Top 5 Big 12 college football transfer portal additions

The Big 12 did not have a team alive in the College Football Playoffs when the NCAA Transfer Portal opened on January 2, and that meant the conference was able to hit the ground running. The willingness of teams like Texas Tech to spend big in the portal has made the Big 12 one of the more popular destinations in the opening week.

The current transfer portal window, which will stay open until January 16, is the only opportunity this off-season for players not exempt because of specific circumstances to transfer to another program. Over 4,000 names were entered into the Transfer Portal in the first week that it was open. While most of those players remain available, several big names are already off the board. Here is a look at the biggest additions for Big 12 schools after the first week of the Portal being open.

1. QB Brendan Sorsby - Texas Tech

Brendan Sorsby has plenty to look forward to after signing a hefty NIL deal to join Texas Tech for the upcoming season. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Texas Tech is once again making big waves in the Portal, following a stellar 2025 campaign in which they finished 12-2, finally falling to Oregon in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on New Year’s Day. Joey McGuire and his staff got to work immediately re-stocking the cupboard for a 2026 encore, and the guy they had to have right off the bat was Cincinnati quarterback transfer Brendan Sorsby.

This past season, Sorsby had a 27-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio for the Bearcats, both numbers ranking 16th best in all of college football despite Cincinnati going just 7-5 on the season. As soon as Sorsby announced he was going in, schools in need of a quarterback were moving him to the top of their boards, but with an NIL deal reported to be worth more than $5 million, Texas Tech earned his services for next season.

2. QB Drew Mestemaker - Oklahoma State

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is following his head coach to Oklahoma State after leading North Texas to a 12-2 season. — Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is following his head coach to Oklahoma State after leading North Texas to a 12-2 season this past fall. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is giving Texas Tech a run for its money, both figuratively and literally, in the Transfer Portal this cycle. After Texas Tech gave a massive payday to Sorsby, Oklahoma State reportedly bested that, at least from a total dollars standpoint, to land North Texas transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led all of the Football Bowl Subdivision with 4,379 passing yards this past season.

The issue isn’t that Mestemaker is not worth the investment. Oklahoma State, after all, may have been the worst Power 4 team in college football this past season, going 1-11 and firing head coach Mike Gundy. The Cowboys then went out and hired North Texas head coach Eric Morris to replace Gundy after the Mean Green’s impressive 12-2 season, and now Morris’ quarterback will be following him to Stillwater, attempting to recreate the magic of their 2025 campaign.

3. QB DJ Lagway - Baylor

Baylor won the race for former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway, who was the starter in each of his two seasons at Florida. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Quarterback is a theme in the first week of the Portal for the Big 12 Conference. Sorsby, Mestemaker and former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway are three of the best quarterbacks to enter the Portal this session, and now all three will be playing in the Big 12. The NIL market is skyrocketing for players in this cycle, led by these Big 12 Conference programs who are paying big dollars to land their quarterbacks for next season.

Baylor landed the commitment of the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Lagway on Thursday, January 8. Lagway did not have the success of either of the aforementioned passers this past season, but the former five-star has a sky high ceiling and is looking for the right place to reach his potential. A starter in each of his first two seasons at Florida, Lagway has completed 62% of his passes for 4,179 yards and 28 touchdowns against 23 interceptions.

4. WR Omarion Miller - Arizona State

New Arizona State WR Omarion Miller caught 45 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns this past season at Colorado. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Wide receiver Omarion Miller went to Colorado as one of the Buffaloes’ top prospects in the 2023 recruiting class, ranking as a Top 100 prospect. In three seasons under Deion Sanders, Miller caught 66 passes for 1,258 yards and ten touchdowns, but the bulk of that production happened this past season when the 6-foot-2, 210-pound wideout also earned second team all-Big 12 accolades.

After a short stint in the transfer portal, Miller decided to stay in the Big 12, joining Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State squad for the 2026 season. Although he has just one year of eligibility left, Miller will be a welcomed addition to an Arizona State offense that will be breaking in a new quarterback next season after Sam Leavitt’s decision to enter the Transfer Portal.

RB Caleb Hawkins - Oklahoma State

Caleb Hawkins ranked third in FBS nationally in total yards from scrimmage as a true freshman this past season. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State has landed one of the best quarterbacks in the Transfer Portal, and is also bringing in one of the top running backs available in this portal session after running back Caleb Hawkins also decided to follow head coach Eric Morris from North Texas to Stillwater. This is more than a coach bringing over a player he knows fits his scheme; Hawkins was a bona fide breakout college football star in 2025.

A three-star prospect coming from North Rock Creek High School in Shawnee, Okla., Hawkins did not waste time making his impact felt on the collegiate level, emerging as the Mean Green’s starting tailback as a true freshman this past season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound back rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for another 370 yards and four more scores in his first collegiate season.