No. 2 RB in Transfer Portal Expected to Breakout With Major College Football Team

The second-best running back in the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle is expected to break out at his next school.

UConn running back Cam Edwards (0) runs the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

A record-breaking cycle of movement in college football caused by the NCAA transfer portal wrapped up near the end of January.

Between the end of the 2025 regular season and the last day of the two-week window for players to enter the portal, thousands of players from across the country decided to search for new schools. The goal for many in this search was to land in a place where they could showcase their talents to larger fan bases.

Such was the case for former UConn running back Cam Edwards, who committed to Michigan State. He will have one season of eligibility remaining with the Spartans.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder elected to stay in his home state to begin his college football career, committing to the 2022 UConn signing class. Edwards used a redshirt in 2022, only appearing in one game all season.

Edwards took over as the Huskies' leading rusher in 2023. He carried the ball 123 times for 618 yards and four touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 132 yards and another touchdown. He ran for over 100 yards in UConn's games against South Florida and UMass.

The production increased for Edwards in 2024. He ran for 830 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 13 passes for 148 yards and two more touchdowns. He eclipsed 100 yards rushing twice in Connecticut's 9-4 season; once in the game at Duke on Sept. 14 and again in the season finale at UMass.

UConn Huskies running back Cam Edwards (0) runs the ball against the Air Force Falcons | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Edwards rushed for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 187 yards and another touchdown in 2025. He was named to the Group of Five All-America Third Team by HERO Sports at the end of the 2025 season.

At the end of the 2025 regular season, Huskies head coach Jim Mora Jr. decided to take the vacancy left by Jay Norvell at Colorado State. Edwards was among the 44 players who entered the portal following Mora's announcement, although he was not among the large group who migrated with Mora from Storrs to Fort Collins.

Edwards' constant progression in his time at UConn has many excited about his potential at Michigan State. Pro Football Focus graded Edwards as the second-best running back in the 2026 portal cycle, slotting him behind only Caleb Hawkins of Oklahoma State.

Cam Edwards could be in for a breakout season in 2026 👀

- Transferred from UConn to Michigan State
- No 2. RB in the Transfer Portal, per @PFF_College
- Forced 49 missed tackles in 2025

2025 stats:
1,427 Scrimmage yards
16 TDs
0 Fumbles pic.twitter.com/L8n2l1STER

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) February 16, 2026

Michigan State acquired 26 players from the portal amid its regime change from Jonathan Smith to Pat Fitzgerald. Edwards was one of two running backs the Spartans acquired; the other was former Iowa running back Jaziun Patterson.

The running backs were not an overly productive position group for Michigan State in 2025. Brandon Tullis is the Spartans' top returning rusher in 2026, finishing 2025 with 301 yards and four touchdowns on 69 carries. Makhi Frazier, Michigan State's top rusher from 2025, transferred to Ole Miss while Elijah Tau-Toliver, its second-leading rusher, exhausted his eligibility.

UConn running back Cam Edwards (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Army Black Knights during the first half of the Fenway Bowl | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

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