career after committing to UTEP.

Games: 1

Dunbar was with the West Virginia football program for one year and left the Mountaineers after one spring with the new coaching staff in place. The South Carolina native had a prolific career at the high school level but was sparsely used in his single season with West Virginia. Has all four years remaining after committing to South Alabama.

Games: 3

The son of former tight end Tory Johnson, TJ spent two years with the program where he redshirted in the first before seeing primarily action on special teams in the second season. The Virginia native bounced back and forth between tight end and wide receiver and now will have three years remaining at Southern Mississippi.

Games: 0

Washington only was with the West Virginia football program one season where he was slotted at cornerback. Elected to exit the program with four years remaining following the conclusion of spring practice. Committed to Bowling Green.

Games: 22

Anderson has spent four seasons with the West Virginia football program where he has had both highs and lows. He finishes his career with 88 rushes for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with 6 catches for 66 yards. The Ohio native has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career and will play at South Dakota.

Games: 3

Kinsler spent one year with the West Virginia football program where he appeared in three games and recorded a total of two tackles. Kinsler remained with the program when the coaching change occurred but exited once spring ended. The New Jersey native should have all four years remaining in his career after committing to Southern Mississippi.

Games: 0

Onwuka only spent one season with the West Virginia football program where he did not see the field. He has four years of eligibility remaining in his career and could play multiple positions on the defensive line or as an edge rusher. Committed to Coastal Carolina.

Games: 0

Burton transferred to West Virginia after just one season at BYU and would follow the same pattern after just one in Morgantown. The Utah native did not see any game action and now will have three years left after committing to UAB.

Games: 12

Weidman spent three years at West Virginia where he served as a reserve offensive lineman during that time playing a total of 88 offensive snaps. An interior option, Weidman has two years of eligibility remaining after committing to Massachusetts.

Games: 7

Dixon was a late addition to the 2022 class but was never able to make his mark during his time on the field for the Mountaineers. He was used as a reserve tight end as well as on special teams and had one catch for five yards during his career. He has two years remaining in his career and committed to Rhode Island.

Games: 6

Tagaloa-Nelson was a late addition for West Virginia in his recruiting class and remained with the program for two seasons. The safety saw action in five games in the second year and recorded three tackles. Tagaloa-Nelson has three-years left after committing to Eastern Kentucky.

Games: 0

Pascuzzi spent four years at Iowa including a redshirt season. The Kansas native appeared in 22 games primarily as a blocker and recorded 2 catches for 40 yards in his career. Pascuzzi has one year left in his career after committing to West Virginia but spent only the spring with the program before reentering the transfer portal and committing to Tulane.

Games: 4

Jackson appeared in four games as a true freshman as a depth piece at cornerback and special teams and then redshirted in the second. The Ohio native spent the spring with the new coaching staff but then entered the transfer portal joining his brother Josiah who had done so in the winter. Jackson has three years remaining after he committed to Gardner-Webb.

Games: 0

Jackson only spent a few months with the West Virginia football program after enrolling in the winter and then exiting the program in the transfer portal in April. He was recruited by the Mountaineers as a safety. The Huntington native then committed to Marshall and will have his entire complement of eligibility remaining.

Games: 0

Henry only spent a few months with the West Virginia football program after enrolling in January but then departing through the transfer portal at the end of spring. The Florida native has his full eligibility remaining after committing to Coastal Carolina.

Games: 0

Etienne only spent a few months with the West Virginia football program after enrolling in January but left the program following spring practice. Etienne then committed to Marshall as the versatile defensive back will have all four years of eligibility remaining in his career.

Games: 0

Rehmann, like several others on this list, only spent one season with West Virginia and once the new coaching staff took over stayed through the spring only to enter his name into the transfer portal. The wide receiver has four years remaining after committing to Delaware.

Games: 0

Turner spent three years at Catawba where he rushed for 1,961 yards and 20 touchdowns. Turner is coming off a standout season where he accounted for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging a total of 7.0 per carry and earned all-American honors. It was the first time that Catawba had an all-American at the position. Turner took an official visit to West Virginia Jan. 2 and saw enough to end his recruitment. The Florida native has one year left in his career but reentered the transfer portal after spending only the spring with the football program and eventually committed to Lenoir-Rhyne.

Games: 1

Jackson spent two years with the program where he redshirted after playing in just one game and then did not see the field. The defensive back will have three years remaining at his next stop and recorded just one tackle on the field. Committed to Garden City Community College for the next step in his career.

———-

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Major college football program predicted to be clear frontrunner for 4,000-yard QB

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The NCAA transfer portal officially opens for college football players on Friday.

