si
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.
College football's upcoming five-for-five eligibility model could eventually slow the transfer portal frenzy, but not before programs made one final push to remake their rosters.
Arkansas is among 12 FBS teams that signed at least 40 transfers this offseason, leading the SEC with 42 additions as first-year coach Ryan Silverfield attempts a rapid turnaround following a 2-10 campaign.
With half of the Razorbacks additions were previous starters at either their previous FBS or FCS programs, the Razorbacks might have what it takes to get there in rather short order.
Arkansas ranked dead last in the SEC in several defensive categories while lacking consistent depth across the defensive line and secondary making an aggressive portal approach almost unavoidable..
While Arkansas ranks No.
4 nationally for the most transfer portal acquisitions, they still assembled a class that ranked No.
8 nationally with an index score of 32, according to On3's team transfer portal rankings.
UConn led the way with a total of 56 additions following the coaching transition from Jim Mora, Jr.
to longtime Toledo coach Jason Candle.
Each team's index score is measured by how much a school improved, maintained, or lost talent during the transfer window which indicates Arkansas was one of the nation's biggest net talent gainers during the portal cycle.
On3 shows Arkansas lost a total of 41 athletes to the portal, while only bringing in 42 players total.
However, Arkansas' score is higher due to how the publication evaluated and ranked each incoming transfer.
The list of outgoing transfers who landed at fellow Power Four level programs is less than half of the total departure list.
Several underclassmen and multi-year veterans such as Nigel Pringle (Arizona State), Jaheim Singletary (Iowa State), Ken Talley (UCF), Kevin Oatis (Kansas), Kam Shanks (Wake Forest), Ja'Kayden Ferguson (Kentucky), LJ Prudehomme (Mississippi State), Jac'Qawn McRoy (North Carolina), Ian Geffrard (Texas), Scott Starzyk (LSU), JJ Shelton (Baylor), Grayson Wilson (Boston College), Blake Cherry (Wisconsin), E'Marion Harris (Oklahoma), Justus Boone (Wisconsin), Tavion Wallace (Kentucky) opted to leave this offseason.
However, only two transfers found homes at conference or College Football Playoff contending programs in 2026.
Arkansas isnt alone in embracing roster turnover.
In fact, programs across every level of the FBS have become increasingly willing to rebuild through the portal instead of waiting multiple recruiting cycles for high school classes to develop.
History suggests there's no guaranteed formula for immediate success when it comes to adding massive transfer classes.
Teams with 40+ Transfers in 2026 1.
UConn, 56* 2.
Oklahoma State, 55* 3.
Memphis, 53* 4.
North Texas, 49* 5.
Iowa State, 48* 6.
USF, 44* 7.
Colorado, 43 8.
Arkansas, 42* 9.
Coastal Carolina, 42* 10.
James Madison, 41* 11.
UCLA, 41* 12.
LSU, 41* *=First-year head coach Out of 10 teams that signed at least 40 transfers entering the 2025 season, only four finished the regular season with at least six wins.
Teams With 40+ Transfers in 2025 Marshall: 56, Bowl game: NO* Purdue, 54, Bowl game: NO* Southern Miss: 54, Bowl Game: YES* West Virginia, 53, Bowl game: NO* Western Kentucky, 44, Bowl game: YES UNLV, 42, Bowl game: YES* Memphis, 42, Bowl game: YES North Carolina, 41, Bowl game: NO* Oklahoma State, 41, Bowl game: NO UCF, 41, Bowl game: NO* *=First-year head coach However, the teams that did reach postseason play each had one thing in common, and that is all were from the Group of Five ranks.
None of the Power Four programs (Purdue, West Viginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and UCF) that relied on similar roster overhauls were deemed bowl eligible, which shows exactly how difficult it is to rebuild quickly against major conference competition.
Obviously, Group of Five teams generally face less week-to-week roster depth and talent deficits than those in the SEC and Big Ten.
That alone makes dramatic turnarounds easier to achieve.
For teams like Arkansas, that opens the season with one of the nation's most demanding schedules, makes even an improved roster under a new staff have far less margin for error.
There are teams that took at least 30 transfers last season and saw an improvement in the win column.
Team | 2024 Record | 2025 Record | |---|---|---| Virginia (31 transfers) | 5-7 | 11-3 | Cal (38 transfers) | 6-7 | 7-6 | Wake Forest (38 transfers) | 4-8 | 9-4 | Houston (30 transfers) | 4-8 | 10-3 | Ole Miss (30 transfers) | 10-3 | 13-2 | Mississippi State (38 transfers) | 2-10 | 5-8 | There seems to be a fine line in taking on such volume out of the transfer portal as Colorado is the only Power Conference team to take more than 40 transfers and make a bowl game (44, 2024).
While several Power Four programs dramatically improved after adding around 30 transfers, none has yet demonstrated sustained success after replacing nearly half its roster in a single offseason.
This year, Arkansas will try to become the exception rather than the rule in Year One under Silverfield.
He has repeatedly emphasized that building a winning culture extends beyond simply acquiring the kind of talent it takes to compete in the SEC.
"Listen, this is kind of a deal of what we're all about," Silverfield told Razorbacks on SI last week.
"The players are bought into it, and it's kind of great.
It's not just corny, it's.
it's who we are.
It's our DNA.
It's the fabric of this program.
"And you know, it's been kind of fun to just see.
If players don't buy it, man, we can't.
we don't have any type of [program], but the players are all about it, and you get to see it on day-to-day, that's what it's all about." The Razorbacks believe they identified student-athletes who fit their system rather than chasing transfer rankings alone.
Whether that philosophy pays off will ultimately determine whether Arkansas can rebound quicky, or join other Power Conference teams that overloaded with the portal and failed to accelerate a rebuild.
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Jacob Davis is the Publisher for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering college athletics.
He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year.
Follow jacobdaviscfb.