For all but two teams, the majority of the transfer portal chaos has come to a close. Friday marked the official deadline for players to enter the portal, except for those who played in the CFP National Championship Monday night. Now, after the 48-hour window to process previously-entered names has passed, the extent of the shuffle is becoming clearer.
Despite arguably the wildest transfer class in FBS history, Northwestern appears to be more in control than ever before, taking big swings while also limiting its own losses.
As of Monday, 247Sports ranked the Wildcats’ transfer class 11th in the Big Ten, but this represents a significant jump for the ’Cats, previously ranking last and second-to-last since the conference expanded to 18 teams.
NU’s class of 14 recruits ranks higher in 247Sports’ cumulative transfer points metric than Wisconsin and Michigan State’s groups of 32 and 26, respectively, largely because of the program’s first two 4-star transfers.
In the first year after the removal of the spring transfer portal window, the logistics and news cycle of December and January in the college football world have become even more tumultuous and difficult to navigate.
More and more athletes are choosing to enter the portal each year, and according to the NCAA, over 10,000 entered across the DI, DII and DIII levels this year. As of earlier this week, there are still at least 1,000 athletes yet to join a new team in the FBS alone.
Following a bowl game victory over Central Michigan on Dec. 26, Northwestern’s offseason could finally begin in earnest, and with it, controlled chaos fell over the airwaves in Evanston.
The hiring of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly a few days later quickly became national news, and a flurry of subsequent transfer recruitments and coaching staff changes catapulted NU into the limelight for one of the busiest and least certain times of the year for college sports.
So, where does that leave the Wildcats heading into 2026?
This year’s bout with the transfer portal has been a stark shift from the ’Cats’ first few rounds in the ring, which have been at the mercy of the shifting college football landscape.
In the first six offseasons since the portal’s inception in 2018, the ’Cats had more players leave the program than enter each year. However, that trend has quickly flipped on its head in the past two.
Coach David Braun took 15 swings last season after a program-high 13 players chose to pursue greener grass elsewhere, marking the first time NU saw an increase in roster size due to the portal. This season’s tally of recruits is already up to 14, with only eight entering the portal, the fewest since 2022.
Rising senior quarterback Aidan Chiles comes over from Michigan State and is expected to be the fourth transfer signal-caller in as many years to start the season for the ’Cats, bringing with him 20 games of starting experience in the Big Ten.
On the other side of the ball, rising redshirt senior linebacker Kobie McKinzie officially committed that same day as Chiles, making the move from Oklahoma for his final year of eligibility.
More prominently than its newfound ability to make offseason splashes, NU’s sense of control stems from the retention of its star players.
Immediately following the win over Central Michigan, Braun set the bar high for how his team would handle the waves of player movement to come, and largely, that has come to fruition.
“I am so confident in our retention, (general manager) Christian Sarkisian, all the work that we’ve proactively done in that vertical,” Braun said. “There (are) a lot of guys that are really committed to making sure that they come back.”
The ’Cats lost three of last year’s starters to the portal. Two graduate students, tight end Hunter Welcing and kicker Jack Olsen, were granted an extra year of eligibility and opted to play their final seasons at Ohio State and Miami, respectively.
Defensive lineman Anto Saka also decided to seek opportunity elsewhere in his senior year, ultimately choosing Texas A&M.
However, NU retained most of its star players with remaining eligibility, including rising redshirt junior running back Caleb Komolafe, rising senior and junior wide receivers Griffin Wilde and Hayden Eligon II, and rising redshirt senior defensive back Robert Fitzgerald.
With an already high amount of roster turnover with the graduation of this year’s senior class, having these foundational pieces to build upon for next year, both on and off the field are crucial in coach Braun’s eyes.
“This group is going to be challenged. We’re losing not only a lot of really good football players, but we’re losing a lot of incredible leaders. This group better be hungry,” Braun said.
To mitigate the losses it did endure, NU, crucially, has brought in a recruit in each position room that has lost someone to the portal.
After finding immediate return on investment from FCS-recruits like Wilde and offensive lineman Evan Beerntsen, Braun and his staff continue to lean on finding production from lower levels with the addition of Division II standout Luke Dehnicke and his three years of eligibility into the tight end room to help.
Following a season headlined by its defense, the ’Cats have largely focused on bringing in offensive talent from the portal to pair with its shiny new addition at offensive coordinator. Alongside Dehnicke and Chiles, NU has also received commitments from three offensive linemen, two running backs and another tight end.
Alongside its new stadium and retooled coaching staff, NU appears to be adapting its offseason approach, with increased comfort in dealing with the portal ahead of the 2026 season.
Although the entrance process has closed, there is no deadline for those already in to commit to a new team, as evidenced by the ’Cats’ latest recruit — running back Gavin Sawchuk — committing yesterday after serving as Florida State’s lead back this past season.
NU has not suddenly become the belle of the ball because of one busy offseason, but the continued commitment to adapting to the post-transfer portal NCAA goes a long way toward any hopes of a Cinderella story.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Braun said of his team’s trajectory. “It’s progress over perfection. We are far from perfect, but we are progressing.”
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