For the second time in as many seasons since the College Football Playoff adopted its current 12-team format, the national championship game featured two teams with offenses led by transfer quarterbacks. This time, it was Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza against Miami (Fla.)’s Carson Beck. Last year, following the 2024 season, it was Will Howard from Ohio State against Riley Leonard from Duke. All of them were one-time rentals who became legends; none of them were the top-ranked quarterback in the portal.
The media outlets and websites that create exhaustive rankings of transfers each winter have, in many respects, a thankless job. Folks who work there are trying to blend production with potential, outdated high school recruiting profiles with what could be massive jumps in competition from smaller schools to blue bloods. It’s as inexact as science gets, no matter how much effort the people behind such rankings apply.
With so many unknowns that can unfold between the time players commit to their new school and the season itself, the only accurate summation of how impactful a potential transfer really was comes at the end, when all the games have been played.
That said, here are the 10 transfers who wound up having the largest influence on this year’s national title race.
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Transferred from: BYU
Portal ranking: No. 79 overall, No. 16 WR
Final stats: 57 catches, 746 yards, 2 TDs
When Marion committed to Miami after earlier stints at BYU and UConn, he was known more for his prowess as a kick returner than a receiver. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns with the Cougars in 2024 — tied for first nationally — but had never amassed more than 474 receiving yards in a single season. With the Hurricanes, however, Marion blossomed into the team’s No. 2 receiver alongside freshman sensation Malachi Toney. He played the best game of his career in the CFP semifinals against Ole Miss by hauling in seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown to lead Miami in all three categories. For Marion to more than double his single-season best in receptions speaks to how impactful he was for the Hurricanes this season.
Transferred from: NC State
Portal ranking: No. 18 overall, No. 5 WR
Final stats: 61 catches, 919 yards, 9 TDs
Though he was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school, Concepcion quickly opened eyes on the national level in 2023 by recording 71 receptions for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn ACC Rookie of the Year honors at NC State. He struggled to match that production as a sophomore before entering the transfer portal, but Concepcion returned to form in his first season with the Aggies alongside quarterback Marcel Reed. He scored at least one touchdown in eight of his team’s 13 games and never recorded fewer than three receptions in a single outing. When Texas A&M desperately needed him in a furious second-half comeback against South Carolina, which led 30-3 at the break, Concepcion made seven receptions for a season-high 158 yards.
Transferred from: Maryland
Portal ranking: No. 236 overall, No. 15 RB
Final stats: 230 carries for 1,120 yards and 7 TDs
Hemby established himself as one of the best young players in the Big Ten when he carried 188 times for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman at Maryland in 2022. He struggled to replicate that success in subsequent seasons until transferring to Indiana, where Hemby and fellow tailback Kaelon Black both topped 1,000 yards for a rushing offense that averaged 212.9 yards per game. Though Hemby only contributed two 100-yard games this season — the opener against Old Dominion and a late November win over Purdue — Hemby’s average of 4.9 yards per carry was his highest in the last three seasons. In a reflection of how much trust Hemby earned from the coaches, he carried the ball at least 17 times in each of Indiana’s CFP games.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Transferred from: Missouri
Portal ranking: No. 277 overall, No. 18 RB
Final stats: 306 carries for 1,567 yards and 24 TDs
What an incredible evaluation this was by then-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and the offensive staff to identify Lacy as a potential lead back. A blue-chip recruit coming out of high school, Lacy only carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards and zero touchdowns during his freshman year at Missouri before entering the portal, with most of that production coming against inferior competition in non-conference matchups. However, Lacy exploded into a bona fide star with the Rebels by posting seven 100-yard games while finishing third nationally in rushing yards and second nationally in rushing touchdowns. He performed exceptionally well in the CFP by carrying 33 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns — plus an additional receiving score — in games against No. 3 Georgia and No. 10 Miami.
Transferred from: Notre Dame
Portal ranking: No. 138 overall, No. 9 IOL
Final stats: 0 sacks and 10 pressures allowed in 1,027 snaps
For an offensive lineman to be named Offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl underscored just how critical Coogan’s presence was to the Hoosiers this season. He infused an already veteran group with the experience and maturity gleaned from reaching the national championship game with Notre Dame in 2024, even though the Fighting Irish had fallen short to Ohio State. As Indiana’s starting center, Coogan anchored a high-flying unit that finished third nationally in scoring at 41.6 points per game and housed the eventual Heisman Trophy winner in Mendoza. It was Coogan who threw a diving block for Mendoza on the game-changing fourth-and-4 scramble that produced an unforgettable 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Miami. He’ll be remembered as an Indiana legend.
