The NCAA Transfer Portal is officially open and players wasted no time, with over 2,000 players officially entering the portal within the first 12 hours of its opening, per On3’s Pete Nakos.
NEW: Over 2000 College Football players have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in less than 12 hours, @PeteNakos reports🤯https://t.co/U31NaOwVgy https://t.co/9vkvc1QraM pic.twitter.com/B8dzxJu8OY
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— On3 (@On3sports) January 2, 2026
They were officially allowed to join at midnight, with some of the top players being Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt, Florida QB DJ Lagway and Louisville RB Isaac Brown.
Last season’s transfer portal saw over 4,000 players enter in total, a mark that might be surpassed within the next week.
As NIL deals continue to make a larger impact on players decisions, teams like James Madison have lost all 11 of their offensive starters due to graduation or the transfer portal.
Ultimately, the volume of players looking to leave their team is accelerating rapidly as players gain more control over their collegiate career.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
