Major college football program ranked No. 1 transfer portal winner

A Power Four college football program has been named the No. 1 transfer portal winner by a media outlet.

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin, left, and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry greet each other at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The last entrants of the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle in college football have decided upon their destinations for next season.

The NCAA transfer portal's two-week window officially opened on Jan. 2 and shut at midnight on Jan. 16. A few thousand entrants comprised the 2026 transfer portal cycle, the majority of which decided to enter the portal before the window opened on Jan. 2.

Now that the movement from the portal has settled down, outlets around the college football media landscape are beginning to assess the performances of programs in the cycle.

Pete Nakos of On3 compiled a list of the biggest winners in the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle on Wednesday. LSU was the first team Nakos named as the biggest winner because of Lane Kiffin's tireless efforts.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin looks on prior to the game against the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"Lane Kiffin held the transfer portal king title at Ole Miss. He hasn't missed a beat since arriving at LSU in December, as LSU has given him the war chest to assemble one of the top portal classes this offseason," Nakos wrote. "He restocked the Tigers' talent pool with three of the top five players in the transfer portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking."

Kiffin was an avid user of the NCAA transfer portal in his six-year tenure at Ole Miss. From 2022 to 2025, the Rebels acquired 99 different players from the NCAA transfer portal, a formula that led to a 40-11 overall record while Kiffin was their coach.

LSU has 40 different players committed to it via the NCAA transfer portal in 2026. Of the 40, defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, linebacker TJ Dottery, offensive lineman Devin Harper and wide receiver Winston Watkins are following Kiffin from Oxford to Baton Rouge.

Kiffin had to work the portal to replace nearly all of LSU's offensive production from 2025. He acquired former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt to start for the Tigers while setting up for the future at the position with Husan Longstreet (USC) and Landen Clark (Elon) coming in as backups.

Perhaps the biggest non-quarterback acquisition Kiffin made in the 2026 portal cycle was that of former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton. The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder was a coveted five-star prospect both out of high school and in the portal as a result of his efforts with the Buffaloes.

Kiffin added offensive skill players such as wide receiver Jayce Brown (Kansas State), wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (Florida), wide receiver Tre' Brown (Old Dominion) and running back Dilin James (Wisconsin) to help surround Leavitt with weapons in 2026.

LSU president Wade Rousse, left, and new head coach Lane Kiffin greet each other | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images