Ranking All 68 Power 4 College Football Teams: Offseason Winners and Losers

Sam Acho discusses why he loves Darian Mensah's fit with the Miami Hurricanes on "College Football Live." (0:50)

Ahead of a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Oregon , Indiana coach Curt Cignetti took time out of his weekend prep to secure the most impressive transfer group for the 2026 season.

As Miami got ready to face Cignetti's Hoosiers in the national title game, news broke that the team was set to poach quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke . That all came around the same time that USC was signing the top 2026 recruiting class .

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No sport has a blurrier line between its season and its offseason than college football. Even as coaches and teams prepare for the biggest games, they are always focused on what's next. The alternative is falling behind and perhaps never catching up.

Offseasons matter more than ever, which is why schools are hiring -- and paying for -- more-accomplished general managers and building out NFL-style personnel departments to support their on-field coaching staffs. Rosters are reshaped almost every offseason as transfer movement hasn't slowed down and teams replace stars bound for the NFL .

There are other factors shaping the offseason, including full-scale coaching changes and the departures and arrivals of coordinators and other assistants. Continuity still matters in college football, but not at the expense of upgrading certain positions or units. Just look at Indiana's work after the 2025 season.

Our task is to rank the offseasons among Power 4 teams, prioritizing three areas:

Roster additions through the portal and the high school ranks - Retention of top players who could leave for the NFL draft or the portal - Coaching staff continuity or key additions/upgrades

All three elements go into the overall ranking. Teams that kill it with portal additions but let several star players or coaches walk out the door don't project as well overall. Similarly, teams that run it back with players and coaches but don't look to improve clear deficiencies, both with on-field ability and scheme, will fall short in these rankings. We're looking at the total picture.

To be transparent, our initial offseason rankings in 2025 missed the mark in several spots, namely LSU at No. 1 overall, Penn State at No. 3 and Clemson at No. 5. But we had some foresight with No. 2 Texas Tech (Big 12 champion, first CFP appearance), No. 6 Oklahoma (first CFP appearance since 2019) and No. 8 Miami (first CFP appearance, national runner-up).

Here are our conference-by-conference rankings and team breakdowns, as well as our national list of the 10 best offseasons.

Jump to a conference:

ACC | Big 12

Big Ten | Notre Dame | SEC | Overall top 10

Key additions : QB Darian Mensah , DE Damon Wilson II , WR Cooper Barkate - Key departures : DE Rueben Bain Jr ., OT Francis Mauigoa , DE Akheem Mesidor - Top incoming recruits : OT Jackson Cantwell , S J.J. Dunnigan , WR Somourian Wingo

Biggest coaching move : Mario Cristobal opted, not surprisingly, for staff continuity after the team's run to the national title game, as primary coordinators Shannon Dawson (offense), Corey Hetherman (defense) and Danny Kalter (special teams) will return. Running backs coach Matt Merritt (Arizona Cardinals) and tight ends coach Cody Woodiel (Ole Miss) left for other roles. Cristobal hired Favian Upshaw, who played quarterback for him at Florida International, to oversee the backs, and brought in longtime Army assistant Mike Viti to coach tight ends. Viti spent the past decade with Jeff Monken at Army.

What went wrong : There's not much to point to in this category for the Hurricanes following their run to the CFP championship game. Sure, there's big-time talent to replace with two first-rounders on the D-line and nine total NFL draft picks moving on. Miami's search for its next impact quarterback in the portal had a few twists and turns and wasn't cheap but eventually worked out. The staff lost depth among its 18 scholarship portal departures, including backup QB Emory Williams (ECU), receiver Joshisa Trader (NC State), linebacker Popo Aguirre (NC State) and cornerback Jadais Richard (Tennessee).

What went right : The Hurricanes were hunting for another elite passer to succeed Cam Ward and Carson Beck and managed to get a last-minute deal done with Mensah at the portal deadline. The All-ACC performer threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 34 TDs while leading Duke to a conference title last season. He brought Barkate, his 1,100-yard receiver, with him from Chapel Hill, and Miami added more complementary options at receiver around Malachi Toney with Cam Vaughn (West Virginia) and Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina). Miami also won the battle for one of the top pass rushers in the portal in Wilson, and it won't be surprising if he plays his way into first-round hype this fall. Star running back Mark Fletcher Jr ., linebacker Mohamed Toure and several more key starters staying in school for another year was a big boost, as was a top-10 recruiting class led by Cantwell, the No. 1-ranked offensive tackle prospect, and a dozen more ESPN 300 signees.

Key additions : RB Kendrick Raphael , WR Yannick Smith , TE Randy Pittman Jr . - Key departures : OL Logan Parr , TE Matthew Hibner , WR Jordan Hudson - Top incoming recruits : RB Christian Rhodes , OT Sam Utu , OT Evan Goodwin

Biggest coaching move : Rhett Lashlee lost both of his coordinators, as Casey Woods left to oversee Missouri State and Scott Symons joined the Dallas Cowboys staff. Lashlee looked within the program for replacements, as the Mustangs will now have three co-offensive coordinators: Rob Likens (wide receivers), Garin Justice (offensive line) and D'Eriq King (quarterbacks). Linebackers coach Maurice Crum Jr., who held a co-defensive coordinator title with Symons, will handle defensive playcalling while sharing coordinator duties with secondary coach Rickey Hunley Jr.

