CBS Sports ranks Top-25 transfer players in College Football Playoff

One aspect of the offseason that affects teams and contenders every single year now is the NCAA Transfer Portal. Now, ahead of the College Football Playoff, we can see how some of those additions panned out for programs that made the field based on a recent ranking done by those at CBS Sports.

In an article from Friday, CBS Sports rated the Top-25 transfers across the dozen teams who will be in the CFP. Of them all, Oregon led the way with four names on this list, which tracks as they finished fourth last offseason in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Five other teams then had three apiece, with all of them finishing in the Top-20, including two in the top-five and the one who was ranked as the best portal class in the nation, per that same rating from On3.

And, of the fifteen of them who transferred this last offseason, eleven of them were in the Top-100, including six who were in the Top-10, of On3’s Industry Ranking of 2025’s Top Transfer Portal Players. Ten were then in the Top-10 of their respective position, four of those being the top overall player at their position, in that rating from On3.

Needless to say, players like these are what make this next part of the year so important, with the one-time portal window set to open on January 2nd. Before we get to that part of the calendar, though, let’s take a look at these past transfers who could end up helping a team win a national title this season, as rated by CBS Sports:

1. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

Even in two days of hindsight, this ranking at number one looks even more spot on. That’s as, as of last night, Mendoza, the quarterback of the top-seeded team in the country in the Hoosiers, won the Heisman Trophy, as the first winner of the award in program history up in Bloomington.

A transfer from California, who was the No. 12 overall player and the No. 4 QB in the portal per On3, in his first season with IU, Mendoza has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country with a career season at 71.5% completion for 2,980 yards, a national best of 33 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also rushing for 240 yards and six more scores. Now, after leading them to an undefeated record and a Big Ten Championship, and after hosting the Heisman last night in NYC, Mendoza will lead Indiana, the No. 1 overall seed, into the field in hopes of making more history in the CFP.

2. Texas Tech DE David Bailey

Texas Tech, which had the No. 1 overall class in the portal per On3, had three names on this list just from their defense. Bailey leads that, after being a top-ten overall transfer and the second-best defensive end in the portal at On3, with what he did this season in Lubbock.

Transferring in from Stanford, Bailey had a career-best season with 43 total tackles, with 17.5 being for loss with 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles with one recovery, and a deflection for the Red Raiders. Production like that is a big part of Texas Tech, with them posting a top-five overall defense, having the best season in school history at 12-1, winning the Big 12 Championship, and making their debut in the CFP.

3. Ohio State DB Caleb Downs

Downs has been impactful at Ohio State since his transfer two offseasons ago from Alabama. He now may be part of a national title winner, with the Buckeyes having a chance to go back-to-back in the College Football Playoff.

As an anchor on the backend of their defense, being one of the best players in all of college football, Downs, who received Heisman votes as a safety as well as won the Thorpe Award, has had 60 more tackles, 5.0 being for loss with one sack, with two interceptions and two deflections. That has been part of what has led the top overall defense in the country this season, as Ohio State enters as just a one-loss team to be the No. 2 overall seed in the CFP.

4. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin

Sayin did the exact same thing as Downs, as he transferred two offseasons ago from Alabama, after signing there before the retirement of Nick Saban, to Ohio State. This was his first season as the starter, though, and it has been quite the year he had in Columbus.

Sayin posted a national best in completion rate, and one of the highest all-time, at 78.4% en route to 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Buckeyes, which also had him as a finalist last night for the Heisman Trophy. Now, on one of the best teams in the country, Sayin will attempt to lead Ohio State to a second consecutive national title in the College Football Playoff.

5. Oregon QB Dante Moore

After starting as a freshman at UCLA, Moore transferred two offseasons ago and sat as the backup last year at Oregon. Now, a year later as the starter, that decision has paid off with what he did in Eugene, as he rounds out the top-five here for CBS.

Moore posted 72.5% completion for 2,733 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions for a top-fifteen offense this season for the Ducks. He’ll now lead Oregon, in a very favorable position as the first of the non-bye teams at No. 5 overall, into what could be run of retribution for them after what happened last year in the CFP.

6. Texas A&M DE Cashius Howell

Texas A&M was one of the best defenses in the nation this year when it came to pressures and tackles for loss. Howell was then the biggest part of that effort in what was his second season in College Station after originally transferring from Bowling Green.

Howell posted the best campaign of his career this year with the Aggies with 29 tackles, 14.0 of those being for loss with 11.5 sacks, along with six deflections and one forced fumble. He’ll now look to continue wreaking the same havoc in the playoff, with A&M set to open up with a home game at Kyle Field.

7. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss

After the first two weeks of the season, one name that wasn’t expected to be on a list like this would be Chambliss. However, with the play as well as an injury to QB Austin Simmons, Chambliss took full advantage of the opportunity that came his way this year in Oxford after transferring to be a backup from out of Ferris State (DII)

Chambliss, a Top-40 QB in the portal last offseason per On3, went on to post a total of 290.5 total yards per game and 24 touchdowns overall, with 3,016 yards and 18 touchdowns coming as a passer at 65.5% completion, for the Rebels. He’ll now look to keep their offense humming, despite the coaching changes the past two weeks, in what’ll be their debut appearance in the playoff in the ‘Sip.

8. Texas Tech DE Romello Height

Going back to the defense for the Red Raiders, Height is another defensive end that’s had a great first season in Lubbock. That’s after transferring in last offseason, after being a top-fifty player in the portal and in the top-ten among edges at On3, from Georgia Tech, after beginning his career with two seasons apiece at USC and Auburn.

On that same unit, Height posted some career-best numbers of 33 total tackles, 10.5 being for loss with 9.0 sacks, to go with two forced fumbles, with a recovery, as well as a deflection. That has two pass rushers in the top-ten here at CBS for Texas Tech, who hopes to see both keep causing those kinds of problems for their eventual opponents in the CFP.

9. Oregon OL Emmanuel Pregnon

Oregon was seen to have one of the better offensive lines in the country this season. A major piece of that was Pregnon, who was a top-thirty overall transfer and the second-best interior lineman after two seasons apiece at USC as well as Wyoming.

Pregnon did not allow a sack this season as part of that line. And, behind him, the Ducks had a top-fifteen total offense at 38.2 points and 246.8 yards per game, with them hoping to have the same output in this appearance in the CFP.

10. Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion

Concepcion was already one of the better wide receivers in college football after his first stop with two years spent at NC State. He then, after being a top-ten overall transfer and the second-best receiver in the portal per On3, was even better this fall for Texas A&M.

Concepcion was the leading pass catcher for the Aggies this season with 57 receptions for 886 yards, averaging 73.8 per game and 15.5 a catch, and nine touchdowns. He, along with their second-leading receiver not too much further down this ranking, will now try to be just as explosive in the pass game as A&M prepares to debut in the College Football Playoff.

11. Miami DE Akheem Mesidor
12. Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy
13. Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter
14. Oregon DB Dillon Thieneman
15. Oregon OT Isaiah World
16. Indiana LB Aiden Fisher
17. Miami DB Jakobe Thomas
18. Texas A&M WR Mario Craver
19. Georgia WR Zachariah Branch
20. Miami QB Carson Beck
21. Alabama WR Germie Bernard
22. Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun
23. Oklahoma WR Isaiah Sategna
24. Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds
25. Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff