Transfer portal rankings 2025: Updated list of best college football players by position

The 2024 college football season may have slowed down, as most teams across the country have shifted into bowl and playoff mode. 

But one thing that is heating up every day is the college football transfer portal. The official transfer portal window opened on Monday, Dec. 9, and will close on Dec. 28. The transfer portal has become a vital tool in college football recruiting, especially in 2024. Coaches across the county use both the portal and recruiting classes to build their rosters every season. 

Let's run through the top list of college football transfer portal players and see which guys can make immediate impacts at their schools.

MORE CFB: Transfer portal QB tracker | Bill Belichick rumors tracker

Transfer portal rankings 2025: Top players available

While this list is subjective, we'll use 247Sports' rankings as a guide.

1. John Mateer, QB, Washington State: Mateer is one of the biggest names in the portal so far. In his first season starting for the Cougars, he threw for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

• Landing spot: Mateer verbally committed to Oklahoma, a huge get for head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners' offense for 2025. He is originally from Little Elm, Texas.

2. Luke Kromenhoek, QB, Florida State: Florida State switched between quarterbacks DJ Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn, and true freshman Luke Kromenhoek this year. In six games during Florida State's 2-10 season, Kromenhoek threw for 502 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, rushing for 113 yards. A 4-star recruit, Kromenhoek was the No. 5 ranked signal-caller from the class of 2024, per 247Sports. 

• Landing spot: He has committed to Mississippi State. 

3. Eric Singleton Jr., WR, Georgia Tech: Singleton had an outstanding first two seasons at Georgia Tech. He started playing as a true freshman and combined for 1,468 yards receiving with nine touchdowns over his past two seasons. 

• Landing spot: Singleton signed with the Auburn Tigers on Dec. 23.  

4. Zachariah Branch,  WR, USC: Branch is another huge name to enter the portal. The sophomore receiver has been playing meaningful snaps since his true freshman season at USC in 2023. Over two seasons, the former 5-star prospect has 78 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns. He is also dynamic on special teams, getting a combined 58 returns for 953 yards and two touchdowns on punt and kick returns over two seasons.  

• Possible landing spot: A number of power-conference schools will be surely recruiting Branch hard, so every major school is considered to be in-play. It'll be interesting to see if the Las Vegas native decides to stay on the West Coast.   

5. Duce Robinson, WR, USC: Robinson was the nation's No. 1 overall tight end form the class of 2023. As a receiver over the last two seasons at USC, he had 39 receptions for 747 yards and seven touchdowns. 

• Landing spot: Robinson has committed to Florida State. 

6. Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE, Nebraska: Princewill is the younger brother of former Florida and Ole Miss defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen. He spent the past two seasons at Nebraska, where he racked up 35 total tackles with eight for loss, including 1.5 sacks. 

• Landing spot: He has committed to Ole Miss, following his older brother's footsteps. 

7. Patrick Payton, DL, Florida State: Patrick Payton has been a consistent starter at Florida State for the last three seasons, even as a true freshman in 2022. The former 4-star recruiting prospect has 109 total tackles, 16 sacks and three forced fumbles throughout his career. 

• Landing spot: Payton has committed to LSU. 

8. Dane Key, WR, Kentucky: Key was a bright spot during a tough year for the Wildcats, who finished 4-8 on the season. Key put up the best numbers of his career, getting 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns.  

• Landing spot: Key has committed to Nebraska.

9. Nic Anderson, WR, Oklahoma: Anderson had an unfortunate start to 2024, playing in just one game before suffering a season-ending quad injury. He had a breakout season for the Sooners in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, making 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns, which was second on the team. 

• Landing spot: Anderson has committed to LSU. 

10. Hunter Zambrano, IOL, Illinois State: Zambrano spent the past four seasons at Illinois State, making 23 starts from 2021-23. He suffered a season-ending hip injury early in the 2024 season. 

• Landing spot: Zambrano verbally committed to Texas Tech on Wednesday. 

11. KC Concepcion, WR, NC State: Concepcion had a breakout season as a true freshman at NC State, accounting for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns. His numbers dipped a bit this year, getting just 53 receptions for 460 yards and six scores. 

• Possible landing spot: Concepcion has been targeted by Alabama and Texas A&M early, but Bill Belichick and UNC are reportedly in the mix.     

12. Fernando Mendoza, Cal: TheMendoza has been the Bears' starter for the last two seasons. So far in his career, he's thrown for 4,712 yards with 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. 

• Landing spot: Mendoza has reportedly committed to Indiana on Dec. 24. This season, Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti led Indiana to an 11-1 season and playoff berth with transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke. 

13. Maalik Murphy, QB, Duke: Murphy started his career at Texas from 2022-23, making two starts for the Longhorns in 2023. He threw for 477 yards three touchdowns and an interception. Following his transfer to Duke last offseason, he threw for 2,933 yards with 26 touchdowns —a Duke school record— and 12 interceptions. 