In the final three weeks before the portal opens, quarterbacks began to announce their decisions to enter the transfer portal. DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola, Sam Leavitt, Josh Hoover, and Rocco Becht will all seek new programs in 2026.

Another quarterback who will be shuffling in the 2026 offseason is South Florida signal-caller Byrum Brown. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his second school.

While the portal is not officially open yet, Auburn is emerging as a clear destination for Brown next season. The connection to the Tigers is obvious, as former Bulls head coach Alex Golesh accepted the vacancy left by Hugh Freeze on Nov. 30.

Max Olson of ESPN cited the connections between Brown and Auburn in a recent projection for quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Olson said that Brown playing anywhere other than Auburn in 2026 would be a surprise.

Byrum Brown in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl.

South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) drops back to pass against the Syracuse Orange | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“Brown has stayed loyal to his coaches and rejected past portal interest,” Olson wrote. “Now the 32-game starter is ready to prove he can compete at the highest level as a senior.”

The 6-foot-3, 231-pounder arrived under a staff led by Jeff Scott at South Florida in 2022. He played in the maximum four games needed to keep a redshirt, passing for 404 yards, five touchdowns and an interception while rushing for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Golesh arrived in Tampa during the 2023 offseason. Brown was the Bulls’ starter that season and threw for 3,292 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and rushed for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns. South Florida finished the season 7-6, and Brown set single-season records for passing yards and touchdown passes.

Brown’s 2024 season was derailed by a broken bone in his left leg five games into the season. He totaled 836 pass yards and two touchdown passes while he ran for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Injuries did not hinder Brown from producing for the Bulls in 2025. He logged 3,158 pass yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions and accumulated 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground in 12 games. He was named All-AAC Second Team and College Football Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts in 2025.



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Marcus Freeman announces return to Notre Dame for 2026 after receiving NFL interest

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Marcus Freeman reportedly told NFL franchises that he is staying at Notre Dame, according to SI’s Pat Forde. Freeman and Notre Dame reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that puts him in the “top tier” among compensation for college head coaches.

Freeman later tweeted from his official Twitter/X account, seemingly confirming the news. “2026…run it back. Go Irish (clover emoji),” he wrote.

That’s pretty good news for Notre Dame fans, who last saw their team win their 10th straight game before opting out of bowl season. Freeman will now attempt to lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff and a national championship next season. The work at the college level continues.

Prior to Christmas, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Freeman was expected to be a top candidate for the New York Giants’ vacancy. That is now no longer the case.

Marcus Freeman running it back at Notre Dame, says no to NFL

Freeman, this season, led Notre Dame to a 10-2 finish in 2025. That included 10-straight wins following an 0-2 start, narrowly (and controversially) missing out of the College Football Playoff as the first team out. The year prior, Freeman led the Fighting Irish all the way to the national championship game before coming up short against Ohio State.

Since becoming Notre Dame’s head coach in 2021 — his first stint as a head coach period — he’s compiled a 38-10 record along the way, including a 5-2 record in the postseason. Because the Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff this season, the program opted out of their bowl game.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the program said in a statement. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

As far as the Giants are concerned, they won only their third game of the season, a 34-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. They’re bound for a high draft pick and a rebuild under a new coach, but it won’t be Freeman. But man, the drama continues in New York as Jaxson Dart’s father recently called out Danny Kanell over the latter’s comments about the rookie QB.

All Freeman has to do now is worry about Notre Dame this coming fall. The Giants’ search continues.



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USA Today ranks every college football head coach hire from best to worst this cycle

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The 2025 coaching carousel proved to be a chaotic one, with 32 jobs out of the 136 FBS programs making changes. Now, the dust has seemingly settled, and USA Today took the opportunity to rank all of those hires from best to worst.

Of those coaching changes, 17 are at the Power Four level. In particular, the SEC and Big Ten saw heavy turnover this cycle, with some surprise openings coming as well. So, there’s no doubt that the coaches involved in this cycle are going to shape the landscape of college football from here on out.

These types of moves are always subjective and what amounts to success at one program can be a disappointment at another. It will also take a few seasons to properly evaluate how everything worked out. All of that is worth remembering as USA Today worked to paint a picture of these hires as best it can in the moment.

