ESPN ranks Top 10 transfers to watch in 2025 college football season

The NCAA Transfer Portal was as active as ever this offseason with over 4,000 entries, 2,400 of those having since committed elsewhere, over the pair of windows in the winter and spring. Now, 100 days out from kickoff, ESPN has rated the can’t-miss ones who will now be playing for new teams in the fall.

ESPN previewed the next season in college football in 2025 with an article including ten separate editions of different Top 10s ahead of Week 0. That included one by Max Olson of the Top 10 transfers to watch this season.

Each of the first four are quarterbacks, including one who was also on this list for consideration for The Heisman Trophy. There’s then a trio of wide receivers, an offensive tackle, a linebacker, and a tight end among the 10 on the list.

All of the 10 are also rated within the Top 35, per the latest update to On3’s Industry Ranking of 2025’s Top Transfer Portal Players. Six of them are in the Top 10, four being in the top five, in the transfer rating from On3.

With that, here’s the Top 10 transfers to see in ’25 per Olson at ESPN:

1. Oklahoma QB John Mateer

Mateer, coming off of his first season as a starter for Washington State, tops this list and is third at On3, as far as transfers for 2025. That’s with him being “one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the country,” considering what he showed as a dual-threat in Pullman.

Mateer posted over 330 yards of offense per game, efficiently too, with 64.6% completion on good passing numbers while also rushing at 4.6 yards per attempt, and had 44 touchdowns total for a Top 10 offense for Wazzu. He’ll now try to bring that same production to Norman, following OC Ben Arbuckle, to create some “much-needed swagger to the Sooners’ offense”.

2. Duke QB Darian Mensah

Mensah was “absolutely coveted” as a mid-major quarterback making the move up to a power conference after his debut season playing for Tulane. That puts him second on this list for ESPN while he’s at No. 32 overall, as the No. 6 QB, for On3.

Mensah completed 65.9% of his throws for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Green Wave, who posted a Top 20 offense. He’ll look to continue that development now in Durham in replacing Maalik Murphy, who had his own great season as a transfer quarterback for the program last season.

3. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

The Hoosiers had a great transfer at quarterback last season as well, with Kurtis Rourke coming in from Ohio to lead the nation’s second-best offense and take them to the College Football Playoff. Now, in replacing him with Mendoza from California, at No. 3 for ESPN and No. 20 for On3, IU “couldn’t have found a better (quarterback)”.

Mendoza, with 19 starts for the Golden Bears, averaged 66.5% completion for 2,356 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions through two seasons playing, with improvement from his redshirt freshman to his redshirt sophomore years, in Berkeley. He will follow Rourke now in keeping that quarterback play up in Bloomington.

4. Miami QB Carson Beck

Miami had such a great transfer quarterback last year that he went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Hurricanes now bring in another player, as part of a top five portal class, who was previously projected as a top draft pick in Beck, who’s at No. 4 for ESPN but is No. 1 overall in the ratings by On3.

Beck had an up and then down career at Georgia with high highs in his first season as the Bulldogs’ starter, before having some more lows in his second, including a season-ending injury in the SEC Championship. In returning to college and transferring to Coral Gables, though, he’s “ready to step in as Cam Ward’s successor and prove he’s a first-round talent”.

5. Auburn WR Eric Singleton Jr.

The first non-quarterback, at No. 4 for both ESPN and On3, is Singleton. That’s after being an all-around weapon the past two seasons for Georgia Tech.

Singleton, through his time with the Yellow Jackets, averaged 52 receptions for 734 yards while catching nine touchdowns overall, ran for 131 yards and a score this past season, and returned 11 kicks for 241 yards on special teams. His “blazing speed and excellent route running” are now coming to The Plains as part of an improving offense for the Tigers.

6. Oregon OT Isaiah World

The Ducks have brought in 11 transfers, six being in the Top 100, in a top five portal class according to On3. Still, of them all, World is the highest-rated one, at No. 6 for ESPN and No. 5 by On3, and “is the one who has pro scouts buzzing”.

World was the next non-quarterback on the list as the top tackle in the portal after starting the past two seasons for Nevada, including not allowing a sack last season for the Wolfpack. He’ll now try to do the same thing in Eugene in further solidifying their line as one of the top transfers in their class.

7. Georgia WR Zachariah Branch

The Bulldogs had their issues at wide receiver last season, being among the most drops in the country despite having a solid passing offense. They’ve since addressed that with three pickups in the portal at that position, namely one of the better weapons in the sport in Branch, at No. 7 for ESPN and No. 8 for On3.

Branch, while at USC, caught 78 passes for 823 yards, at 10.6 yards per catch, and three touchdowns, with his usage at receiver from being a freshman to a sophomore taking away from him being one of the best returners in the nation as a freshman. The ‘Dawgs will “have a lot of fun finding different ways” to use that now with him as “an explosive playmaker” in Athens.

8. Texas Tech OLB David Bailey

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have the No. 1 class in the portal per On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. The highest-rated of those commitments coming to Lubbock is Bailey, at No. 8 for ESPN and who rounds out the Top-10 at On3 after being one of the top transfers of the entire spring.

Through three seasons at Stanford, Bailey posted 111 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles, with seven of the sacks and five of the forced fumbles coming in his last season with the Cardinal. Pairing him now with four other additions at edge rusher or defensive line should “give Texas Tech one of the most talented (on)es in the country”.

9. LSU WR Nic Anderson

LSU also reloaded at receiver with a trio of additions. Some, including On3, have Barion Brown (Kentucky) as the highest rated of them, but ESPN went with Anderson here at No. 9 with On3 having him at No. 19.

Injuries limited him, along with the rest of the Sooners’ receivers, last year, with just one game played as a sophomore after Anderson caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. He could get back to that, assuming he’s healthy, after transferring in conference in now being a target for QB Garrett Nussmeier in Baton Rouge.

10. Ohio State TE Max Klare

The Buckeyes are most known for their top receivers in the passing game. They’ve had some reliable tight ends as part of it, though, with Klare, at No. 10 here for ESPN and No. 14 for On3, coming in to try to be the next one in Columbus.

Klare will also be an inter-conference transfer after a breakout season for Purdue in catching 51 passes for 685 yards and four scores as the leading receiver by far for the Boilermakers. Alongside WRs Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss in the corps, Klare “could end up being a sneaky great addition” as “a dependable target” to whoever ends up as their starting quarterback.