The coaching carousel and NCAA transfer portal; where worlds collide.

A record number of coaching changes across the FBS has impacted the number of players searching for new homes this offseason. The portal was going to fill up regardless, but firings and hirings around the country have sped up the process, creating some surprises along the way.

The Big Ten has been at the forefront of some major coaching decisions. Four programs in the conference (Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, UCLA) fired their head coaches. Another job opened after Iowa State’s Matt Campbell jumped into the opening at Penn State.

In the case of the Michigan State Spartans, the program has struggled to find stability since Mark Dantonio retired following the 2019 campaign.

The Spartans are onto their third head coach in the last five years, bringing in former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace the struggling Jonathan Smith.

Since moving on from Smith in late November, 12 players have announced plans to transfer from the program, including a few key names. Check out the full list below, per On3’s transfer tracker.

12 Players (And Counting) From Michigan State To Enter Transfer Portal

There are a few big losses to note for Michigan State, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

On Monday, junior quarterback Aidan Chiles became one of the latest players to depart from Michigan State. Chiles followed Smith from Oregon State and started for the majority of the last two seasons before losing his job late in 2025.

A two-time team captain, Chiles completed 192-of-323 passes for 2,415 yards with 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions this season. He added 225 yards and 3 more scores on the ground.

Running back Makhi Frazier and wide receiver Nick Marsh are two other Spartans searching for a fresh start.

Frazier led the team in rushing this fall, accumulating 116 times for 520 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Marsh was the top pass-catcher on the Spartans, recording 59 catches for 662 yards and 6 touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-Big 10 honors. He’s totaled 1,311 yards and 9 scores in 23 games, meaning he should be a coveted option in the portal.

Fitzgerald will have his work cut out for him to rebuild Michigan State into a conference championship contender.

The Spartans have compiled a 31-37 overall record since 2020. 11 of those victories came in 2021, the only season in which Michigan State has finished with a winning record in that stretch.

Read more on College Football HQ

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• Paul Finebaum urges to cut specific programs from College Football Playoff

• Major college football program loses 15 players to transfer portal after 2025 season

It seems you can leave a program bound for the College Football Playoff without burning bridges.

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is set to join the SEC as the coach of the Florida Gators following the Green Wave’s CFP run, which begins with a road game against Ole Miss, but he seems to be handling the exit in a way that hasn’t created bad blood with his former school.

Sumrall and his family further solidified that on Monday as Tulane announced a $100,000 donation from Sumrall to the Green Wave Talent Fund, an institutional organization that raises money for NIL for Tulane athletics. Sumrall is “paying it forward” to the next head coach, Will Hall, a former head coach at Southern Miss who was a member of Sumrall’s staff this season.

With the Miami Dolphins playing on Monday Night Football, the Manning Cast brought out special guest Jason Taylor. Naturally, the conversation of college football came up since Taylor is preparing for a College Football Playoff game with Miami. Eli Manning is set to watch his alma mater participate. But Peyton?

“Peyton, I’m sorry you can’t participate this year,” Taylor said. “But the games are televised. If you don’t know what channels it’s on, I’ll make sure I send it to you.”

Here is an easy way to help out the elder Manning. Miami is set to take on Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon, getting the noon ET kickoff from Kyle Field. ESPN will have the broadcast, being one of two first-round games between power conference opponents.

Miami got into the 12-team field this year on Selection Sunday, sending shockwaves through the sport. Notre Dame was left out, seeing the results of the Week 1 head-to-head matchup.

The Hurricanes will be relying on Taylor’s unit to perform well against the Texas A&M offensive line. Certainly a key area to watch, possibly deciding who heads to Arlington for a quarterfinal showdown vs. Ohio State. Taylor made sure to let Manning and other Tennessee fans out there of that.

Eli Manning asks Jason Taylor to take it easy on Ole Miss in hypothetical national championship

The discussion around college football began with a hilarious question from Eli Manning. If there was going to be a matchup between Ole Miss and Miami, it would have to take place in the national championship. On different sides of the bracket, Manning and Taylor would be over the moon to make it to Jan. 18.

And if they do, Manning wants to make sure Ole Miss is getting some kind of advantage. He asked Taylor to take it easy on them and not get after quarterback Trinidad Chambliss too hard.

“Do you think, if we go on a little run here and Ole Miss meets Miami in the national championship game, will you go easy on Ole Miss?” Manning asked. “Kind of tell the defensive line to not rush so hard.”

“That is such a loaded question that you know I can’t answer truthfully,” Taylor said. “So, I will say good luck to everybody. But it is all about the U.”

