The 2026 NCAA transfer portal has opened for all college football players seeking different surroundings. The portal opened on Friday and will remain so until Jan. 16.

Over 3,000 college football players have chosen to transfer to new programs for the 2026 season. While the headlines have focused on quarterbacks in the 2026 transfer portal cycle, many important offensive skill players are also on the move across the college football landscape.

The most important of these offensive skill players in the transfer portal is former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder was recruited by Hugh Freeze to Auburn in the Tigers’ 2024 recruiting class. Coleman appeared in 10 games during his freshman season, grabbing 37 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He was voted to the SEC All-Freshman Team by his coaches that season.

Coleman saw an increase in production with the Tigers in the 2025 season. He made 56 catches for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns. Auburn finished the season 5-7, and Freeze was let go following the Tigers’ home loss to Kentucky.

Auburn hired former USF head coach Alex Golesh as its next head coach in late November. Coleman is one of a bevy of players from Auburn’s 2025 roster who have entered the transfer portal following Golesh’s hiring.

Coleman was a consensus five-star prospect in his initial recruitment to Auburn, ranking as the No. 2 receiver in the class of 2024. As a transfer, Coleman has the No. 1 overall ranking of receivers in the 2026 portal cycle.

While Coleman has been linked to several major programs in college football and will likely receive considerable compensation at his next stop, NIL packages are not among his top priorities in the portal. Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Coleman is visiting a handful of Power Four programs but is not likely to make a decision solely based on monetary value.

“There is confidence in multiple camps that they can offer the best opportunity for Coleman,” Nakos said. “Money is not going to be the deciding factor in this recruitment, even though sources have said his deal could be in the $2 million range.”

Texas A&M was the first of a trio of visits Coleman had set in the portal. He was committed to the Aggies for four months before flipping to Auburn on Early Signing Day in the 2024 recruitment cycle. Additional visits include stops at Texas Tech and USC, a pair of programs looking to stock up on wide receivers after losses in the offseason.

Sign up for The Agenda, Them’s news and politics newsletter, delivered Thursdays.

A far-right political action committee claims to have collected enough signatures to put a school-specific transgender sports ban involving genital inspections onto the Washington state ballot.

On January 3, the right-wing group Let’s Go Washington announced that it had collected 445,187 signatures in support of IL26-638, an initiative seeking to amend Washington law and school district policies in order to bar trans girls from competing in girls’ sports. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association currently permits trans students to play sports that align with their gender identity.

Should IL26-638 go into effect, student athletes hoping to compete in girls’ sports would be required to medically verify their sex assigned at birth based on “the student’s reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels.” In other words, to play girls’ sports, student athletes, many of whom are minors, could be subjected to blood tests or invasive genital exams.

As journalist Erin Reed notes in her newsletter Erin in the Morning, if Let’s Go Washington’s signatures are certified, Washington state legislators can either pass the initiative as written, reject it, or propose an alternative. If they reject the initiative, it will appear on the state ballot during the 2026 midterms on November 3. If they propose an alternative, then both IL26-638 and the alternative will appear on the Washington state ballot.

Even if the initiative passed, it could still face significant challenges at the state level. Washington’s state anti-discrimination law, the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of “gender expression or identity.”

Outside of IL26-638, Let’s Go Washington also claimed to have gathered enough signatures for another initiative, IL26-001, which would force school personnel to out trans public school students in Washington state. As Reed points out, although a version of this bill previously made it onto the state ballot and was passed by the Washington State Legislature, its language was ultimately watered down so as to not mandate the outing of trans students.

Washington is far from the first state in which right-wing figures have attempted to introduce sex testing measures. Last February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a state district court to issue a temporary injunction requiring the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to conduct sex screenings on athletes competing in women’s sports, despite the NCAA already banning trans women from participating.

