Big Ten’s Most Impactful Transfer Portal Additions In 2026, Part 1

The elimination of a spring transfer portal window in college football meant that coaches across the country could finally navigate offseason workouts and practices with a stronger semblance of what their rosters would look like come fall. For transfers and incoming freshmen, there was a smidgeon of comfort in knowing they wouldn’t be recruited over in just a few short months. 

As a result, spring practices in 2026 offered a better indication of where teams stand and how their depth charts look, knowing that not much will change personnel-wise between now and the start of the season. 

With that added context in mind, here’s a look at the most important transfer portal addition for each Big Ten team. Part one examines the first half of the league in alphabetical order. 

* Recruiting rankings and historical data courtesy of 247Sports

Class: Senior
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 225 pounds
Past schools: East Carolina (2024-25), Michigan State (2022-23)
Portal ranking: No. 140 transfer, No. 18 QB

Last season: 269-of-408 (65.9%) for 3,330 yards, 19 TD, 6 INT in 12 games

Aside from head coach Bret Bielema, who has done an exceptional job reinvigorating the program by winning 32 games over the last four seasons, few individuals played a larger role in Illinois’ turnaround than quarterback Luke Altmyer. After two years as a backup at Ole Miss, where he attempted just 54 passes, Altmyer blossomed into one of the steadiest performers in the Big Ten. He finished his Illini career throwing 57 touchdowns and only 21 interceptions, which underscores how reliably he ran the offense. 

The starting role now belongs to Houser, a former four-star recruit who largely underperformed at Michigan State and then rebuilt himself across two seasons at East Carolina. Though he only threw for 2,006 yards with the Pirates in 2024, ranking 92nd nationally in nine games, Houser vaulted into the top 25 for passing yards in 2025, including a quartet of 300-yard games. Now, he has one year of eligibility remaining to prove he belongs in the Big Ten after all. 

Nick Marsh recorded 59 catches for 662 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games for Michigan State last season. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Class: Junior
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 213 pounds
Past schools: Michigan State (2024-25)
Portal ranking: No. 14 transfer, No. 5 WR

Last season: 59 catches for 662 yards and 6 TD in 12 games

There’s certainly an argument to be made that this spot could have gone to quarterback Josh Hoover, the former TCU transfer now tasked with filling in for Heisman Trophy winner-turned-No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The bar Mendoza set during his lone season at Indiana, which included 41 touchdowns and only six interceptions, not to mention the first national championship in school history, seems impossibly high for anyone to match.

But the Hoosiers also lost an incredible amount of talent at the skill positions when wide receiver Omar Cooper (Round 1, No. 30 overall); running back Kaelon Black (Round 3, No. 90 overall); wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (Round 4, No. 115 overall) and tight end Riley Nowakowski (Round 5, No. 169 overall) were all selected in this spring’s NFL Draft. That makes the addition of Marsh, who was one of the most coveted perimeter threats in the portal, even more important as Hoover adjusts to his new surroundings. Marsh topped 600 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons at Michigan State despite a revolving door at quarterback.

Class: Sophomore
Measurables: 5-foot-11, 176 pounds
Past schools: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2024-25)
Portal ranking: No. 1,221 transfer, No. 202 WR

Last season: 67 catches for 881 yards and 11 TD in 12 games

Across two seasons with Tim Lester as its offensive coordinator, Iowa has climbed from the worst unit in college football the year before he arrived (234.6 yards per game in 2023) to a tie for 117th in 2024 and 119th last season, when the Hawkeyes averaged 320.1 yards per game. The passing attack, which hasn’t finished better than 109th nationally since 2020, continues to hold Iowa back. Some of that inefficiency is unquestionably linked to quarterback play, a perpetual thorn in head coach Kirk Ferentz’s side. But some of it must also be ascribed to subpar talent in the receiving corps, with last year’s leader — Jacob Gill — only catching 24 passes for 278 yards. 

