The spring transfer portal window closed on Friday and nearly all of the major transfer news has been announced. Which programs have helped themselves the most this spring? Take a look at which teams were winners this spring in the transfer portal.
MORE: Former Nebraska TE Arik Gilbert lands at Savannah State
MORE TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer Team Ranking | Football Player Ranking
GEORGIA
Each of the players Georgia lost this spring were expected, which made the program's additions all the more important. On Easter Sunday, the Bulldogs landed commitments from edge defender Elo Modozie, defensive tackle Joshua Horton and running back Josh McCray.
Modozie from Army was one of the most coveted defensive players to hit the portal this spring. He should see a lot of playing time this fall. Horton, who left Miami after two seasons, should be able to find his place in the rotation along the defensive line. The addition of McCray is important and should fill the void left by Branson Robinson.
Georgia also signed offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn from UCF.
LSU
The Tigers have put together one of the very best transfer classes in the nation and did not lose a single player to the transfer portal this spring. Instead, head coach Brian Kelly and company added to their roster in the form of standout defensive tackle Bernard Gooden. The former South Florida defensive tackle plays a priority position for LSU and the Tigers quickly targeted him once he hit the transfer portal. His first visit was to Baton Rouge and the Tigers did not let him leave without committing.
Gooden is joining Jack Pyburn, Patrick Payton, Jimari Butler and Sydir Mitchell as part of LSU’s defensive line haul this transfer cycle.
MIAMI
The spring transfer window didn’t start off great for the Hurricanes but they bounced back when they were able to get receiver Ny Carr to withdraw from the portal. After that Miami had a string of successes, beginning with a commitment from former BYU All-American return man Keelan Marion.
The Canes were also able to sign former Texas kicker Bert Auburn, linebacker Kamal Bonner from NC State and receiver Tony Johnson from Cincinnati.
Miami is still a contender for some of the portal’s top remaining players as well.
NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels didn’t make it a secret that they would be active in the spring transfer window and they lived up to their word. Despite losing a few notable players in April, North Carolina did address a few key positions.
First thing head coach Bill Belichick did when the portal opened was sign South Alabama standout quarterback Gio Lopez. Former Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor, who transferred to Missouri earlier this year, jumped onboard next along with wide receiver Adrian Wilson, who signed with Colorado in December as part of the Buffs' 2025 recruiting class.
North Carolina also prioritized additions along both lines of scrimmage, adding multiple offensive and defensive linemen.
OHIO STATE
The national champs didn’t have a problem retaining their players this spring and they were still able to add a pair of players at important positions. Their most significant addition was former North Carolina standout Beau Atkinson. The edge defender, who has two years of eligibility remaining, logged more than 600 snaps, 39 quarterback pressures, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles over his first two collegiate seasons. Atkinson’s skill set and production are a great fit at a position of need for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes also signed former West Virginia offensive lineman Justin Terry, who has four years of eligibility remaining.
OKLAHOMA
The spring transfer window went much better for the Sooners than the winter window did. Once the window opened, Oklahoma quickly signed the spring’s top available running back in former Cal star Jaydn Ott and coveted offensive lineman Jake Maikkula from Stanford.
Those two signings were two of the biggest in the country this spring. Ott and Maikkula figure to be big parts of Oklahoma’s revamped offense this coming season.
OKLAHOMA STATE
Head coach Mike Gundy and the Cowboys were a near constant presence in the spring transfer window. For a while it seemed like Oklahoma State was signing a player every day. The Cowboys brought in reinforcements at nearly every position on both sides of the ball.
Two big wins for Oklahoma State this spring were the signings of edge defender Wendell Gregory and offensive lineman Bob Schick. Gregory is a redshirt freshman with a ton of upside and Schick is an experienced offensive lineman with a versatile skill set.
Oklahoma State’s spring signees number went well into the double-digits and it did not have any major losses.
PENN STATE
Forget the couple of players Penn State lost this spring because Nittany Lions fans had only one thing on their minds this portal season: Get a dynamic receiver. Head coach James Franklin and company did about as well as they could have hoped for by signing former Syracuse star Trebor Pena.
As one of the top receivers in the ACC last season, Pena accounted for 941 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 84 receptions. He has one year of eligibility remaining and he’s hoping to make the most of it at Penn State, which has championship aspirations.
PURDUE
Head coach Barry Odom and his staff are working on flipping Purdue’s roster and they weren’t shy about bringing in transfers this spring. The Boilermakers focused on adding players in the defensive front seven, on the offensive line, at wide receiver and quarterback.
Ryan Browne found his way back to West Lafayette after transferring to North Carolina earlier this cycle. Former Georgia receivers Nitro Tuggle and Michael Jackson III are just two of the four receivers Purdue added this spring.
Also from Georgia, the Boilermakers picked up Marques Easley along with a few other offensive linemen. Defensively, Purdue added Sanders Ellis, Ian Jeffries, Breylon Charles and Chalil Cummings.
TEXAS
The Longhorns entered the spring transfer season with receiver, defensive tackle, tight end and kicker as their top priorities and they didn’t mess around making sure they addressed each of those positions as best as they possibly could.
Former Stanford receiver Emmett Mosley was the first to jump onboard this spring. The standout sophomore should thrive in his role with Texas. Former Cal tight end Jack Endries has the interest of many in the NFL and he’s set to use his last two years of eligibility in Austin.
To bring in help at defensive tackle, Texas had to fight off North Carolina to sign Lavon Johnson out of Maryland. The Horns also had to beat Ohio State, Georgia and others to the punch to get former Syracuse standout freshman Maraad Watson on campus first and ultimately sign him.
TEXAS TECH
Continuing on trend from earlier this transfer cycle, the Red Raiders made a few splashes this spring transfer window without losing very much at all. The spring transfer window really kicked off when Texas Tech signed highly regarded Stanford edge defender David Bailey.
The program addressed the offensive line by signing impressive young center from Colorado Cash Cleveland. The dramatic exit of former five-star recruit Micah Hudson in the winter was certainly memorable, but the two sides were able to seemingly make amends and Hudson returned to Lubbock after a brief stop at Texas A&M. Texas Tech brought in another receiver as well, Roy Alexander, from Incarnate Word.
UCLA
It’s hard to imagine there being a bigger winner this spring than UCLA. By bringing No. 1 overall transfer prospect Nico Iamaleava home to Los Angeles, the Bruins have set themselves up to have one the most talented quarterback rooms in the nation.
Not only does UCLA have its unquestioned “QB1” for at least the next year, the Bruins also picked up Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s younger brother, who should be able to step in once Nico is gone.
The Bruins were also able to sign one of the most promising young running backs in college football. Jaivian Thomas is making his way down the coast from Cal to be the lead running back for UCLA.
The UCLA secondary also got reinforcements in the form of Jamier Johnson from Indiana and Rodrick Pleasant from Oregon.
USC
The only loss the Trojans suffered was edge defender Lorenzo Cowan, who ended up at Kentucky. Head coach Lincoln Riley and company landed two defenders who have very high ceilings. The first was safety Kennedy Urlacher, the son of NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. The former Notre Dame defensive back made quick work of his transfer process before announcing for USC.
A couple of days later, USC officially signed former Penn State linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson, who was primed to play a lot this season for the Nittany Lions. The Trojans also added some help at receiver in former Utah standout Zacharyus Williams, who was very likely the top receiving prospect on the Utes' roster.