• Landing spot: Murphy reportedly committed to Oregon State on Dec. 19.

14. Patrick Kutas, IOL, Arkansas: Kutas started in 13 games over two seasons for the Razorbacks, where he signed in 2022. 

• Landing spot: Kutas has committed to Ole Miss. 

15. Jaheim Oatis, DL, Alabama: Over his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa from 2022-23, Oatis accounted for 55 total tackles, including 16 for loss. Early this season, Oatis dealt with numerous injuries and didn't see much playing time, prompting him to opt out of the season and enter the portal in early October. 

• Landing spot: Oatis committed to Colorado on Dec. 16, a huge get for Deion Sanders' defensive line. 

16. Micah Hudson, WR, Texas Tech: Despite being a former 5-star recruiting prospect and the nation's No. 4 overall wideout for 2024, Hudson didn't see the field much this year in Lubbock. He finished with just eight receptions for 123 yards.  

• Landing spot: Hudson verbally committed to Texas A&M on Sunday. 

17. Williams Nwaneri, EDGE, Missouri: Williams was a highly-touted recruit from the class of 2024. A former 5-star prospect, he was the No. 1 overall defensive lineman prospect in his class. He played in just two games for Missouri this season, getting two total tackles and a sack. 

• Landing spot: Nwaneri has verbally committed to Nebraska.  

18. Barion Brown, WR, Kentucky: Over the past three seasons for the Wildcats, Brown had accounted for 1,528 yards with 11 touchdowns, averaging 12.5 yards per catch. 

• Landing spot: Brown verbally committed to LSU on Saturday.

19. Bear Alexander, DL, USC: Alexander is on the move again, starting his career at Georgia in 2022 and winning a national title with the Dawgs that season. He transferred to USC before the 2023 season and had 48 total tackles with 1.5 sacks last year. After playing in three games for USC this season, he decided to take a redshirt and enter the transfer portal. 

• Landing spot: Alexander has verbally committed to Oregon. 

20. Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M: Weigman is one of the more talented signal-callers in this year's transfer portal class. He was a five-star QB prospect from the class of 2022, signing with Jimbo Fisher's No. 1 overall recruiting class. Although he has dealt with some injuries during his career, he's thrown for 2,694 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over the past three seasons.

• Landing spot: Weigman verbally committed to Houston. 

DECOURCY: Timing of transfer portal is just cost of doing business in new era

Transfer portal rankings 2025 by position

Quarterbacks 

1. John Mateer, Washington State to Oklahoma
2. Luke Kromenhoek, Florida State
3. Fernando Mendoza, Cal to Indiana  
4. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M to Houston 
5. Maalik Murphy, Duke to Oregon State  
6. Miller Moss, USC   

Wide Receivers

1. Eric Singleton, Georgia Tech to Auburn
2. Zachariah Branch, USC
3. Duce Robinson, USC to LSU
4. Dane Key, Kentucky to Nebraska 
5. KC Concepcion, NC State

Running backs 

1. Wayshawn Parker, Washington State 
2. Ahmad Jeanty, ULM 
3. Fluff Bothwell, South Alabama
4. Malachai Hosley, Pennsylvania 
5. Quinten Joyner, USC

Tight ends 

1. Max Klare, Purdue to Ohio State
2. Luke Hasz, Arkansas
3. Tanner Koziol, Ball State
4. Bauer Sharp, Oklahoma 
5. Colin Weber, Charlotte

Offensive tackles 

1. Corey Robinson II, Georgia Tech
2. Carver Willis, Kansas State 
3. Ethan Onianwa, Rice
4. Derek Simmons, Western Carolina 
5. Gunnar Hansen, Vanderbilt 

Interior offensive lineman

1. Hunter Zambrano, Illinois State to Texas Tech
2. Patrick Kutas, Arkansas to Ole Miss 
3. Jordan White, Liberty 
4. Braelin Moore, Virginia Tech
5. Josh Thompson, Northwestern 

Defensive linemen

1. Jaheim Oats, Alabama to Colorado
2. Patrick Payton, Florida State to LSU
3. Bear Alexander, USC to Oregon
4. Keeshawn Silver, Kentucky 
5. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Texas A&M 

EDGE rushers

1. Princewill Umanmielen, Nebraska to Ole Miss
2. Amaris Williams, Auburn
3. Williams Nwaneri, Missouri 
4. James Williams, Nebraska 
5. Kameron Olds, Kent State 

Defensive backs 

1. Julian Humphrey, Georgia 
2. Dillion Thieneman, Purdue
3. Brice Pollock, Mississippi State 
4. Zechariah Poyser, Jacksonville State 
5. Ja'Leem Jackson, Florida 

Linebackers

1. Amare Campbell, North Carolina 
2. Bangally Kamara, South Carolina (transferred to Kansas) 
3. Josiah Trotter, West Virginia 
4. Byrun Parham, Washington 
5. Andrew Jones, Grambling State 

Punters/Kickers 

TBD