Best college football transfer portal addition for top 25 teams - ESPN

The 2025 season offered the ultimate proof that elite portal recruiting can put a program in national championship contention. Miami, Ole Miss and Oregon reached the College Football Playoff semifinals thanks in part to all their success recruiting top transfer talent. But they couldn't stop an undefeated Indiana squad, one powered by a Heisman Trophy winner and 16 more starters brought in via the portal.

Now that the offseason transfer window has officially closed with more than 3,200 FBS scholarship players making moves in January, here's a look at the key portal pickups to know for each Way-Too-Early Top 25 team.

2025 record: 16-0, 9-0 Big Ten

Top portal addition: Josh Hoover, QB, TCU

Hoover gives the Hoosiers an extremely qualified successor to Heisman winner and projected No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza. He's a 31-game starter whose 9,629 career passing yards and 71 passing touchdowns rank first among all FBS passers who are officially returning in 2026. Hoover was previously committed to the Hoosiers as a high school recruit in 2021. Now he's finally making the move to Bloomington to team up with receivers Charlie Becker and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh for another high-scoring passing attack. Hoover will have an opportunity to continue an incredible run of quarterback production under coach Curt Cignetti and his staff, with five of their QBs earning conference Offensive Player of the Year honors since 2019.

2025 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

Top portal addition: Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn

The Longhorns were not messing around in January when it came to pursuing the top playmakers in the transfer portal. They won a fierce recruiting battle against Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Alabama for Coleman, the No. 2 player in