Major college football program loses 41 players to transfer portal

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino argues a call during the second quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The January portal window (standard Jan. 2–16, plus the additional five-day window for teams still playing) produced historic churn across college football.

Programs across the country experienced unusually large exoduses tied to midseason firings and coaching turnover, with several Power conference teams losing dozens of players.

This cycle has quickly become one of the busiest on record, and Arkansas sits near the top of that list.

The Razorbacks finished the 2025 season 2–10 overall and 0–8 in SEC play, ending last in the conference. The collapse prompted a midseason coaching change, as six-year head coach Sam Pittman was fired on Sept. 28, 2025.

Since the regular season ended and the January window opened, 247Sports’ tracker lists 41 Arkansas players entering the transfer portal, including key contributors along both lines of scrimmage and at multiple skill positions.

Among the most notable departures are former four-star recruit Keyshawn Blackstock, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class, starting offensive tackle and Arkansas native E’Marion Harris, and four-star transfer defensive lineman Ian Geffrard.

The Razorbacks also saw two quarterbacks (Grayson Wilson, Trevor Jackson), two running backs (AJ Green, Rodney Hill), and six wide receivers (Ja’Kayden Ferguson, Kam Shanks, Krosse Johnson, Zach Taylor, Andy Jean, Jace Petty) enter the portal, significantly depleting offensive depth heading into 2026.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Ryan Silverfield during his introductory press conference at Frank Broyles Center. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Ryan Silverfield is a veteran offensive-line coach turned head coach who was hired by Arkansas on Nov. 30, 2025, after six seasons leading Memphis.

He took over the Tigers program in December 2019 following Mike Norvell’s departure to Florida State and compiled a 50–24 record, guiding Memphis to four bowl victories, the most by any head coach in program history.

Silverfield’s rapid internal rise at Memphis, combined with two TSWA Coach of the Year honors, back-to-back double-digit win seasons, and a reputation as a strong recruiter and offensive-line developer, made him a logical choice to stabilize Arkansas after Pittman’s firing.

Now, his first major test arrives immediately.

Replacing 41 outgoing transfers in the SEC leaves little margin for error. Silverfield must restock the offensive and defensive lines, reinforce skill positions, and rebuild depth while accelerating roster chemistry ahead of fall camp.

As of this writing, Arkansas has added 42 incoming transfers, highlighted by offensive tackle Bryant Williams (Louisiana), linebacker Khmori House (North Carolina), and cornerback Jaheim Johnson (Tulane). Whether it translates to competitiveness in 2026 will depend on how quickly those pieces coalesce in the nation’s most unforgiving conference.

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