The 2025 season was a shock for Penn State, firing James Franklin midseason. Still, he’s an incredibly well-regarded coach who has found a ton of success in his career. Now, he has an interesting new home at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech is a Power Four program but it’s also looking at a rebuild. Still, after making the College Football Playoff semifinal in the 2024-25 season, there’s no doubt that Franklin can find that success once again.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin's staff is (nearly) in place (© Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin’s staff is (nearly) in place (© Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)

The Lane Kiffin coaching saga this offseason dominated the media cycle as he moved from Ole Miss to rival LSU. There was a reason so much emphasis was put on Kiffin, though. He’s been an incredibly successful coach.

Now, the expectation at LSU is going to be to win right away. Certainly, he’ll be given every resource to do so. It’s no mistake that USA Today thinks so highly of the hire.

The Michigan job is one of the best in the country. That’s what made it so interesting to follow when it opened late amid Sherrone Moore being fired for off the field reasons. So, landing on Kyle Whittingham ended up being a win.

USA Today has this as the third-best hire of the cycle. That makes a lot of sense, given that he helped Utah rise from the Mountain West to being a Power Four conference champion. Now, with his 177 career wins, Whittingham is on his way to Ann Arbor.

USA Today ranks Jon Sumrall as the fourth-best hire of this cycle. The former Tulane head coach is coming off a season where he led the Green Wave to the CFP. With that success and ties to the SEC, the hire makes a lot of sense on paper.

Florida is going to be a rebuilding effort for Sumrall. There’s expected to be a lot of roster turnover. So, it may take some time, but Sumrall seems fit to get the job done.

UCLA head coach Bob Chesney at his introductory press conference
UCLA head coach Bob Chesney at his introductory press conference on Dec. 9, 2025. (Credit: Matt Moreno | BruinBlitz)

The UCLA Bruins were one of the earliest teams to make a coaching change. In the end, they landed on Bob Chesney, the James Madison coach.

Coming from a CFP run with James Madison, Chesney looks like one of the best young coaches in the game. Predominantly tied to the Northeast, with stops at Holy Cross, Assumption, and Salve Regina, Chesney is now tasked with a Power Four rebuild.

The Penn State coaching search took several twists and turns. In the end, the Nittany Lions landed on Matt Campbell. So, despite that long process, USA Today and several other experts think they made an excellent hire.

Matt Campbell previously turned Iowa State into a contender within the Big 12. That’s no small task. Now, it’s time for him to try and take Penn State from consistently good to elite as a program.

The Michigan State Spartans made a move from Jonathan Smith after two seasons. To replace him, they landed on a longtime Big Ten head coach, Pat Fitzgerald. USA Today has it as the seventh-best hire of the cycle.

Fitzgerald is best known for his time at Northwestern. From 2006 to 2022, he went 110-101 there. That included a lot of success that goes beyond what Northwestern traditionally found. Now, he’s looking to bring that experience with him to Michigan State.

Charles Huff, Memphis
© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Memphis has the highest rated hired, according to USA Today, amount Group of Six programs. The Tigers hired Charles Huff, formerly of Marshall and Southern Miss, who found tons of success in the Sun Belt. Now, the hope is that he can spark Memphis to an American Championship.

Memphis is in a pretty solid situation as a program. The Tigers won double-digit games in each of the last two seasons. As a program, they haven’t missed a bowl since 2013. Now, Huff wants to get them into the CFP.

Florida moved on from Billy Napier after an unsuccessful tenure. He landed on his feet, though. James Madison brought in Napier to try and replicate the success that both previous coaches have had at James Madison and that Napier had in the Sun Belt.

The Dukes are coming off a Sun Belt Championship, CFP appearance, and sending their last two coaches to P4 jobs. So, success is the expectation. Napier will now need to live up to that.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys moved on from legendary head coach Mike Gundy. This comes after a pair of frustrating seasons for Oklahoma State. In his place, they brought in Eric Morris to replace him moving forward.

USA Today is fairly high on Morris, coming in at 10th. The former North Texas head coach is coming off a year where he produced one of the best offenses in the country and played for a conference championship. So, now, he’s hoping to bring that spark to Stillwater.

Rest of USA Today head coach hire rankings

11. Jason Candle, UConn
12. Jim Mora, Colorado State
13. Blake Anderson, Southern Miss
14. Collin Klein, Kansas State
15. Neal Brown, North Texas
16. Alex Golesh, Auburn
17. Mike Jacobs, Toledo
18. Casey Woods, Missouri State
19. Morgan Scalley, Utah
20. Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas
21. Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State
22. Will Stein, Kentucky
23. Tavita Pritchard, Stanford
24. Brian Hartline, USF
25. Tosh Lupoi, Cal
26. Pete Golding, Ole Miss
27. John Hauser, Ohio
28. Ryan Beard, Coastal Carolina
29. Alex Mortensen, UAB
30. Kirby Moore, Washington State
31. JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State
32. Will Hall, Tulane



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Matt Campbell’s Transfer Portal Budget at Penn State Revealed

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New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is getting something for the first time in his coaching career — a massive NIL budget to play with.

