All-American RB Ranked No. 1 Transfer Portal Running Back in College Football

A running back at a Power Four program has been ranked as the No. 1 running back in the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle.

North Texas Mean Green running back Caleb Hawkins (24) celebrates his touchdown against the Army Black Knights | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The mass migration across college football created by the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle wrapped up in the two weeks after the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff.

Thousands of college football players participated in the 2026 cycle, many of whom left one Power Four school for another. However, some transfers going to Power Four schools are coming from lower levels of college football and hoping to showcase themselves to larger audiences.

One player looking to elevate from the Group of Five to Power Four ranks in the 2026 portal cycle was former North Texas running back Caleb Hawkins, who transferred to Oklahoma State. He will have three seasons of eligibility with the Cowboys.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder was a three-star prospect in North Texas' 2025 signing class. In one season with the Mean Green, Hawkins ran for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns while catching 32 passes for another 270 yards and four touchdowns.

Hawkins ran for over 100 yards in six of North Texas' 14 games, going out with a season-high of 198 yards in the Mean Green's New Mexico Bowl victory over San Diego State.

North Texas Mean Green running back Caleb Hawkins (24) runs for a touchdown against the Army Black Knights | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Hawkins was a part of a season that saw North Texas win 12 games and appear in the AAC Championship game, the Mean Green's first appearance in a conference championship since 2022 and best overall record in program history. He was named AAC Rookie of the Year and All-AAC First Team.

Pro Football Focus released rankings of the 10 best running backs in the 2026 portal cycle on Tuesday. Hawkins received the No. 1 grade among running back transfers with a 92.6. His grade was considerably higher than the No. 2 running back on the list, which was Cam Edwards of Michigan State with an 86.4.

Highest Graded Transfer Running Backs This Offseason🔁 pic.twitter.com/YgRSreBhZm

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 10, 2026

Hawkins is one part of a mass migration from North Texas to Oklahoma State that was spurred by head coach Eric Morris accepting the vacancy left by Mike Gundy's termination.

Morris brought with him offensive coordinator Sean Brophy and quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led all of FBS in passing yards in 2025. Of the 53 transfers Oklahoma State acquired in the 2026 portal cycle, 16 are players from the 2025 North Texas roster.

247Sports ranks the 2026 Oklahoma State transfer portal class as the No. 7 class nationally. The mark is the best among Big 12 teams, outranking even the biggest of NIL spenders in Texas Tech (No. 10) this offseason.