On the national level, more sweeping trans sports bans have faltered, in part because of the invasive sex testing that they could have necessitated. In March 2025, Senate Democrats unanimously blocked the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which would’ve banned federally funded schools from allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports. As the Congressional Equality Caucus noted at the time, the bill could’ve pushed “any student to answer invasive personal questions about their bodies & face humiliating physical inspections to ‘prove’ that they’re a girl.”

A 2020 Human Rights Watch report on sex testing in international sports concluded that such tests “violate fundamental rights to privacy and dignity.” The report found that sports governing bodies that implement sex testing create “environments that coerce some women into invasive and unnecessary medical interventions as a condition to compete in certain events.”

IL26-638’s emphasis on athletes medically verifying their “endogenously produced testosterone levels” could also perpetuate a larger racist trend of cisgender Black female athletes being targeted and even disqualified from sporting events due to not meeting arbitrary hormone requirements. In 2020, for example, World Athletics banned South African track gold medalist Caster Semenya from competing in the 800-meter race because her natural testosterone levels exceeded the maximum level allowed for that distance.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.

GREEN RIVER — Save The Date Floral has spread its roots to Green River with the opening of Aspen and Willow Floral Studio, a full-service flower shop that has fresh floral arrangements and a personal story of love and loss.

Owner Tracy Hafner, who opened Aspen and Willow in late 2025, is no stranger to small business ownership. She also operates Save The Date Floral in Rock Springs, which offers similar products and services. Although the two shops are separate businesses with different websites, Hafner refers to them as sister stores that share a commitment to quality and community.

With 35 years of experience in the floral industry, Hafner opened Aspen and Willow after receiving requests from Green River residents for another local flower shop. The business, located in the former Rose Floral building, has already garnered positive feedback from the community.

Advertisement – Story continues below…

“We’ve had very good responses on our Facebook posts, and many Green River residents are excited to have us here,” Hafner said. “The support has been overwhelming.”

Hafner is also dedicated to giving back to the community. She supports local youth sports leagues, including hockey, baseball, and softball, as well as other small businesses.

“We want to be good stewards of the community,” Hafner said.

As Aspen and Willow continues to grow, Hafner plans to expand services, including floral arranging classes for residents interested in learning the art of flower design. She also hopes to hire additional staff to assist with operations.

The name Aspen and Willow is a tribute to Hafner’s late husband, who passed away in April 2024. The name honors their childhood memories of playing in aspen trees and willows, serving as a lasting homage to her husband’s memory.

Aspen and Willow is located at 2 East Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The NCAA transfer portal and the allowance of players to be paid for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) are undoubtedly the biggest driving forces behind the changes in college football.

The era of players waiting their turn at one school to play, or certain programs building dynasties off of being the best at paying players under the table, is no more. Now, programs that can get donors to scrounge together the most cash are in prime position to contend, which has led to new-age powerhouses like Indiana, Texas Tech and Ole Miss emerging.

With the NCAA transfer portal opening on Jan. 2, there have already been over 4,000 entries, but not every player will be getting the big bucks. The caliber at the top of the portal is as high as we have ever seen it, and some of college football’s most valuable players have found, or are in the process of looking for a new landing spot.

That said, let’s take a look at the players in the NCAA transfer portal with some of the highest NIL valuations, according to On3.

Byrum Brown (Auburn via USF)

To the surprise of no one, Byrum Brown followed his head coach, Alex Golesh, to Auburn. The 6-foot-3 dual-threat quarterback threw for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 more scores en route to leading the Bulls to a 9-3 regular season record.

NIL Valuation: $1.6 million

Beau Pribula (Missouri), Cam Coleman (Auburn), Cutter Boley (ASU via Kentucky)

The Missouri Tigers lost their star quarterback, who led them to a 6-1 start to the season, in what was really his first chance to start. Unfortunately an injury derailed his season and their momentum, but Pribula is still viewed as a high-end starter in college football.

As for Cam Coleman, the now-former Auburn wide receiver is due for a massive payday. Some reports have revealed he could earn as much as $2 million. He is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, and very well could move up this list.