Campbell was a last resort for Penn State in its coaching search, though it happened to stumble upon a coach who consistently did more with less at Iowa State, who faced recruiting challenges and could not match the resources of a larger-profile school.

More news: Penn State, Matt Campbell Given Update on Rocco Becht Transfer

Now, Campbell gets a chance to compete with the big boys for blue-chip players out of high school and in the transfer portal, and his first test will come on January 2, when he can nab a hodgepodge of talent.

Penn State is a true powerhouse in the sport, an established top school with high ambitions, a big national spotlight, and, according to the latest reports, the ability to pay players competitively.

Head coach Matt Campbell

Per college football insider Matt Fortuna, Campbell will be getting “roughly $30 million in NIL money,” a figure also mentioned in a story from The Athletic.

More news: Lane Kiffin Gets Brutally Honest On Ole Miss Against Georgia in Sugar Bowl

While he will have the resources, Campbell stressed during his introductory press conference that the amount of money is not as significant as how it is spent.

“The financial aspect, I think, is certainly unique,” Campbell said. “One of the great things that we have here is the sacrifice that [Athletic Director] Pat [Kraft] and his team have made to be competitive at the highest level to give yourself a chance to build the best team.

“Now, I think sometimes in college football we can get lost on the financial piece of it. Do I think it’s important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is that it cannot be priority No. 1.

“It’s great to have the money, but it’s using the money wisely. It’s using the resources correctly, building the right team and knowing what you’re trying to spend those things on and making sure it’s about the right things.”

At the turn of the year, Campbell will get to show the ability to use money wisely on a large scale, and if he does, Penn State could quickly become a National Championship contender once again.

More news: Indiana Predicted to Land Top Transfer QB as Fernando Mendoza Replacement

For more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.



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Can Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell fix college sports?

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LEAN IN CLOSELY. Cody Campbell is surprisingly soft-spoken. On a cool Friday night in Fort Worth, Texas, a night built for high school football, over the din of cowbells and rattling bleachers and Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West,” it’s difficult to hear the man who has become the loudest, most controversial voice in a fight to shape the future of college sports.

Did he just say he hates political campaigning? The guy who paid millions of dollars in the past half decade to capture the ear of President Donald Trump? The guy who has paid millions more to put himself in television ads and grab headlines with brash statements about the greed and ego of college football’s power brokers? Is that what he just said? It is.

Campbell is calmly fiddling with the lid of a paper coffee cup, watching the All Saints’ Episcopal High School football team blow out its final home opponent of the season. He doesn’t holler at coaches or referees. His only reaction when his 14-year-old son, a 290-pound mauler on the offensive line, flattens an opposing linebacker is a pair of raised eyebrows and a small grin that barely creases the edges of his salt-and-pepper goatee.

Campbell, 44, is an oil-made billionaire. At Texas Tech, where he has bankrolled much of the football team’s unprecedented launch into national relevance and current spot in the College Football Playoff, he gets as many interview requests as the head coach. The former offensive lineman had a brief NFL career before co-founding one of the largest private oil and gas companies in West Texas, a business he still runs on top of his duties as a father of four, an active Republican fundraiser and the chairman of Texas Tech’s board of regents.

“It feels like every day is 10 days,” Campbell says, taking a swig of his coffee.

He’s busy. So why, now that he has helped repair the Red Raiders football program, is Campbell spending significant time and money trying to fix college sports? That’s the question most people in the industry ask when they first meet him. What does he really want?

Most of those folks, Campbell said, leave their meetings surprised. He is not the backslapping, overly confident charmer in a ten-gallon hat that headlines might lead you to imagine. He doesn’t stand out in the crowd of parents filling the bleachers despite his broad shoulders and 6-foot-4 frame.

“I’m not what they expect me to be, I guess,” he says. “I’m not J.R. Ewing or whatever.”

Campbell and his adversaries — most notably the commissioners of the four power conferences — agree that the NCAA is suffering from an inability to enforce its own rules. They agree that a fix will require help from Congress. But each side accuses the other of proposing solutions that are motivated by self-interest rather than what’s best for college sports.

Is Campbell a misinformed newcomer, as some commissioners have asserted, who bought his way into influence? Or is he the fresh voice that a broken system needs to embrace its new professionalized reality?