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Transferred from: Auburn
Portal rating: No. 715 general, No. 85 CB
Last stats: 64 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF, 2 TDs
What an unimaginable ascent this has been for Scott, whose profession started on the group faculty degree in Utah earlier than an up-and-down stint at Auburn and — in the end — a revelatory marketing campaign with the Hurricanes. Deployed by defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman on the nickel/slot place the place he typically lurked close to the road of scrimmage, Scott morphed into one among Miami’s most devastating blitzers and led the nation in each quarterback pressures (20) and sacks (5.0) amongst cornerbacks, per Professional Soccer Focus. His instinctive pick-six within the second quarter towards No. 2 Ohio State within the CFP quarterfinals might be remembered for years to return, blasting by way of a would-be display screen to snare the go from Julian Sayin and outrace everybody to the top zone. Scott ought to have an extended NFL future forward of him.
(Photograph by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)
Transferred from: Stanford
Portal rating: No. 12 general, No. 3 edge
Last stats: 81 pressures, 14.5 sacks, 3 FF
Was there a greater go rusher in faculty soccer this season than Bailey? The Pink Raiders and basic supervisor James Blanchard reportedly splashed a number of million {dollars} in NIL cash to land Bailey from Stanford, the place he tallied 14.5 sacks over the earlier three seasons mixed. Bailey and fellow switch edge rusher Romello Top, beforehand of Georgia Tech, fashioned probably the most fearsome edge-rushing tandems in faculty soccer for a protection that completed third nationally in scoring (11.8 factors per recreation) and third general (258.3 yards per recreation). Bailey additionally ended the 12 months tied with Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker for probably the most sacks whereas ending second in quarterback pressures behind Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr. With out Bailey, it feels unlikely that Texas Tech would have received the Massive 12 championship and made the primary CFP look in class historical past.
Transferred from: Georgia
Portal rating: No. 4 general, No. 2 QB
Last stats: 338 for 467 (72.4%) for 3,813 yards, 30 TDs, 12 INTs
Detractors will ding Beck for ending his profession with back-to-back seasons that includes 12 interceptions, the final of which sealed Miami’s destiny towards Indiana earlier this week. They’ll additionally knock him for a 72.4% completion fee that was inflated by scores of display screen passes, verify downs and quick throws close to the road of scrimmage. Nonetheless, Beck completed one thing that a whole lot of different quarterbacks failed to do that season: get their staff to the nationwide championship recreation. The poise, toughness, unselfishness and well timed working skill he flashed in wins over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss helped clarify why so many inside the Miami locker room revered him. Beck greater than validated the choice by head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson to make him a high-priced focus of the Hurricanes’ offense.
Transferred from: Ferris State (D-II)
Portal rating: No. 843 general, No. 60 QB
Last stats: 294 for 445 (66.1%) for 3,937 yards, 22 TDs, 3 INTs
Had Ole Miss completed the job towards Miami to succeed in the nationwide championship recreation, Chambliss may be even larger on this listing — particularly contemplating the staff’s CFP run got here with out Kiffin, who had already accepted a brand new job at SEC rival LSU, and with a number of extra distracted workers members. Initially dropped at Ole Miss as backup, Chambliss grew to become nothing wanting a revelation when he changed injured starter Austin Simmons early within the season. He might throw it (eight 300-yard video games), he might run it (527 speeding yards and eight touchdowns) and he might escape stress in ways in which evoked comparisons to former Texas A&M wunderkind Johnny Manziel, a Heisman Trophy winner. If Chambliss prevails in his ongoing authorized quest for an additional 12 months of eligibility, the Rebels may have a great opportunity to succeed in the CFP for a second consecutive season.
(Photograph by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Pictures)
Transferred from: Cal
Portal rating: No. 22 general, No. 4 QB
Last stats: 273 of 379 (72%) for 3,535 yards, 41 TDs, 6 INTs
Who else might occupy the highest spot? Round this time final 12 months, Mendoza, a former two-star recruit, was wrapping up a profitable stint at Cal and on the lookout for the prospect to hone his expertise on a much bigger stage than the ACC might provide. Think about telling him then that the long run would come with a Heisman Trophy, a Massive Ten championship, the primary nationwide championship in Indiana historical past, the game’s first undefeated season since Yale in 1894 and an NFL Draft profile so flawless that he’ll seemingly turn into the No. 1 general choose in a couple of quick months. It’s exhausting to think about the Hoosiers getting a greater return on funding than that. Simply because it’s exhausting to think about Mendoza conjuring something greater than what he gave Indiana this season. A exceptional participant and a exceptional run.
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