2025-26 North Carolina FBS College Football Transfer Portal Tracker

The NCAA transfer portal opened officially for Division I football on Jan. 2, 2026, and scores of FBS players from the Old North State are expected to seek transfer opportunities in the days and weeks to come.

This tracker will follow:

• FBS players entering the portal from App State, Charlotte, Duke, East Carolina, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest during the Jan. 2-16 window
• Incoming transfers to NC FBS programs (added once movement starts)

This is a living page and will be updated regularly leading up to the 2026 season. It will serve as complimentary pages published by our partner, The North Carolina Sports Network, which is tracking statewide movement and ACC transfer movement.

More Transfer Portal Content

🔗 North Carolina FCS Transfer Portal Tracker
🔗 North Carolina D2 Transfer Portal Tracker
🔗 Tiered NC Transfer Portal Rankings and ACC Transfer Portal Coverage (from NC Sports Network)

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🏫 School-By-School Outgoing Transfers

These are names of players who have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Sources: 247Sports, NC Sports Network, social media, On3Sports.

Appalachian State Mountaineers

CB Elijah Mc-Cantos
CB Tyshawn Sanders
DL Bucci Farmer
DL Dylan Manuel
DL KJ Liles
DL Rondo Parker
EDGE Anthony Mebane
EDGE Thomas Davis
K Dominic De Freitas
LB Brayshawn Littlejohn
LB Jayden Bethea
LB Marquis Lane-Owens
LS Jacob Poff
OL Felix Doege
OL Griffin Scroggs
OL Moritz Schmoranzer
OT Denell Nix Jr.
OT Gabriel Funk
P Ian Ratliff
QB AJ Swann
QB JJ Kohl
QB Matthew Wilson
RB Jaylon Calhoun
RB Khalifa Keith
RB Khamani Alexander
S DJ Burks
S Ja’Torian Mack
S Kaleb Neal
WR Chris Lawson Jr.
WR Davion Dozier
WR Jaden Barnes
WR Jose Leon
WR William Fowles

Charlotte 49ers

CB Cary Grant
CB Dwight Bootie II
EDGE Curtis Simpson
OL Aiden Martinez
OL Mo Clipper Jr.
OT Eli Samples
OT Tyler Gibson
OT Umar Rockhead
PK Liam Boyd
QB Zach Wilcke
RB Don Chaney Jr.
RB Jake Davids
RB Duke Guenther
WR Javen Nicholas
WR Miles Burris

Duke Blue Devils

DT Terry Simmons Jr.
OT Jack Small
QB Henry Belin
RB Peyton Jones
S Maliki Wright
S Kenzy Paul
S Terry Moore

East Carolina Pirates

LB Kendric Davis
OL Dru McClough
OL Emmanuel Poku
OT Jimarion McCrimon
QB Katin Houser
QB Raheim Jeter
RB London Montgomery
RB Parker Jenkins
S Bernard Lackey Jr.
S Ja’Marley Riddle
TE Desirrio Riles
TE Jayvontay Conner
WR Jyron Waiters
WR Yannick Smith

NC State Wolfpack

DL Josh Alexander-Felton
DL Justin Terrell
LB Elijah Groves
LB Kelvin McBride
OL Brock Stukes
OT Val Erickson
RB Hollywood Smothers
S Daemon Fagan
S Rente Hinton
S Zack Myers
WR Christian Zachary
WR Noah Rogers
WR Tank Boston
WR Terrell Anderson

UNC Tar Heels

CB Khalil Conley
CB Ty White
DL Kamarion Thomas
DL Devin Ancrum
EDGE Tyler Thompson
LB Chinedu Onyeagoro
LB Khmori House
OL Jani Norwood
OT Miles McVay
OT Trevyon Green
OT William Boone
RB Davion Gause
RB Jaylon Nichols
QB Bryce Baker
QB Max Johnson
S Malcomb Ziglar
TE Jake Johnson
TE Yasir Smith
WR Aziah Johnson
WR Chris Culliver
WR Jason Robinson Jr.
WR Javarius Green
WR Kenedy Uzoma
WR Paul Billups II

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

EDGE Cole Funderburk
DL Ka’Shawn Thomas
DL Kendal Howard
DL Mateen Ibirogba
LB Darius Jones
OL Derrell Johnson II
OT Nathan Pahanich
QB Elijah Oehike
RB Drew Pickett
RB Tate Carney
S Jacob Cosby-Mosley
S William Wiebush
TE Harry Lodge
WR Ben Grice
WR Chris Barnes
WR EJ Reid
WR Micah Mays Jr.
WR Reginald Vick Jr.