“I’m a threat to the status quo,” Campbell says. “But the status quo is failing. … A lot of people want to hold on to the way things used to be. The fact is, we’ve already crossed the Rubicon.”


ON THE MORNING of Texas Tech’s top-10 showdown with BYU in early November — the biggest game in Lubbock in nearly 20 years — Campbell carves through campus, leaving a wake of fans spinning their necks and calling after him.

Bundled-up frat boys pause mid-beer-sip and smack their buddies in the ribs.

“Yo, that’s the rich dude! Sir, thank you!”

“Bring ‘er home, Cody! Bring ‘er home!” they yell through cupped hands.

A man in a Tech jersey asks for a selfie. He’s holding a poster of Campbell’s face. The eyes have been replaced by laser beams and it reads “Mad Cuz You Broke.” Campbell chuckles, then obliges.

Campbell is the chief architect of an NIL collective, The Matador Club, that has paid more than $60 million to athletes at Texas Tech since 2022, much of it to the football team. The club’s aggressive approach to the NCAA’s new rules has rebuilt a program that historically struggled to make bowl games into a legitimate contender to bring a national championship to the football-crazed outpost in West Texas.

Campbell served on the committee that hired coach Joey McGuire in 2021. He donated $25 million to help rebuild the football stadium. He spearheaded the fundraising effort for the parts of the football payroll that didn’t come directly out of his pocket. He even watched film to evaluate prospects for one of the nation’s best transfer portal classes this offseason.

For his efforts, Campbell moves through a Texas Tech game day with the same unfettered reign as Jerry Jones at a Cowboys game. He might as well own the place. Outside the stadium, he chats with a security guard and slides into a VIP section behind the set of ESPN’s “College Gameday,” barely breaking stride.

The show’s stars take time between their segments to shake his hand. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark introduces Campbell to a pair of television executives in sharply tailored suits. Campbell, in dad jeans and a black baseball cap, nods along as they speak into his ear. They’d like to set a meeting. They’ll come to him.

The university’s president strolls over to say hello. He knows Campbell’s wife, Tara, and each of their kids by name. Kent Hance, a former chancellor and legendary yarn-spinning Texas political powerbroker who is the only man to beat George W. Bush in an election, seeks him out with a familiar smile and wave.

“It doesn’t really feel strange,” says Tara, also a Tech alum, as another fan asks her husband for a photo. “These are our people. It feels like family.”

Campbell’s roots run deep here. His maternal great-grandfather, Boyd Vick, was a member of the university’s first class in 1925. The Vicks, according to family lore, arrived in West Texas in a covered wagon in the early 1900s in search of work during a silver rush. When Boyd matriculated to the new university, he played on the football team, naturally. More than a dozen of his descendants now hold Texas Tech degrees.

Texas Tech recruited Cliff Campbell, Cody’s father, to play for the football team in the early 1970s. Cliff’s father worked in the oil fields when he returned home from fighting at Iwo Jima. Cliff’s mother picked cotton to help make ends meet. Cliff was the first member of his family to attend college, thanks to football.

Cody Campbell, having passed up an offer to go to Harvard to keep the family tradition alive, now rides to campus from his home in Fort Worth on an Embraer E550 with a slick, polished wood interior outfitted with throw blankets that have his company logo embroidered in the corners. Covered wagons to private jets in the space of a century, an American success story fueled by the opportunities provided by college sports.

“It’s generational for me,” Campbell says.

He wasn’t always beloved in Lubbock.

In early 2021, Campbell was worried about his alma mater and its place in the future of college sports. Months before college athletes started making money, months before Texas and Oklahoma announced plans to ditch the Big 12 for the SEC, stoking fears that the biggest brands in college football might eventually split the sport and leave programs in small markets like Lubbock in their dust, Campbell was angling for a seat on Texas Tech’s board of regents.

He wasn’t happy with the direction of the football program. And he wasn’t shy about it. On fan message boards and social media, he railed against then-head coach Matt Wells. Campbell was loud and disruptive. Several members of the university’s board didn’t want Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint him.

“He was more outside the tent, throwing rocks for a period of time,” says Dusty Womble, a fellow board member who was the lead donor for Texas Tech’s newly renovated, $242 million football facility.

Campbell sought help from Hance, a former congressman who still holds significant sway in Texas politics. Hance liked him, and surmised Campbell was only a rabble-rouser because he wasn’t yet in a position to act. Hance borrowed a phrase from the ultimate Texas powerbroker, Lyndon B. Johnson, to explain why he nudged Abbott to put Campbell on the university’s board.

