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College football transfer portal: Sunday's 5 biggest moves

The portal continues to chug along, with Tennessee having an active Sunday among other notable points.
Joe Cox|
Sunday saw Indiana defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler pick his new school.
Sunday saw Indiana defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler pick his new school. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

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Tennessee VolunteersIndiana HoosiersOregon State Beavers

Sunday continued the transfer portal's mojo, with Tennessee making three moves and a national champion defensive lineman finding his new home. While the portal entry is closed for almost all players and February is just around the corner, there's still plenty of activity to log. Here are five big moves from Sunday.

Hosea Wheeler to Baylor

Wheeler was a contributing defensive tackle for Indiana after three seasons at Western Kentucky (and a JUCO season before that). His status isn't certain, but he's likely to gain another year of eligibility through litigation and he's planning to spend it at Baylor.

Wheeler had 31 tackles including four tackles for loss and receovered a pair of fumbles in 2025 at Indiana. The 6'3", 300 pound tackle should see plenty of action at Baylor in 2026.

Ian Duarte to Tennessee

Duarte isn't exactly a household name, but the Idaho State receiver could be a developing player to watch for the Vols. In two years at FCS Idaho State, the 5'10" Duarte caught 93 passes for 925 yards. He also played in the return game at Idaho State.

Duarte is from Idaho, which is likely why the three-star prospect didn't field more attention out of high school from larger programs. But a speedy slot receiver with experience should be right at home for Tennessee in his two remaining years of eligibility.

Drake Martinez to Tennessee

Tennessee nabbed multiple commitments on Sunday and Martinez is another intriguing addition. He's certainly seen enough destinations, starting out at Colorado State, then moving on to McNeese State, Houston Christian, and Tennessee-Martin.

The 6'3". 240 pound senior caught 18 passes for 124 yards in 2025. Tennessee is obviously still beefing up their receiving options, and Martinez is strong enough at 240 pounds to also be a capable blocker. He has one year of eligibility.

Jadais Richard to Tennessee

While Tennessee hit the FCS level for a couple of commits, the Vols also nabbed a defensive back from Miami. Richard spent a year at Vanderbilt, followed by three at Miami. He was making big strides in 2024 before a season-ending injury. In nine games that year, he had 27 tackles and broke up three passes, including an interception.

Richard ended up redshirting in 2025, so he has a season of eligibility remaining and should help shore up Tennessee's secondary in 2026.

AJ Newberry to Oregon State

Newberry spent three seasons at Vanderbilt, but saw his playing time drop in 2025 after a promising 2024 season. He's now headed to Oregon State. The running back had 338 rushing yards and six scores at Vandy, and also caught two more touchdowns. With five touchdowns coming in 2024, he seemed on his way, but ended up getting just 18 carries in 2025.

Oregon State's 1,000 yard back Anthony Hankerson was a senior, so Newberry should join the rotation immediately at OSU and get a chance at more snaps in 2026.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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