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🏫 School-By-School Incoming Transfers

The following players have announced commitments or have signed with North Carolina FBS programs during the 2025-26 transfer portal cycle.

Appalachian State Mountaineers

OT Kamron Burris (Anderson)

Charlotte 49ers

DL D’Nas White (Catawba)

Duke Blue Devils

Incoming 2026 transfers will go here

East Carolina Pirates

Incoming 2026 transfers will go here

NC State Wolfpack

Incoming 2026 transfers will go here

UNC Tar Heels

Incoming 2026 transfers will go here

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Incoming 2026 transfers will go here

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions: College Football Transfer Portal (FBS)

When does the college football transfer portal open for FBS players?

For the 2025–26 cycle, the NCAA transfer portal for FBS players is open from January 2 through January 16. Players were able to announce intentions before that date, but could only officially enter the portal once the window opened.

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Could FBS or FCS players enter the transfer portal before January 2?

In most cases, no. FBS and FCS players had to wait until the January window opened to put their name into the portal officially.
Exceptions include:

• Players previously grandfathered in under older rules, such as a mid-season coaching change.
• Players transferring from Division II or Division III, which do not have transfer windows

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What changed with the transfer portal window dates?

Previously, the portal opened in early December and lasted about 30 days. Beginning with the 2025–26 cycle:

• The winter portal window moved to January
• The window was shortened to 15 days
• The spring transfer window was eliminated
  These changes were designed to limit roster churn and make the process more predictable for teams.

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Do players have to find their new school before the transfer portal window closes?

No. The portal window only governs when a player can enter their name.
Once in the portal, a player can:

• Take official visits
• Communicate with schools
• Commit and enroll later

There is no deadline for choosing a new school after entering the portal.

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Do graduate transfers have special rules?

Not anymore. Graduate transfers previously had more flexibility, but under the new rules graduate transfers must follow the same 15-day January window as all other players.

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How do coaching changes affect the transfer portal?

Under the updated rules:

• A coaching change does not automatically trigger a transfer window
• Players only receive a 15-day window if a new head coach is hired after January 2

This is a change from earlier rules, which allowed immediate portal entry after a coach departed.

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How many players typically enter the transfer portal?

The numbers continue to grow each year. During the 2024-25 season more than 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS players entered the transfer portal nationwide, per ESPN reporting. More than 1,000 Division I players were known to enter the portal during the first hours the 2026 window opened on Jan. 2.

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Why did the NCAA move the portal window to January?

Coaches and administrators pushed for the change because December had become overwhelming.
December now includes:

• Coaching carousel
• High school early signing day
• Bowl preparation
• Recruiting visits

Moving the portal to January reduces conflicts and theoretically helps prevent a large exodus of players from leaving College Football Playoff teams mid-postseason.

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Does tampering happen before the portal opens?

Yes — a lot of it, per ESPN and 247Sports reporting. While players could not officially enter the portal until January, recruiting conversations often begin earlier through:

• Agents
• General managers
• Informal back-channel communication

In many cases, players already have a strong idea of where they will transfer before officially entering the portal. Already hundreds of players, through their agents or social media posts, have announced their intentions to seek a transfer, even some on North Carolina bowl-bound teams.

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Will fewer players transfer now that the window is shorter?

It’s too early to know for sure. While the portal window has been reduced from 60 days (in 2022) to just 15 days now, several factors may still fuel movement:

• Revenue sharing
• NIL opportunities
• Multiyear agreements

Schools hope shorter windows will improve roster stability, but transfer volume has increased every year so far.

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