“I’d rather have him inside the tent and pissin’ out,” Hance says, “than outside the tent pissin’ in.”

Minutes before kickoff against BYU, Campbell and his son stroll past the big block letters that spell out Cody Campbell Field near the 20-yard line. Fans behind the end zone applaud as Campbell walks by. He smiles and looks down at his Texas Tech-branded sneakers, school pride from head to toe.

“He came on to the board, and I think that required him to maybe be a little more politically correct and not as disruptive,” says Womble, who happily works shoulder-to-shoulder with Campbell as vice-chair of the board. “He became part of the system, part of the solution.”

Campbell heads up the stadium tunnel toward the locker room, past the marching band. A voice from the brass section shouts, “Thanks for buying us an O-line!”

That one gets him to laugh as he reaches for the door to the locker room. He greets players and grabs a bottle of water from the team’s cooler. McGuire stops by and shakes his hand. “This guy’s a stud. He’s a stud,” the coach says before turning and calling his team up to join him by taking a knee.

Campbell puts his arm around his son during the team prayer and McGuire’s pregame speech. Then, Campbell follows the team through the stadium tunnel. The players turn right to take the field. Campbell and his son turn left to head to their suite, where the rest of their family, friends and Patrick Mahomes — perhaps the only Texas Tech alum drawing a bigger buzz on campus — are waiting for them.

Hance sits in his own suite down the hallway with his family and watches Texas Tech physically dominate BYU en route to a 29-7 win, the full manifestation of a program Campbell has helped to overhaul. The stadium remains full well into the fourth quarter. For a growing university trying to compete for applicants with campuses in the state’s biggest cities, you can’t buy marketing this good. Well, except they did.

“I knew he’d figure out how to be an insider once he was on the inside,” Hance says.

His daughter-in-law leans over to ask whom Hance is talking about.

“Oh, Cody Campbell. I haven’t met him yet,” she says. “When you see him, tell him thank you for me.”


LEAN BACK NOW. Cody Campbell is in your living room. He’s staring right through the television to warn you that college sports are at risk. He’s standing alone in Texas Tech’s empty stadium with a football in his hands, identified only as a former player.

He’s looking at you, but he’s talking to Congress. Athletic departments are bleeding money, he says. Women’s sports and Olympic dreams are in “immediate danger” of vanishing. He has the answer. A “single change” that can generate enough money to “protect all sports at all schools.” He implores Congress to act.

If it were an election year, you might think he was running for office. The television ads, which ran frequently during college football games early this fall, were part of a strategic plan for Campbell to more substantially elbow his way into an ongoing debate among federal lawmakers.

“Let’s save college sports,” he says, “before the clock runs out.”

Campbell believes college sports need more money and a more effective organization to regulate how that money is spent. He is lobbying Congress to amend the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to allow college sports to negotiate TV contracts as a single group, as professional leagues such as the NFL and NBA do. Colleges currently negotiate their TV contracts by conference, which gives media executives more bargaining power and favors the Big Ten and SEC, which both have higher ratings and bigger budgets.

Campbell says he has commissioned research that shows if colleges could band together, their TV rights would be worth roughly $7 billion — almost double what they make in total now. It’s a change that would direct a larger share of revenue to schools like Texas Tech, making the Red Raiders less dependent on billionaire alums to help them compete.

The current leaders of college sports view Campbell’s proposal as a naive solution to a complex, tangled problem. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told the Associated Press in October that Campbell has a “fundamental misunderstanding of the realities of college athletics.” It could be 10 years or more before current deals expire and open the door for a big group contract. And that’s assuming all conferences would want to join forces. Commissioners and other media industry experts also say Campbell’s $7 billion projections are optimistic, perhaps wildly so.

Sankey, along with Yormark, the ACC’s Jim Phillips and the Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, declined to be interviewed for this story.

In his interview with the AP, Sankey said he had “serious concerns” about the accuracy of many of Campbell’s statements. In podcasts and other appearances, Campbell has frequently shared statistics that many believe exaggerate the NCAA’s current crisis. He often says that FBS athletic departments lost an average of $20 million per school last year. When asked how he arrived at such a daunting number, Campbell acknowledged his math doesn’t include the money athletic departments receive from student fees and other support many universities provide to their athletic departments in exchange for the marketing value and campus community that sports help to build.

Campbell also frequently says that more than 180 teams have been cut since the NCAA announced plans to allow schools to pay their athletes. A website he launched earlier this year makes the same claim, citing as its source a college wrestling blog that started tracking program cuts during the pandemic. The list includes many teams at junior colleges and NAIA schools that are not impacted by NCAA rule changes. Of the 180-plus teams on that list, only three are from FBS conferences. Isn’t that a little misleading?

