The college football transfer portal winter window has come and gone, and over 2,200 players have entered their names into the database.
Rosters across the country have transformed since the end of the 2024 regular season, and the Big 12 is no exception.
The Big 12 has some of the biggest winners and losers of any conference in college football during the winter transfer portal window.
Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from the league:
Winner: Texas Tech
Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders are the biggest and most obvious winners in this transfer portal. After an 8-4 record in the regular season and a third consecutive winning record in conference play, McGuire and his staff have proven they can win. Now, they’ll have to prove that they can win big.
There were questions as to whether they could do that with the roster makeup in 2024, but after perhaps the most impressive portal haul in the country, the expectations in Lubbock are higher than they’ve ever been. In addition to having Behren Morton back for another season, as well as several other key contributors on both sides of the ball, the Red Raiders have pieces back in place, but their newcomers are the reason for the optimism.
Texas Tech hauled in more four-star transfers than the rest of the Big 12 combined, and all seven of them should play key roles for the Red Raiders in 2025. Romello Height (EDGE, Georgia Tech) and Lee Hunter (DL, UCF) will further improve the defensive line, while Howard Sampson (OT, North Carolina) and Hunter Zambrano (IOL, Illinois State) will shore things up on the offensive line. Terrance Carter (TE, ULL), Reggie Virgil (WR, Miami OH), and Quinten Joyner (RB, USC) will give Morton top-tier weapons to work with, and Cole Wisniewski (S, NDSU) and Brice Pollack (CB, Mississippi State) will improve the secondary play. There are difference-makers all over this incoming class of transfers, and it has folks in Lubbock feeling very good about next season.
Loser: Arizona
While they’ve found a way to retain some of their portal entries and have added good players in the cycle, it’s hard to find an explanation to have Arizona be anything other than a loser in the portal madness over the last several weeks.
Among the list of key contributors that walked out of Tuscon in this cycle are Tacario Davis, Gunner Maldonado, Taitai Uiagalelei, Emmanuel Karnley, Keyan Burnett, Jacob Manu, Wendell Moe Jr., and Malachi Riley. That’s no small list of players to account for, especially when you’re coming off a 4-8 season and will have a second-year coach on the hot seat next year.
There were doubters before Brent Brennan coached his first game at Arizona, but after the product he put on the field last season, there will be more detractors than ever. The Wildcats will need to show major improvement on both sides of the ball, but it’s hard to see a world where that’s possible with what they’ve lost in recent weeks, both in terms of talent and volume. Not only have they lost key players, but they’ve also lost 31 total players to the portal – more than any other team in the league and among the most losses of any program in the country.
Winner: Colorado
Colorado’s 2024 season was one of the biggest surprises in college football, but for them to recreate the success they had this year, they’ll have to replace a ton of production on on both sides of the ball. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are among the players headed to the NFL, and several others a graduating and headed out of Boulder.
However, Deion Sanders and Colorado have proven that they can build a winner through the transfer portal and look to be doing that again. The most important addition was Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter, who will serve as the immediate replacement for Sanders. Salter is a proven winner and has drawn comparisons to Jayden Daniels from recruiting analysts in the past, and he should immediately make a difference for the Buffs.
In addition to Salter, the Buffs have added 16 other players in the portal, the highest-rated of them being Jehiem Oatis, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle from Alabama. With a rushing defense that was vastly improved in 2024, the signs are pointing upward for Colorado on that side of the ball. Overall, it appears the Buffs addressed their biggest depth issues and are bringing in pieces in the right places.
Loser: West Virginia
With Rich Rodriguez taking a little bit longer to get things rolling in the transfer portal, it’s fair to assume that this take will be outdated in a few weeks. However, at this point in time, what West Virginia has brought in is hardly offsetting what they lost.
Yes, the additions of Jaylen Henderson (QB, Texas A&M), Ashton Woods (LB, North Carolina), and Johnny Pascuzzi (TE, Iowa) will undoubtedly help the Mountaineers in 2025, but what they lost after Neal Brown’s exit has been a little heavier.
There’s been a host of important players exit from the program in recent weeks, including Kyle Altuner, Hudson Clement, CJ Donaldson, Josiah Trotter, Josiah Jackson, and Trey Lathan. I have little doubt that the Mountaineers will get things right under Rich Rod, but it might take some time. One thing it will definitely take, is more action in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.
Winner: Utah
At first, Utah appeared to be one of the biggest losers in the portal as their exodus right at the end of the season included a lot of crucial depth pieces that were going to play bigger roles in the upcoming season. However, as the Utes stabilized and built out their coaching staff for next season, things got better.
Utah was just fine on the defensive side of the ball in 2024, but the offense was lethargic for most of the year, at best. However, that shouldn’t be an issue in 2025 with Jason Beck now in Salt Lake City. New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier followed Beck to Utah and will give the Utes one of the most explosive athletes in the country in the backfield. Flanking him will be two of the best running backs in the transfer portal, with Wayshawn Parker (Washington State) and NaQuari Rogers (New Mexico).
The Utes also brought in a host of new wide receivers, with Creed Whittemore (Mississippi State) and Otto Tia (Utah State) standing out as the best additions there. Add to that a host of Power Four players in the secondary, defensive line, and offensive line and you’ve got to feel pretty good about things heading into 2025.