Diaz reportedly enjoyed a strong spring with the Hawkeyes after making the leap from FCS to the Big Ten, even earning the moniker “TD” in reflection of his trips to the end zone. He spread his 11 touchdown receptions over nine games for the Vaqueros last season and turned heads with a spectacular 17-catch, 172-yard effort against Incarnate Word. Diaz is one of three transfer wideouts Ferentz added this offseason, evidence of Iowa’s ongoing search for playmakers at that position. 

Class: Junior
Measurables: 6 feet, 190 pounds
Past schools: Old Dominion (2024-25)
Portal ranking: No. 380 transfer, No. 82 WR

Last season: 51 catches for 667 yards and 6 TD in 13 games

Head coach Mike Locksley and his staff leaned into Maryland’s future last fall by naming true freshman Malik Washington the team’s starting quarterback. A former four-star prospect and the No. 10 quarterback in the 2025 class, Washington proceeded to complete 273 of 473 passes (57.7%) for 2,963 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The only true freshmen signal-callers to throw for more yards last season were Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele of Cal (3,454 yards) and Bear Bachmeier of BYU (3,033 yards). 

There was pressure on Locksley and new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett to surround Washington with ample talent at wideout entering 2026 after losing the team’s three leading receivers: Shaleak Knotts (44 catches, 717 yards, 6 TD); Jalil Farooq (58 catches, 545 yards, 4 TD) and Octavian Smith Jr. (43 catches, 529 yards, 0 TD). Of the two receivers Maryland added via the transfer portal, Abdul-Rahim Gladding was the most productive last season. He posted 100-yard games against Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State while leading the Monarchs in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. He was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school. 

Class: Senior
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 255 pounds
Past schools: Utah (2024-25), BYU (2023)
Portal ranking: No. 40 transfer, No. 6 edge

Last season: 48 tackles (17.5 for loss), 11.5 sacks, 51 pressures, 2 FF in 11 games 

As has become the norm during modern college football rebuilds, new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham brought a handful of his players with him. Five of the team’s 16 incoming transfers followed Whittingham from Utah, including three potential plug-and-play starters: wide receiver JJ Buchanan (No. 42 transfer, No. 11 WR); nickel back Smith Snowden (No. 95 transfer, No. 4 CB) and Daley, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last November. In interviews, Daley said he expected to be fully healthy by early June. 

Daley’s return is paramount for a defense that needs to replace both starting edge rushers from last season in draft picks Derrick Moore (Round 2, No. 44 overall) and Jaishawn Barham (Round 3, No. 92 overall). Daley nearly amassed as many quarterback pressures for Utah last season (51) as Moore and Barham combined for Michigan (62), which is particularly impressive considering he played one fewer game than each of them. Assuming his ongoing recovery doesn’t hit a snag between now and the end of fall camp, Daley should step into an immediate starting — and starring — role for the Wolverines. 

Ben Murawski was the No. 21-ranked offensive tackle in the transfer portal. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Class: Redshirt senior
Measurables: 6-foot-7, 340 pounds
Past schools: UConn (2022-25)
Portal ranking: No. 310 transfer, No. 21 OT

Last season: 24 pressures and three sacks allowed in 773 snaps (12 starts) at left tackle

Last fall, as quarterbacks Aidan Chiles and Alessio Milivojevic navigated an unsightly season, Michigan State ranked 124th nationally and 17th in the Big Ten with 37 sacks allowed. One year prior, in 2024, the Spartans finished tied for 114th nationally and 17th in the Big Ten with 36 sacks allowed. The last time Michigan State ended a season ranked among the top 50 in that particular category was 2023 under former coach Mel Tucker. Finding better ways to protect the quarterback will remain among the primary priorities for new head coach Pat Fitzgerald this fall.

Enter Murawski. 

