John Reed-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
The 2026 NCAA transfer portal opened Friday, Jan 2, for college football. Early movement has centered on player entries, with no major commitments yet.
By The Numbers
Day one ended with over 3,750 players entering the portal within the first 24 hours of its opening. If those numbers sound staggering, it’s because they are. That’s 1,000 more players than day one a year ago. It’s also roughly 31.5% of all scholarship FBS players.
This is the new era of college football.
Visits Galore
By moving the portal from December to January, it has allowed more time for due diligence on both sides for players and staff. That has opened the door to players taking more visits this year than last. Here are some of the latest visits being scheduled from the biggest names in the portal.
No. 1 QB Sam Leavitt
- Kentucky
No. 2 QB Brendan Sorsby
- LSU (Saturday, Jan. 3)
No. 1 WR Cam Coleman
- Texas (Saturday, Jan. 3)
- Texas A&M (Sunday, Jan. 4)
- Texas Tech (Tuesday, Jan. 6)
- Southern Cal (Thursday, Jan. 8)
No. 1 EDGE Chaz Coleman
- LSU (Friday, Jan. 2)
Confirmed LSU Visits
- Brendan Sorsby (No. 2 QB)
- Chaz Coleman (No. 1 EDGE)
- Stephiylan Green (No. 5 DL)
- Terrell Anderson (No. 7 WR)
- Eugene Wilson (No. 8 WR)
@Lane_Kiffin @LSUfootball @TigerWoods pic.twitter.com/HeishfygXq
— Chaz Coleman (@chazcoleman_) January 3, 2026
Exodus by SEC teams
These numbers will fluctuate rapidly, but here are the total players that have entered the portal for each SEC team according to 247Sports as of Saturday, Jan. 3, at 3:30 p.m. CT.
At the time of writing this, 279 players from the SEC have entered the portal. That’s 19 more than a day ago. Here’s a look at how many have left per team in the SEC.
- Auburn – 33
- Florida – 30
- Mississippi State – 25
- Arkansas – 22
- Missouri – 22
- LSU – 21
- Tennessee – 21
- Oklahoma – 20
- South Carolina – 19
- LSU – 18
- Texas – 16
- Kentucky – 14
- Alabama – 11
- Vanderbilt – 10
- Texas A&M – 9
- Georgia – 7
- Ole Miss – 2
Simpson’s (Potentially) Shocking News
Alabama QB Ty Simpson was one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC this year. He has generated plenty of draft buzz, even being projected near the top of the first round at times throughout the season. Some of that fizzled towards the end of the season when he struggled against Georgia and Oklahoma.
After suffering yet another injury in the Rose Bowl, there has been rampant speculation that he could come back for another season. That has opened the door to some fascinating speculation and potential dominoes falling.
Most think that backup QB Austin Mack will leave no matter what because true freshman Keelon Russell will be the quarterback of the future.
If Ty Simpson doesn’t get a first round grade from the NFL then he would most likely return to college, however, his school for 2026 may not be Alabama. Tennessee and Oregon would be in play in that scenario.
TRENDING: Alabama star Ty Simpson could be looking to enter the transfer portal and go to either Tennessee or Oregon if he does not get a first round draft grade, according to Tom Loy of 247 Sports.
Simpson played very well for the Crimson Tide this year, but played some of his… pic.twitter.com/fbYA33uzD6
— Recruits CFB (@recruits_cfb) January 3, 2026
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