For now, all attention is on the upcoming matchups. As mentioned, Miami is set to travel to the Lone Star State to face Texas A&M. Ole Miss gets a rematch inside its own stadium, welcoming Tulane to Oxford once again.

The University of Georgia Athletic Association (UGAA)’s NIL lawsuit against former linebacker Damon Wilson II, who transferred to Missouri earlier this year, could become a standard type of litigation as more and more athletes sign NIL deals with one school and then transfer to another.

The specific legal dispute is straightforward: UGAA claims that Wilson, 20, breached his NIL contract with Classic City Collective (CCC)—a Georgia-aligned former NIL collective—and failed to pay a liquidated damages provision that was triggered upon breach.

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A four-star recruit from Venice High School (Fla.), Wilson played for the Bulldogs in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and, while on the Tigers in 2025, earned second-team All-SEC recognition as he amassed nine sacks—tied for third-best in the SEC.

According to litigation records at Athens-Clarke County (Ga.) Superior Court, Wilson signed a 13-month, $500,000 NIL deal with CCC on Dec. 21, 2024. The deal runs from Dec. 1, 2024, to Jan. 31, 2026 and was contingent on Wilson being enrolled as a student at Georgia and part of the football team. He was paid $30,000, his first monthly licensing fee payment, on Dec. 25, 2024. UGAA emphasizes that Wilson accepted this payment, meaning the contract went into effect. On Jan. 6, 2025, Wilson announced he was entering the transfer portal, a move that Georgia says constituted a breach of the NIL deal.  About a week later Wilson withdrew from Georgia and began the process of transferring to Missouri. It’s unknown how much money Wilson received to transfer to Missouri.

Georgia moved to close CCC over the summer, when U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval of the House settlement, and has partnered with Learfield on NIL matters. Relevant to the school’s dispute with Wilson, CCC assigned its Wilson contract to UGAA, meaning the athletic association has the legal right to enforce the contract.

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UGAA argues that under the NIL deal’s liquidated damages clause, Wilson, as the licensor, must pay all remaining license fees that would have been payable. The remaining value, according to court filings, is $390,000.

In May, attorney Spence Johnson wrote a demand letter to Wilson on behalf of CCC. The letter told Wilson that while CCC “does not want to unnecessarily undermine your financial future,” CCC also “insists that its student athletes be accountable for promises they make.” Wilson was told he had 14 days to pay or else CCC would “pursue legal action against you based on your breaches” of the NIL deal.

In August, Johnson wrote another letter to Wilson. Johnson said that UGAA had been assigned Wilson’s NIL deal with CCC. The letter indicated Wilson didn’t pay as demanded and that the NIL deal calls for arbitration to resolve disputes. In October, UGAA, through Johnson, filed a lawsuit to compel arbitration, with the complaint stating that Wilson hasn’t responded to demand for arbitration. There is no attorney listed for Wilson and it does not appear from the court docket he has responded to the litigation.

The actual legal controversy—alleged breach of contract—is ordinary, but the circumstances are extraordinary. A university, through its athletic association, is suing a former student athlete who transferred for reneging on his NIL deal.

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A lawsuit like UGAA v. Wilson would have been inconceivable five years ago, but in the new college sports world, it’s the kind of case that could become more common.

Through antitrust litigation and accompanying settlements, college athletes can now transfer without sitting out of sports for a period of time. That approach is consistent with college students in general as they can transfer schools, but typical college students aren’t signing NIL deals.

There’s plenty of money to be made, too, for power conference football players to switch schools. University-aligned NIL collectives can pay athletes, some of whom also stand to benefit from the injunctive relief portion of the House settlement. Participating colleges can directly pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million pegged as the initial annual cap. There are thus three buckets of money for some college athletes: revenue share, NIL deals and athletic scholarships.

And playing in college could become something of a career depending on the ultimate trajectory of antitrust litigation brought by Vanderbilt quarterback and former JUCO transfer Diego Pavia—the runner-up for the 2025 Heisman Trophy—and other seasoned college athletes. They wish to continue playing college football past the NCAA eligibility clock, which limits eligibility to four seasons of intercollegiate competition, including JUCO and D-II play, within a five-year period.

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College sports, at least football at power conference schools, resembles professional sports—except without free agency restrictions and similar player restraints found in the NFL. Those restraints are lawful because the NFL collectively bargains them with the NFL players association. They are thus protected by the non-statutory labor exemption, which reflects U.S. Supreme Court decisions that provide antitrust immunity for bargained rules relating to wages, hours and other working conditions. The non-statutory labor exemption can’t apply in college football because the athletes are, for now at least, not recognized as employees and under labor law only employees can unionize.

