The transfer portal has fundamentally changed the sport of college football. For most programs, it has taken precedence when it comes to roster building. Indiana just won a national title with a starting lineup comprised mostly of transfers.
Miami, its opponent in the College Football Playoff National Championship, also fielded its fair share of experienced imports. But high school recruiting — and development — is still as important as ever. Plenty of freshmen are ready to play early.
Consider, once again, the Hurricanes. Malachi Toney was arguably their most important offensive player. He did it all for Miami as both a wide receiver and a high-level return specialist. He was also a true freshman last season and, as such, he was named CBS Sports’ Freshman of the Year.
Most teams have at least one freshman who leaves a mark in their first year. Here’s a look at some rookie college football players who could have a major impact on the 2026 season.
Mark Bowman, TE, USC
247Sports Ranking: No. 2 TE, No. 42 overall
USC has to replace top tight end Lake McRee, one of its most steady receiving options from 2025, and his backup, Walker Lyons. While the Trojans brought in Wisconsin transfer Tucker Ashcraft, he profiles more as a blocker than a receiving threat, and he’s coming off a leg injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of last season. That means the path is wide open for Bowman to play, and perhaps even start, immediately. He’s the type of dynamic pass-catching tight end that can immediately change the complexion of an offense.
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Chip Patterson
Jackson Cantwell, OL, Miami
247Sports Ranking: No. 2 OT, No. 6 overall
Fresh off its run to the College Football Playoff National Championship, Miami has to replace starting offensive tackles Markel Bell and Francis Mauigoa. Both are off to the NFL Draft, where they likely won’t have to wait long to hear their names called. Veteran swing option Samson Okunlola is off to the next level, as well. Cantwell can follow in Mauigoa’s footsteps after the cornerstone tackle played big snaps as a freshman for the Hurricanes.
Ezavier Crowell, RB, Alabama
247Sports Ranking: No. 1 RB, No. 18 overall
Alabama didn’t have a single player rush for more than 504 yards last season. The Crimson Tide averaged just 3.4 yards on the ground as a team, their worst output on the ground since before Nick Saban took over as head coach. It looked as if Alabama was going to win a significant transfer portal battle when Hollywood Smothers committed to the Tide, but he quickly flipped to and signed with Texas. Crowell brings some much-needed juice to an otherwise very lackluster group of rushers. He may just be Alabama’s top ground option from Day 1.
Jared Curtis, QB, Vanderbilt
247Sports Ranking: No. 2 QB, No. 2 overall
Curtis has some (metaphorically) big shoes to fill. Diego Pavia, who finished runner-up in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting, is out of eligibility. He’s a big loss for the Commodores, as he won 17 games in his two years with the program. Curtis has a college-ready frame at 6-foot-3.5 and 225 pounds. He also has the arm and athleticism to back it up. He’s a former running back, which means that he should be a perfect fit in offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s run-and-gun offense.
Darius Gray, OL, South Carolina
247Sports Ranking: No. 1 IOL, No. 15 overall
Gray will have to be ready early at this point. South Carolina’s offensive linemen are dropping like flies, and spring practice hasn’t even started yet. Both Jacarrius Peak and Josiah Thompson — the expected starting tackles — will miss significant time due to injury. Gray doesn’t arrive until the summer, but there’s still an opportunity for him to prove his worth at multiple positions. Whether the Gamecocks try him at offensive tackle or keep him inside — or, most likely, cross-train him — he’ll be an invaluable piece in the fall.
TK Keys, WR, Tennessee
247Sports Ranking: No. 1 WR, No. 12 overall
Tennessee’s top two wide receivers are locked in stone. Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, the 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year, each surpassed 800 yards receiving last season. There’s another spot up for grabs with 1,000-yard receiver Chris Brazzell II off to the NFL, though. More experienced players like Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr. might initially get the nod over Keys. Given that Keys is the highest-ranked wide receiver to sign with Tennessee in the modern recruiting era, it’s hard to see him staying on the sidelines, even if he missed a lot of his high school senior season due to injury.
Kelvin Obot, OL, Utah
247Sports Ranking: No. 7 OT, No. 41 overall
Utah produced a pair of potential first-round draft picks at offensive tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson will hold down one of the vacated spots, but the other is wide open. Like Fano, who started 12 games in 2023 as a highly touted blue-chip freshman, Obot didn’t go to Salt Lake City to ride the pine. He’s already added 30 pounds of much-needed weight to his 6-foot-5 frame. He’s at 295 pounds on Utah’s spring roster, which is sufficient for a college offensive tackle.
Matt Sieg, DB, West Virginia
247Sports Ranking: No. 10 S, No. 110 overall
Though Sieg is ranked as a safety, he could truly play anywhere in the secondary for the Mountaineers. That type of versatility, and his status as a borderline top-100 prospect, should lead to early playing time, especially since West Virginia lost a litany of defensive backs to the transfer portal. Sieg’s background as a high school quarterback should help with the mental adjustment to college, too.
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