A Kentucky native, Boley impressed as the starting quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats this season. He replaced Zach Calzada as the starter after two games, throwing for 2,160 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while completing 65.8% of his passes. While there was obvious room for improvement, he steps into an Arizona State situation where he will be throwing to Colorado wide receiver transfer Omarion Miller and playing for one of the best offensive minds in the country, Kenny Dillingham.

NIL Valuation: $1.8

Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), DJ Lagway (Florida), Josh Hoover (Indiana via TCU)

Dylan Raiola was tabbed as the quarterback who would bring Nebraska back to prominence, but instead, his season was ended early due to an injury, and the writing was on the wall that he was leaving. Matt Rhule fired his uncle from the coaching staff, and his younger brother, who is a 2026 quarterback recruit, backed off his pledge. Raiola may not be an elite-tier quarterback, but he has a big arm and some creativity that could make him an intriguing add.

Similar to Raiola, who was also a five-star with plenty of hype, injuries plagued DJ Lagway at Florida. In his first full year as the starter, Lagway threw for 2,264 yards with 16 touchdowns and a brutal 14 picks. His spring camp saw him throwing at a limited capacity, and he also dealt with various other knicks along the way.

Josh Hoover will enter the 2026 season as college football’s leading returning passer, accumulating 9,629 yards at TCU. He will look to keep the hype train going at Indiana, as he is set to replace projected No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.

NIL Valuation: $2 million

Drew Mestemaker (OK State via UNT)

If you love an underdog story, you’ll love Drew Mestemaker’s journey. He went from not starting a varsity game at quarterback in high school to leading college football in passing yards with 4,379. While he likely could have gone to any school he wanted, he decided to follow North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.

NIL Valuation: $2.3 million

Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)

The biggest domino that has yet to fall in the transfer portal is Leavitt, who is expected to command a massive payday in the portal. His numbers weren’t as eye-popping as 2024 when he led the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff, but his dual-threat ability and elite ceiling has some of the biggest programs in the country knocking on his door.

NIL Valuation: $3.1 million

Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech via Cincinnati)

Brendan Sorsby changed the trajectory of his career with the season he had in 2025. The former Indiana quarterback threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns, while throwing just five picks. He also added nine more touchdowns on the ground, and is an early contender for the top spot in next year’s draft. Going to Texas Tech not only put him on a title contender, but earned him what reports are calling a $5 million payday.

NIL Valuation $3.3 million

GRAND FORKS – Grand Forks County commissioners on Tuesday approved a new position for the Regional Youth Assessment Center, though the topic prompted discussion on whether other entities that utilize the YAC should contribute funds to the facility.

The additional full-time staff position at the YAC was included as part of the county’s 2026 budget to address the state’s desire for more full-time positions at the facility. The vote on Monday was to approve an employee status form related to the position.

Commissioner Terry Bjerke expressed concern over approving the position, however, largely because of the already high expenditures from the department compared to its revenue. He said expenses are approximately $2 million, while revenue is a little over $600,000. He added he would prefer if some of the cost of the position was covered by YAC partners, like the state.

“As far as I’m concerned, if they want to hire another person there to take care of all this, I’m more than willing to take the check from the state to pay for it,” he said. “I don’t think it should come from the county taxpayers.”

The documents included in the meeting’s agenda do not include a salary for the added YAC position.

Commissioner Cynthia Pic pointed out it would be difficult for the commission to deny the employee status form because the position was already approved in the 2026 budget.

“A majority of the adolescents that are served in our Youth Assessment Center are citizens from Grand Forks County,” she said.

County Administrator Tom Ford said Robin Spain, YAC administrator, has already hired someone to fill the new position.

The vote to approve the status change passed 4-1, with Bjerke dissenting. Other commissioners said they were open to discussing possible negotiations for more funding from the state or other YAC partners.

In related business, Director of Facilities Bill Gerszewski and Sheriff Andy Schneider shared the status of the new sheriff’s office building, including some repair items that still need to be completed by the building contractor, Heartland Acres Development.

“Some of them have been met, Of 19 items that I had, we are solid with six completed,” Gerszewski said.

Most of the fixes, Gerszewski and Schneider said, that still need to be done are for bigger or more difficult problems, like a roof leak. Schneider added the contractor has been keeping up with more regular maintenance.

Schneider also said he is unsure if the sheriff’s office was able to make requests for maintenance on certain issues because the county is only leasing the building right now.

“We can make a request for certain things to be changed, but if they weren’t part of a (request for proposal) or if they’re not really impacting overall business, can we really request that at this time?” he said.

Bjerke suggested discussing how long the county plans to lease the building with Heartland Acres, saying leasing it for longer than necessary was “money going down the drain.” According to the lease agreement, rent on the building is $519,000 a year with an additional cost of $12,000 a year for maintenance.

The lease also includes an option for purchasing the building as soon as five years after it went into effect, though Schneider said he would like his department to spend more time in the building,

which it moved into in June,

before considering an eventual purchase.

“I’d like to at least see two years out of the place before we’re talking about buying it,” he said. “That’s just me personally.”

In other news, the commission:

• Approved designating State’s Attorney Haley Wamstad as parliamentarian and adopting Roberts Rules of Order.
• Approved designating Alerus Bank, Choice Bank and Old National Bank as depositories.
• Heard from Grand Forks County Water Resource District Chairman Bob Drees about the usage of the county’s public campgrounds in 2025. He said there are plans to raise camping fees for 2026 to help offset operating expenses.
• Approved reappointing Kayla Hochstetler and JoNell Bakke to the Grand Forks Human Service Zone Board.
• Approved reappointing Sam Landman to the Grand Forks County Weed Board.
• Approved awarding a $272,445 contract to High Point Networks to perform network equipment upgrades throughout county buildings. The project is being funded with a $386,000 cybersecurity grant.
• Denied approving Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Dec. 26 as paid holidays for county staff. The agenda item was introduced by Pic. The vote failed 1-4, with Bjerke, Mark Rustad, Bob Rost and Kimberly Hagen dissenting.
• Approved a supplementary agreement for the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office’s lease with Heartland Acres Development for the correctional center. The agreement reflects that the county paid off the remaining balance for accessories to the building, like fencing.
• Received correspondence from the Eagles 4-H Club thanking the commission for sponsoring the club’s 4-H awards.
• Received correspondence from Houston Engineering Inc. about a proposed roadway improvement project at the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and North Columbia Road. The project is being done between the city of Grand Forks, the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The engineering firm requested comments from the county on the project in case it would affect any properties or proposed developments from the county.

Playing in the consolation championship at the 17th Annual Tom Kleist Fourth-Grade Christmas Tournament on Dec. 28, Christ the King-White (CK) defeated Southwest 14-12 in a thriller. The CK roster includes Arlo Borjas (5 rebounds, 2 steals), Ryan Shields (steal), Liam Alvarado, Lucas Rodenberg (4 points, 10 rebounds, steal), Christopher Jensen, Teddy McClelland (10 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks), Leo Antonelli (4 rebounds), Brian Cook, Henry Jurewitch (steal) and Jack Gallagher (2 rebounds, steal) and Coaches Jack Danaher and Buzz McClelland. The Southwest roster includes Liam Kilstrom (2 points, steal), Grayson Daly, Wally Doran (2 points, steal), Noah Beninato (2 rebounds), Sammy Wrenn (steal), Kenny Roe (7 rebounds), Sam Colomb (3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, block), Hayden Bixler, Emmett Avros (2 rebounds, steal) and Bobby Goyke (5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) and Coaches Nick Roe, Adam Goyke and Dan Colomb. (Review photo)