Unless and until college football players are recognized as employees who in turn unionize, cases like UGAA v. Wilson could happen again and again. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just a reflection of the chaotic blend of pro and amateur sports known as modern day power conference football.

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In a flurry of movement Monday morning, five different high-level quarterbacks announced their intention to go in the college football transfer portal.

Former five-stars Dylan Raiola and DJ Lagway left Nebraska and Florida, respectively, after two seasons. Aidan Chiles, a former top 60 recruit, opted to depart Michigan State. East Carolina QB Katin Houser decided to make a run back to the Power Four following a breakout season. 

All the while, the portal has new No. 1 player according to Cooper Petagna’s big board at 247Sports: Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, who hopped back into the portal ahead of his final season of college football. 

It was all a bit dizzying. 

The portal doesn’t open for another three weeks, and there are still many high-profile moves expected to occur both within in the quarterback market and apart from it. With that in mind, let’s reset the quarterback landscape, highlighting some of the big names, schools to watch and names we still have on the radar ahead of Jan. 2.

The names atop the QB market

No. 1 Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati: Sorsby finished the year ranked 10th in ESPN’s QBR metric, emerging as one of the truly elite passers in the sport. The two early schools to watch with Sorsby are Indiana and Texas Tech. The Hoosiers are a bit ironic given that’s where Sorsby started his career, exiting Bloomington shortly after Curt Cignetti arrived. The Red Raiders are the local school to have on the radar — if you consider 300 miles of West Texas driving local — and seem to be a strong on-paper fit for the junior passer. Of note with Sorsby: Sources have indicated he still plans to consider the NFL Draft. But those are two schools to know if he does opt to stay in school. 

No. 2 Dylan Raiola, Nebraska: It probably is unsurprising to see Raiola’s name listed here given the lead up the last few weeks. His brother decommitted from Nebraska. The school fired his uncle Donovan, the offensive line coach. CBS Sports reported the split was likely. But the end of the Raiola and Nebraska partnership is still interesting given how much the two sides had invested in each other, including a $3.5 million rev share/NIL package for Raiola. As for what’s next, an early school to keep an eye on is Oregon. The Raiola camp has interest in the Ducks, per sources, and there is a growing industry thought that Oregon QB Dante Moore will end up testing the NFL Draft waters.

No. 3 DJ Lagway, Florida: Unlike the above two situations that had been trending toward a breakup for weeks, the divorce between Lagway and Florida came as somewhat of a surprise Monday. Lagway only decided in recent days he’d move on after his initial meetings with the new Florida staff went poorly, per sources. As for what’s next for the former No. 1 QB prospect in the 2024 class, schools like Baylor, Florida State and Duke (depending on what happens with Darian Mensah) have been brought up per sources along with those like Clemson, LSU and Miami. Of note, Lagway’s dad played at Baylor.

Where will DJ Lagway transfer? Departing Florida QB’s possible destinations include LSU, Miami, Clemson

Cody Nagel

Others we’re watching

Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State: Industry sources have pointed at Leavitt for months as someone who could enter the transfer portal. That seems like a formality at this point after he didn’t attend Arizona State’s year-end banquet and head coach Kenny Dillingham wished him well “in whatever his future may hold,” per 247Sports’ Chris Karpman.

CJ Bailey, QB, NC State: A star sophomore with the Wolfpack, Bailey is a popular rumor for other teams in terms of potential portal candidates. Dave Doeren coming back aids NC State’s chances of keeping Bailey around, but he remains a very hot name in terms of other programs looking at the quarterback market.

Byrum Brown, QB, South Florida: It raised some eyebrows in the industry when Brown opted out of the Cure Bowl. Brown is a senior, but he’s pursing a waiver that is expected to go through. If it does … several schools in the industry are watching Brown and his status. There would be a natural fit at Auburn, where his former South Florida head coach Alex Golseh resides.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas: A breakout star as a redshirt freshman this season, Mestemaker led the FBS with 4,129 passing yards to go along with 31 touchdowns on 70.2% passing. He’s been a name other schools have eyed for months. It’s natural to assume that he’ll follow Eric Morris to Oklahoma State. But Mestemaker is expected to have robust options.

There are several other QBs worth watching over the coming month. Some notable backups like Ohio State’s Lincoln Kienholz and Oregon’s Austin Novasad have decisions to make. There are other very productive Group of Five QBs like Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor or Parker Navarro from Ohio worth keeping track of. There are also a few more established starters who could shake if things become further unsettled at their current situations.

