How Utah football's transfer portal class stacks up against the rest of the Big 12

A look at how the Big 12 has fared in the transfer portal so far

The Utah Utes have been active in the transfer portal since their 2025 season ended. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

No two college football teams are created the same way in the transfer portal and NIL era.

Roster flexibility, resources, staff changes and financial stability are just a few factors that are baked into how a program might approach acquiring players on the open market, though they're hardly the same at every school given the sport's ever-shifting balance of power.

Take that all into account when looking at the sheer size of some teams' portal classes in comparison to others.

Take, for example, Utah: The Utes have signed 14 players via the portal compared to their 20 departures. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has signed 54 players to help make up for its 64 departures.

Not every transfer class is created equal, though that doesn't stop the major recruiting services from putting out national and conference-based rankings of each team's batch of newcomers.

Before looking at how the Big 12 stacks up in the rankings, some house-keeping:

• "Blue-chippers" refers to any four- or five-star transfer
• The "total commits" might be slightly inaccurate; not all transfers are in 247Sports' database, though most of them are included

With that, let's take a look at how 247Sports views the Big 12 through the lens of each teams' incoming transfer class.

Big 12 Transfer Portal Rankings

According to 247Sports

1. Oklahoma State

First-year Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris. | DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

National rank: No. 6
Total commits: 54
Blue-chippers: 5
Highest rated transfer: QB Drew Mestemaker (5-star, No. 3 overall player)

With over 50 transfer signees and 64 players leaving via the portal, the Cowboys have experienced more roster turnover than other team in the country this offseason, giving first-year head coach Eric Morris a clean slate to work with as he tries to turn around a program that went winless (0-9) in league play in 2025.

2. Texas Tech

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

National rank: No. 8
Total commits: 20
Blue-chippers: 5
Highest rated transfer: QB Brendan Sorsby (5-star, No. 2 overall player)

There aren't many programs with deeper pockets than Texas Tech, which signed a pair of top-10 transfers in quarterback Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati) and the No. 10 player available on the open market, defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba (Wake Forest).

3. Arizona State

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 14
Total commits: 24
Blue-chippers: 3
Highest rated transfer: WR Omarion Miller (4-star, No. 13 overall player)

The Sun Devils lost a lot of star power to the portal, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (LSU) and running back Raleek Brown (Texas), but were able to surround their future signal-caller with a couple of talented wide receivers in Omarion Miller (Colorado) and Reed Harris (Boston College).

4. Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 22
Total commits: 42
Blue-chippers: 3
Highest rated transfer: WR DeAndre Moore Jr. (4-star, No. 20 overall player)

The loss of Omarion Miller has been cushioned by the acquisition of DeAndre Moore (Texas), a former four-star recruit in the 2023 class who spent the past three seasons racking up nearly 1,000 career receiving yards for the Longhorns. Deion Sanders also reeled in a couple of talented players on the defensive side of the ball in safety Boo Carter (Tennessee) and linebacker Liona Lefau (Texas).

5. Baylor

Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 33
Total commits: 27
Blue-chippers: 1
Highest rated transfer: QB DJ Lagway (4-star, No. 14 overall player)

The Bears replace potential NFL draftee Sawyer Robertson with another highly-touted quarterback in DJ Lagway (Florida), a former five-star recruit who arrives to Waco, Texas, following a 14-interception season with the Gators. That said, it'll be interesting to see if Lagway turns it around for Baylor in 2026.

6. Kansas State

First-year Kansas State Wildcats head coach Collin Klein. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

National rank: No. 38
Total commits: 25
Blue-chippers: 1
Highest rated transfer: DE Wendell Gregory (4-star, No. 71 overall player)

The Wildcats lost a fair amount of depth in the trenches, including edge rushers Tobi Osunsanmi (Indiana) and Jayshawn Ross (undecided). Landing a signature from 6-foot-3, 255 pound Oklahoma State transfer Wendell Gregory, who finished No. 5 in the Big 12 in tackles for loss last season (12) as a sophomore, helped soften the blow.

7. BYU

BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 41
Total commits: 9
Blue-chippers: 2
Highest rated transfer: LB Cade Uluave (4-star, No. 64 overall player)

The Cougars didn't need to be as active in the portal considering they'd lost 13 players to it while it was open, though Kalani Sitake and company still reeled in a top-50 class headlined by a couple of blue-chippers in linebacker Cade Uluave (Cal) and tight end Walker Lyons (USC).

8. Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 42
Total commits: 20
Blue-chippers: 1
Highest rated transfer: WR Cade Wolford (4-star, No. 149 overall player)

Losing Brendan Sorsby to an in-conference school and watching several of his weapons at wide receiver find opportunities elsewhere put the Bearcats in a position to retool their offense for 2026. Snagging one of the top wide receivers in the Mid-American Conference set a solid foundation for Cincinnati's transfer class.

9. Utah

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 45
Total commits: 14
Blue-chippers: 1
Highest rated transfer: WR Braden Pegan (4-star, No. 94 overall player)

The Utes watched a handful of impactful players from last season's 11-2 squad follow Kyle Whittingham to Michigan once the portal opened, including stud freshman wide receiver JJ Buchanan. As such, Utah picked up one of the Mountain West's most productive pass-catchers in Braden Pegan (Utah State), who enjoyed a career year in Logan, Utah, under former Aggies and current Utes offensive coordinator, Kevin McGiven.

10. Houston

Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 46
Total commits: 17
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: RB Makhi Hughes (3-star, No. 211 overall player)

The Cougars swapped out J'Marion Burnette (Appalachian State) with former Tulane star running back Makhi Hughes, who spent the past season serving in a minimal role at Oregon. Hughes racked 2,779 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns during his two seasons with the Green Wave, earning first-team All-AAC in 2023 and 2024.

11. Arizona

Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 48
Total commits: 21
Blue-chippers: 1
Highest rated transfer: TE Cole Rusk (4-star, No. 115 overall player)

Arizona brought in one of the top tight ends available on the open market in Cole Rusk (Illinois) and acquired a solid cornerback in Daylen Austin (Oregon). With veteran quarterback Noah Fifita returning to school for a fifth season, the Wildcats have continuity and experience heading into Brent Brennan's third season at the helm.

12. Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

National rank: 49
Total commits: 30
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: RB Dylan Edwards (3-star, No. 173 overall player)

The Jayhawks needed to replenish their backfield after losing their top two rushers in Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams to graduation. As it turned out, Lance Leipold's staff didn't have to leave the state to find a solid replacement in soon-to-be senior tailback Dylan Edwards (Kansas State).

13. West Virginia

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 52
Total commits: 33
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: RB Cam Cook (3-star, No. 298 overall player)

The Mountaineers haven't landed a transfer ranked higher than a 3-star, though they've signed one of the most exciting players in all of college football in star running back Cam Cook (Jacksonville State). The former TCU transfer led the nation with 1,659 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, averaging an efficient 5.1 yards per carry on 295 attempts.

14. Iowa State

First-year Iowa State Cyclones head coach Jimmy Rogers. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

National rank: No. 58
Total commits: 44
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: DE Isaac Terrell (3-star, No. 428 overall player)

Any Utah fans upset about Michigan getting all the Utes' top transfer players should be thankful Whittingham's departure didn't result in a mass exodus like Matt Campbell leaving Iowa State for Penn State created in Ames, Iowa. A total of 22 former Cyclones decided to join Campbell in State College, Pennsylvania, after the transfer portal opened, creating a lot of holes for first-year Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers to fill over the offseason.

15. UCF

UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 60
Total commits: 29
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: RB Duke Watson (3-star, No. 299 overall player)

It'll be interesting to see who leads the Knights from under center in 2026. With Tayven Jackson and Cam Fancher out of eligibility, plus Jaccuri Brown and Davi Belfort in the portal, Brock Hansel is the only returning quarterback for UCF in 2026. As such, Scott Frost and company went out and grabbed three signal-callers from the portal, including former James Madison starter, Alonza Barnett III.

16. TCU

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

National rank: No. 63
Total commits: 12
Blue-chippers: 0
Highest rated transfer: IOL Noah McKinney (3-star, No. 159 overall player)

The Horned Frogs lost starting quarterback Josh Hoover (Indiana) and brought in his potential replacement in soon-to-be senior Jaden Craig (Harvard). The 6-foot-2 New Jersey native transferred to TCU after completing 61.5% of his passes for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns (seven interceptions as well) for a Crimson team that advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs this past season.