All-Conference standout defensive back enters college football transfer portal

A defensive player with triple-digit tackles over the last two seasons is expected to come available in a very active college football transfer portal market heading into 2026.

East Carolina defensive back Ja’Marley Riddle is planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal to find a new school for next season, according to On3 Sports.

Two very productive seasons on the field in the Group of Five ranks should put Riddle on the short list for several Power Four programs in the market for a dominant pass defender.

Riddle was a first-team All-American Conference this past season after recording 70 combined tackles with four tackles for loss for the Pirates in 2025.

He led East Carolina in total tackles recorded, in addition to interceptions, passes broken up, and was tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries starting all 12 games.

Playing in 18 of 25 possible games over the last two seasons, Riddle has totaled 133 combined stops while intercepting six passes and breaking up 10 other throws in coverage for the Pirates.

A former three-star prospect, Riddle was considered a top 150 ranked safety and player from the state of Georgia, according to a consensus of the national recruiting services.

How the college football transfer portal works

College football’s transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, but that hasn’t stopped a flurry of players from entering their names for consideration at a new school right now.

The new 15-day transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16 and the elimination of the spring transfer period has condensed the timeline for players and programs to make their moves.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

A player can enter their name into the transfer portal through their school's compliance office.

Once a player gives written notification of their intent to transfer, the office puts the player's name into the database, and they officially become a transfer.

The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player's request and NCAA rules forbid anyone from refusing that request.

The database includes the player's name, contact information, info on whether the player was on scholarship, and if he is a graduate student.

Once a player's name appears in the transfer portal database, other schools are free to contact the player, who can change his mind at any point in the process and withdraw from the transfer portal.

Notably, once a player enters the portal, his school no longer has to honor the athletic scholarship it gave him.

And if that player decides to leave the portal and return to his original school, the school doesn't have to give him another scholarship.

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