The news keeps coming with three weeks to go. Don’t expect it to stop anytime soon. 

Teams in need

Miami: The Hurricanes are likely to dip into the portal for a third straight offseason in pursuit of a quarterback with Carson Beck’s impending graduation. Though, there is some internal optimism about the development of Emory Williams.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders love backup quarterback Will Hammond, but he tore his ACL in late October. Given that there’s no guarantee of him being ready for next season, Texas Tech is expected to go after a starter-quality passer in the portal. Money tends to be no object in Lubbock.

Indiana: Indiana’s made the playoff in back-to-back years with a transfer quarterback, and it will try to do so a third time in 2026. Expect Indiana to go and get a guy to replace Fernando Mendoza.

LSU: Could it just end up being Trinidad Chambliss? That’s certainly possible if he can secure a waiver. Either way, the Tigers are expected to be in the portal market for a high-level starter, and Lane Kiffin makes the Tigers a super attractive option.

Florida State: There had been some thought that Tommy Castellanos could qualify for an additional season of college football via a waiver. It could still happen, but there’s a good chance of Florida State hopping into the high-end portal quarterback market either way.

That top of the market could grow, too, depending on a few big quarterback decisions. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore could end up going to the draft which would mean Oregon jumping into the fray. The tenor around his situation has shifted in recent weeks with industry sources now considering the NFL a more likely option for Moore.

Auburn will have a decision to make about its 2026 signal-caller. Deuce Knight is a potential superstar and seems to be an ideal on-paper fit for Golesh’s system. Knight has also started just one game. I would expect the Tigers to pursue an experienced option.

Clemson, believe it or not, is also a team to watch in the quarterback market. The Tigers have indicated to agents that quarterback is a potential need this cycle as they replace Cade Klubnik. Whether that’s a high-end starter or someone to compete with Christopher Vizzina remains to be seen.

There are also a lot of other teams expected to go get a guy. Illinois, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Baylor will all likely need starting arms, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech had three members of its football staff recognized by the website FootballScoop.com Monday as Zarnell Fitch was named the publication’s Defensive Line Coach of the Year, while Shiel Wood and C.J. Ah You shared top honors for linebackers.

In total, Texas Tech has claimed three of FootballScoop’s annual coaching awards as Kenny Perry was previously named the Special Teams Coordinator of the Year last week. Wood was also a finalist for the top defensive coordinator in the country for his role in leading one of the top defensive turnarounds in recent history. He is also a finalist this season for the prestigious Broyles Award, which is presented to the nation’s top assistant coach. Fitch was previously a finalist for National Defensive Line Coach of the Year by FootballScoop while at TCU in 2017.  

Texas Tech enters the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl as one of the nation’s top defenses, ranking third in the FBS for scoring at 10.9 points allowed per game and fifth for total defense after giving up only 254.4 yards a contest to this point. The Red Raiders are on pace to record the largest year-to-year improvement in both categories for an FBS team since 2000 after cutting their scoring average by 23.9 points a game from 2024 as well their yards surrendered by an average of 207.1 yards a contest.

Texas Tech is also the FBS leader with 31 takeaways this season thanks in part to one of Wood’s mainstays at linebacker in Jacob Rodriguez. The winner of multiple national awards already, Rodriguez finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after becoming the first player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions in the same season. He contributed to nine takeaways during Big 12 play alone to lead a Red Raider defense that is also the FBS leader at only 68.5 rushing yards allowed per game.

In addition, Texas Tech’s defensive line under Fitch and outside linebacker room under Ah You have been able to get to the quarterback at near record numbers this season to rank among the top defensive fronts in college football. The Red Raiders enter bowl season with 39.0 sacks and 96.0 tackles for loss on the season, ranking fourth in the FBS for both categories.

David Bailey currently ranks second in the FBS with 13.5 sacks this season, earning him first team All-America honors alongside Rodriguez by the Walter Camp Foundation and Associated Press. Defensive linemen A.J. Holmes Jr. and Lee Hunter were also recognized as second and third team All-America selections, respectively, by the Associated Press after helping lead a Red Raider defense that is the highest-graded unit in college football by Pro Football Focus (96.9). Texas Tech is also the publication’s highest-rated defense against the run (96.4) and in pass-rush opportunities (92.1).

Texas Tech have held five of its last six opponents to at least single digits for points en route to a 12-1 record and its first Big 12 title, snapping the single-season school record for wins in the process. The Red Raiders will make their College Football Playoff debut on New Year’s Day against either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madision in the Capital One Orange Bowl.