“Probably,” Campbell says with a shrug.

Nonetheless, he says the threat of more cuts remains real, especially if Congress adopts the NCAA’s ideas instead of his. The NCAA and its schools have lobbied for an antitrust exemption that would allow them to place limits on how athletes are paid, but it doesn’t cap other spending races in college sports or provide routes to create new revenue.

Campbell argues that without a significant overhaul — one that spreads money at least a little more evenly among FBS schools — an antitrust exemption would exacerbate the financial gap between the NCAA’s richest few dozen programs and everyone else, forcing many schools to hollow out the sports that don’t drive large profits or spend beyond their means in an attempt to keep up.

When it comes to keeping as many schools as possible under the same banner, and sharing from the same pot of revenue, Campbell has found at least one sympathetic ear. NCAA president Charlie Baker said Campbell’s ideas for changing the Sports Broadcasting Act are a dangerous “Pandora’s box,” but he agrees with some of Campbell’s other suggestions about making sure money generated by power conferences can continue to help fund smaller schools.

“When he talks about that, he’s kind of singing my song,” Baker told ESPN. “… One thing I appreciate about Cody is he’s got opinions and he’s willing to share them. He’s willing to put them out there. That’s not a bad thing.”


IN THE DAYS after the 2024 presidential election, Campbell paid a visit to his longtime friend Brooke Rollins at an office she rents in Fort Worth to discuss a new way to share his ideas about college sports.

Rollins would soon be named Secretary of Agriculture for Trump’s second term. She had spent the past three years as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank she cofounded thanks in large part to a seven-figure check from Campbell. He has donated millions more to a variety of conservative political causes for the past decade. AFPI, though, put him on the ground floor of an organization so tightly connected to Trump’s administration that it was dubbed the “White House in Waiting” in between the president’s two stays in office.

Campbell had to decide how he wanted to wield the influence his loyalty had delivered. He says the president’s transition team floated the idea of making Campbell an ambassador. He speaks some Spanish and could fit well in Latin America. Campbell wasn’t interested in moving his wife and four young children to Buenos Aires or San Salvador. Nor was he interested in stepping away from the thriving oil and gas business he built with his lifelong best friend. Campbell had another idea.

“How about college sports?” he asked.

Rollins smiled, unsurprised. A season-ticket holder at her alma mater, Texas A&M, she understood the importance of college sports and the current turmoil of the industry. She knew Trump had a strong interest in sports. She promised to make some introductions.

Two months later, Campbell arrived at the White House with a set of thick binders, each filled with more than 700 pages of data, reports and suggestions. Campbell, who was formally appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition this July, has visited Washington, D.C., at least once a month since Trump took office. Campbell has been “tremendously persistent” in his effort to keep college sports on the administration’s agenda, according to a source familiar with his work at the White House. The source says Campbell has carved out a unique spot among the president’s advisers. On issues such as tariffs or foreign relations, Trump’s administration will listen to several people. On college sports, they listen to Campbell “unlike anybody else on any other issue,” the source says.

“If he’s going to sit down and talk to you about something, he’s going to be more prepared than you are. I can assure you,” says John Sellers, Campbell’s business partner. “That’s kind of been him forever.”

Sellers moved to the small town of Canyon, Texas, 100 miles north of Lubbock, in the summer before seventh grade. When he arrived for the football team’s opening two-a-day practices, Campbell was one of the first new classmates he met. Sellers played right guard. Campbell played right tackle. The following year, they switched — “I got a little taller, he got a little fatter,” Sellers says — and that’s where they stayed for the next four years on the offensive line of the Canyon High Eagles.

Campbell and Sellers were roommates and teammates at Texas Tech when they launched their first business, buying a plot of land on the edge of Lubbock and prepping it to sell to a real estate developer. They have been partners more or less ever since, interrupted only briefly by Campbell’s 15-month NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts.

When real estate went belly up in 2008, the buddies from Canyon tried the oil and gas industry. They scoured small courthouses in Louisiana and South Texas to determine who owned the mineral rights they wanted to purchase and spent long days working to build trust with local landowners. Since then, they’ve sold four iterations of their Double Eagle Energy (a nod to their high school mascot) for a total of roughly $13 billion.

Sellers says he operates by gut feeling. Campbell is the analytical partner — an NFL player whose all-state honors in high school were for his work on the Canyon High debate team. Campbell says he has been an avid researcher since his grandmother bought him his first shares of a sports trading card company when he was in grade school and taught him how to track the market in newspaper clippings.