A mountainous transfer from UConn, whose offensive line only allowed 16 sacks last season to finish tied for 13th nationally, Murawski is expected to become the Spartans’ starting left tackle. He’ll be tasked with protecting Milivojevic’s blindside for an offense that only returns two full-time starters in wide receiver Chrishon McCray and offensive lineman Conner Moore, an offensive tackle likely to play guard this fall. Murawski is one of four linemen that Fitzgerald brought in via the transfer portal.

Class: Redshirt sophomore
Measurables: 6-foot-6, 290 pounds
Past schools: Tennessee (2024-25)
Portal ranking: No. 361 transfer, No. 28 OT

Last season: One pressure and zero sacks allowed in 76 snaps at left tackle

Despite winning eight games and finishing above .500 in conference play last season, the 2025 campaign marked a second consecutive year in which Minnesota finished outside the top 100 in rushing offense — a rarity under head coach P.J. Fleck. No Big Ten team averaged fewer rushing yards per game than the Gophers (103.2), who sunk to 128th nationally. Pairing an inefficient running game with a first-year starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey helps explain why Minnesota finished 129th in the country for total offense. 

Adding a mammoth offensive tackle like Warren, a former blue-chip recruit, is one way to combat some of those issues. Though he played sparingly in two seasons at Tennessee — a redshirt in 2024; a reserve role last fall — he generated plenty of national attention coming out of Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land, Texas, two years ago. At that point, Warren was the No. 140 overall prospect and No. 11 offensive tackle in the country. He committed to Tennessee over additional scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Michigan and Oklahoma, among others. Now, he’s expected to win the right tackle job at Minnesota.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns in 14 games last season. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Class: Senior
Measurables: 6 feet, 205 pounds
Past schools: Virginia (2023-24), UNLV (2025)
Portal ranking: No. 227 transfer, No. 24 QB

Last season: 275-of-417 (65.9%) for 3,459 yards, 23 TD, 9 INT in 14 games

In some respects, Nebraska found itself at a crossroads when quarterback Dylan Raiola entered the transfer portal last December. Raiola, whose father was a consensus All-American offensive lineman at Nebraska, had been a five-star prospect and high-profile legacy recruit. When he flipped his commitment from Georgia to the Cornhuskers in 2023, sending a lightning bolt through the early signing period, Raiola became the second highest-rated player to sign with Nebraska in the recruiting rankings era. Two up-and-down, injury-riddled seasons later, he was gone. 

To replace him, head coach Matt Rhule first turned to Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, who committed to the Cornhuskers for roughly 24 hours in early January. And when Minchey quickly changed his mind, signing instead with Kentucky, the Nebraska coaching staff pivoted to Colandrea, the Offensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West last season. In addition to throwing for nearly 3,500 yards, Colandrea also flashed as a runner by carrying the ball 127 times for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rhule needs Colandrea to deliver after beginning his Nebraska tenure with three straight losing seasons in conference play. 

Class: Senior
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
Past schools: Oregon State (2023), Michigan State (2024-25)
Portal ranking: No. 133 transfer, No. 14 QB

Last season: 128-of-203 (63.1%) for 1,392 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT in 9 games

After back-to-back years playing quarterback roulette to begin his Northwestern tenure, head coach David Braun turned to SMU transfer Preston Stone ahead of the 2025 campaign. The decision did not go according to plan. Stone, who hadn’t been a full-time starter in over a year, tossed four interceptions in his debut against Tulane to foreshadow a months-long struggle with turnovers. He finished the year with four multi-interception games and also fumbled nine times. Somehow, the Wildcats still finished above .500 overall.

Since then, Braun has made three splashy additions that he hopes will finally provide some stability at the game’s most important position. Not only did he bring in Chiles, a former blue-chip recruit from the 2023 cycle, but he also hired Chip Kelly to be the program’s new offensive coordinator and Jerry Neuheisel as the new quarterbacks coach. Together, Kelly and Neuheisel will be tasked with converting Chiles’ obvious physical talents into more consistent on-field performances. Chiles threw 14 interceptions and only completed 60.8% of his passes in two years at Michigan State.