The combination of NIL and immediate transfer eligibility has reshaped how college football teams assemble their rosters. Schools with less NIL money to spend have essentially become feeder programs for richer programs. As a result, teams can look drastically different from year to year. Take Tulane, for example. Running back Makhi Hughes was the 2023 AAC Rookie of the Year and was named to the all-conference first team in both 2023 and 2024. Next year, he'll be at Oregon. Quarterback Darien Mensah threw for 22 touchdowns and was sixth in the country in passer rating as a freshman, but he's now reportedly making $8 million to play the next two years at Duke. Instead of building on these young players for 2025, the Green Wave will have a new look with a retooled roster.
Tulane isn't alone. Players who can prove their worth in the American are valued by coaches who want to bring in proven high-level players. While teams will bring in new transfers to offset their losses, they're trading proven talent for uncertainty. The upheaval makes it difficult to assess many teams from season to season.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the biggest transfer impacts for teams on Navy's 2025 schedule. This list doesn't include players like VMI's Asa Locks, who are in the portal but have yet to commit.
#12 - Cam Fancher - QB - FAU
Fancher was a two-year starter at Marshall and threw for 3,766 yards and 21 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. He transferred to FAU last season and threw for 1,558 yards and 10 touchdowns in an injury-filled 2024 campaign. He was plagued by turf toe that limited his mobility, and he missed the last three games with a broken clavicle. FAU head coach Tom Herman was fired in November, and Fancher entered the portal a month later. He'll head to UCF to play for Scott Frost, who had success mentoring other dual-threat quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota and McKenzie Milton.
#11 - Sam Pendleton - OL - Notre Dame
The offensive line was both the strength and the identity of Notre Dame this year, paving the way for a power running game that took them to the championship game of the Playoff. After the season, though, the portal has hit the Irish line hard. Seniors Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan both started 13 games this season, and both will play elsewhere in their final season. Pendleton was expected to be the future in South Bend, but instead he'll head to Tennessee with three years of eligibility remaining. He played in 13 games this season, starting seven and not giving up a sack.
#10 - David Santiago - LB - Air Force
Service academies are usually dominated by juniors and seniors, but Air Force was forced to play more underclassmen than usual this year. A couple of those players decided to cash in on that early exposure by entering the transfer portal, with the most notable being Santiago. The sophomore linebacker was rangy, totaling 38 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 3 pass breakups. Michigan State has two former service academy coaches on its defensive staff: James Adams (Navy) and Chad Wilt (Army), with the latter likely to be Santiago's position coach. It's probably not a coincidence that they recognize the talent it usually takes for a sophomore to make an impact at Air Force.
#9 - Dean Connors - RB - Rice
Before Navy faced Rice last season, I said that Dean Connors looked like a prototype Navy triple-option slotback. Running for 105 yards and two touchdowns against the Mids certainly didn't change that assessment. Coincidentally, new Rice head coach Scott Abell is known for the shotgun option offense he employed at Davidson. But Connors won't be one of the weapons in his arsenal, as the speedy running back is headed across town to Houston.
#8 - Lee Beebe Jr. - RB - UAB
No team in the American was hit harder by outgoing transfers than UAB. This list could probably be made up entirely of players leaving the Blazers. Pick a position, and you'll find talent leaving. Among the departures is Beebe, who led the team with 1,103 all-purpose yards last year. The former walk-on was named third-team all-conference in 2024, but in 2025 he'll be in Indiana's backfield.
#7 - Elijah Herring - LB - Memphis
Herring was a splash transfer for Memphis last year, coming to the Tigers after leading Tennessee in tackles in 2023. Despite missing two games in 2024 (including Navy), he still notched 60 tackles, including 10 against West Virginia in the bowl game. Herring would have been Memphis' second-leading returning tackler, but instead he'll join another 3-3-5 defense at Florida State.
#6 - Ethan Onianwa - OT - Rice
When Rice chose Scott Abell as the program's next head coach, transfers became inevitable. Not everyone wants to play in an option offense, and some players aren't a good fit. Quarterback E.J. Warner leaving wasn't a surprise. However, a road-grader, sure-fire NFL draft pick like Onianwa fits into any offense. Unfortunately for Rice, that offense will be Ohio State's.
#5 - C.J. Heard - S - FAU
Heard earned third-team all-conference honors last year as a freshman, and would have been the cornerstone of the Owls' defense for years to come. His versatility helped him make plays all over the field. He had 11 tackles and a forced fumble against Army's option offense and also led the team in tackles (8) against North Texas' pass-happy offense. That combination of youth and versatility put him on Vanderbilt's radar, where Heard will test his skills against the SEC.
#4 - Chandler Morris - QB - UNT
Morris is no stranger to the transfer portal. He started his career at Oklahoma, then transferred to TCU. In 2022, he was named the starting quarterback for the Horned Frogs, but was injured in the opener and missed most of the season. Morris was named the starter again in 2023 but suffered another injury, this time mid-season. He transferred to North Texas in 2024 to get a fresh start, and it paid off. Morris averaged 290 passing yards per game last year while throwing 31 touchdowns in the fourth-best passing offense in FBS. He was the leading passer in the American and was named to the all-conference second team. He entered the portal once again in December, heading for Virginia and leaving sophomore Drew Mestemaker as his likely replacement.
#3 - Kanye Udoh - RB - Army
With the graduation of most of the offensive line and star quarterback Bryson Daily, Army's offense will be getting an overhaul next season. The process would be easier if they had a second-team all-conference running back to build around who just ran for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore. Instead, Udoh will be taking that production to Arizona State.
#2 - Kam Shanks - WR - UAB
As I said earlier, UAB's portal situation is a mess. We already mentioned Beebe, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Quarterback Jacob Zeno, who started against Navy but was later supplanted by controversial transfer Jalen Kitna, is off to Texas A&M. The secondary and the offensive line were both hit hard as well. But the biggest losses for the Blazers are at wide receiver. UAB's top three receivers last year were two freshmen and a sophomore, which would seem to be a great foundation for the future. Instead, the top two both entered the portal. Sophomore Amare Thomas, who led the team with 670 receiving yards, is headed to Houston. But the loss of Kam Shanks to Arkansas stings even more. Shanks was only a freshman, but he was named third-team all-AAC as a receiver with 656 yards and 6 TDs. He was also named to the all-conference first team as a return specialist, leading the nation in punt return average (20.56 yards/ret.) and PR TDs (2). Head coach Trent Dilfer's seat is hotter than Phoenix asphalt, and the loss of players like Shanks makes it harder for him to make it to November, let alone 2026.
#1 - Joseph Williams - WR - Tulsa
Tulsa wasn't hit as hard by the portal as UAB, but the losses were significant. Both the offensive and defensive lines lost considerable young talent, but the biggest name to head out the door is AAC Freshman of the Year Joseph Williams. Williams had 588 yards and eight touchdowns in what was essentially half a season of work. He caught 5 passes for 158 yards against ECU. He had 126 yards against USF. But what really set him apart was his big-play ability. He had four receptions of 40+ yards in November alone. His 19.6 yards per catch was ninth in the country. And remember, that's as a freshman. New Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb had a prolific rushing offense at East Tennessee State, and a player like Williams who can stretch the field would have been a huge asset for loosening up defenses. He'll need someone else to do that job next year, since Williams is headed to Colorado after initially committing to Utah.