“He’s the ‘ready, aim, fire’ guy,” Sellers says. “I’m more of a ‘ready, fire, aim’ kind of guy.”

Campbell and Sellers credit their legendary coach Mike Leach with instilling in them an ability to tirelessly sweat small details. Campbell says he wants his children, and thousands of other kids, to have the same opportunity to learn life lessons from their coaches in college sports.

The rest of their success, Campbell says, comes from the values they absorbed growing up in Canyon.

“People out there are just tough,” he says. “They understand that there are good years and bad years. It’s a boom-and-bust area. … You have a bunch of people who aren’t afraid to take risks, who aren’t afraid to break their back to make a living.”

Campbell took risks and built a fortune. Now his résumé — the shrewd oil billionaire with very powerful friends — walks into a room before he does. He says he’s still adjusting to his new reality, still reconciling the gap between public perception and his own view of his story.

“I see myself as a kid from a small town in West Texas,” he says. “That’s who I am.”


THE KID FROM CANYON looks comfortable dressed in a custom-tailored suit and crisply pressed white dress shirt during the first week in December as he steps off the escalator in the lobby of a Las Vegas casino convention center.

Campbell is here to speak to a room of college sports insiders at the annual Intercollegiate Athletics Forum hosted by Sports Business Journal. Campbell and his interviewer, SBJ publisher Abe Madkour, take their seats on stage. The cavernous ballroom suddenly finds a bit of a pulse. Lawyers and administrators tuck away their phones and trade glances with colleagues, perhaps hoping for some fireworks at the end of two days of repetitive panel discussions.

Campbell unspools some of his usual arguments from what has become a stump speech in recent months, sharing his backstory and his plans for adding billions of dollars to the system. He loses his rhythm only temporarily when Madkour mentions that some conference commissioners actually like him. Campbell pauses, bobs his head. “Well … some of them,” he says. The room laughs with him.

Four days earlier, Campbell was at AT&T Stadium watching Texas Tech win its first Big 12 championship. A day before that, he was in Waco, watching his son’s team win a state title. Whatever hangover he was nursing — “I had not had Fireball shots in quite a while,” Campbell says — was wiped away by a warmer-than-expected reception at the conference.

Not that he doesn’t think he’s worthy of being an insider. Campbell points to his bona fides — four years on a university board, four years writing NIL contracts with players, experience dealing with private equity funders (a popular area of exploration among college sports leaders) and his own time as a student-athlete — as he scoffs at the people who say he doesn’t have the experience necessary to understand their industry.

“Everything has changed in the last four years, and I’ve been directly involved on an extremely detailed level for those four years,” he says. “I’m not sure that experience gained 30 years ago in college sports is necessarily that relevant today. … To say that I’m not qualified to be involved in it is sort of an absurd thing to say.”

On stage, Campbell’s interviewer begins to wrap up their 20-minute session with the question that persists in convention center hallways, echoed over cups of coffee in the morning and steak dinners at night: What’s in it for him?

Campbell told ESPN he has no financial stake in any proposed future college sports league. He isn’t interested in using this campaign as a platform to run for office. He doesn’t want to be the commissioner of a new national college football organization if one emerges. His only motivation, he says, is maintaining the same opportunities that launched his success for future generations.

“I know a lot of people have a hard time believing my intentions are pure,” he tells the ballroom in Las Vegas. “… We need to preserve this national treasure that we have. It belongs to all of us. We need to make sure we protect and preserve it, and we make it sustainable for the long term.”

Madkour tells the room that his publication was criticized by some attendees for putting Campbell on the agenda — offering him equal footing as Charlie Baker and conference commissioners.

“We thought he was an important voice to be heard,” Madkour says.

Campbell steps down from the stage and wades through a line of people who wait to shake his hand or pass him a business card. The conference commissioners — all of whom except Petitti were in town for the conference — didn’t stick around to listen to him speak. They didn’t really have to. Believe him or not, Cody Campbell is inside the tent now. His voice is unavoidable.

ESPN researcher John Mastroberardino contributed to this story.



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How Texas Tech football assembled a Big 12 champion, CFP team

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Dec. 29, 2025, 4:07 a.m. CT

Take a breath, because we’re almost to the Orange Bowl.

A lot has happened in the last 13 months or so for the Texas Tech football team. The Red Raiders got new coordinators on offense and defense, completely changed the program’s perception through its use of the transfer portal and NIL war chest, sat through eight-plus months of hyperbole and lip service, and, finally, made it all worthwhile with the Big 12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.



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