What went wrong : SMU has quickly fashioned itself into a perennial ACC contender, but Lashlee and the Mustangs were left with substantial holes to fill this offseason. The departures of Woods and Symons removed an element of stability that had helped carry through the program's smooth transition into the ACC, and although running back Chris Johnson Jr . (Clemson transfer) marked one of SMU's only major portal exits, the program lost plenty of talent from last fall's veteran-heavy roster to graduation. Leading rusher T.J. Harden is gone, as are two of the two of the Mustangs' top three receivers from a year ago in Hudson and Romello Brinson . Defensively, the program must replace all four starters from a line that totaled 24 sacks last fall and seven of its 10 leading tacklers, including captains Ahmaad Moses and Isaiah Nwokobia in the secondary.

What went right : Given all the turnover elsewhere on the roster and coaching staff, the return of third-year starting quarterback Kevin Jennings provides SMU with crucial continuity under center. The Mustangs secured a dependable producer to fill its backfield role in Raphael, a Cal transfer who logged 232 carries (11th most nationally) and ran for 943 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall. Transfer defensive tackles Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder (Kansas State) and Christian Davis (Louisiana Tech) are set to anchor the defensive line in front of an intact linebacker unit led by returners Brandon Booker and Alexander Kilgore , with defensive back transfers Jarvis Lee (South Florida) and Jimmy Wyrick (UTSA) poised to fill holes. SMU added a 2026 recruiting class headlined by more SC Next ESPN 300 signees -- four -- than any previous group in program history.

Key additions : WR Chase Hendricks , RB Adam Mohammed , OLB Solomon Williams - Key departures : CB Hezekiah Masses , LB Cade Uluave , LB Luke Ferrelli - Top incoming recruits : TE Taimane Purcell , RB Victor Santino , OT Daniel McMorris

Biggest coaching move : Tosh Lupoi's return as coach could represent a shift in how Cal operates, as his pedal-down recruiting approach and experience with elite programs such as Oregon and Alabama will influence the strategy. Lupoi, a former Cal defensive lineman, looked to the NFL for coordinators Jordan Somerville (offense) and Michael Hutchings (defense), as well as co-OC/wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Much of the staff is new to Cal but there are some key holdovers, including quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich and inside linebackers coach Bob Gregory, the Bears' defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2009 who returned to the staff in 2025.

What went wrong : A high-attrition offseason was to be expected with Lupoi coming in to remake the roster for Year 1. The Bears had eight senior starters graduate and lost six more to the transfer portal, most notably on defense with the departures of linebackers Cade Uluave (BYU) and Luke Ferrelli (Ole Miss), and edge TJ Bush Jr . (Minnesota). Three offensive linemen who started games last season moved on to other Power 4 programs, and running back Kendrick Raphael headed to SMU after putting up more than 1,100 yards from scrimmage in his lone season in Berkeley.

What went right : The No. 1 objective for Lupoi upon accepting the job was flying to Hawaii and ensuring the Bears' rising star at QB, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele , re-upped for his sophomore season. Then the new coach went out and assembled a 32-man portal class that could set him up to succeed. There's no shortage of offensive firepower with the arrival of Mohammed (Washington) at running back; Hendricks (Ohio), Ian Strong (Rutgers) and Cooper Perry (Oregon) at receiver; and Dorian Thomas (New Mexico) at tight end. Lupoi brought in three more former Ducks on defense and good experience in the secondary including Ricky Fletcher (Ole Miss), Daniel Harris (Georgia) and Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Arizona).

Key additions : WR Tre Richardson , QB Lincoln Kienholz , TE Brody Foley - Key departures : WR Chris Bell , WR Caullin Lacy , DT Rene Konga - Top incoming recruits : QB Briggs Cherry , CB Jaydin Broadnax , OG Jarvis Strickland

Biggest coaching move : The Cardinals will have new leadership over the defense, although both co-coordinators come from within the staff in Steve Ellis and Mark Ivey. Ellis spent the past three seasons working with Louisville's cornerbacks, including former standout Quincy Riley, while Ivey has coached both linebackers and defensive line under Jeff Brohm and will continue working with the defensive front. Previous defensive coordinators Ron English and Mark Hagen are no longer with the staff. Paul Petrino, brother of former Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, begins his third stint on staff and will coach the tight ends.

What went wrong : Louisville had some obvious roster needs to address entering the portal window. This team is replacing five of its top six offensive linemen, with four graduating and guard Jordan Church transferring to Texas Tech. The Cardinals' top four wideouts in terms of targets all graduated and tight end Nate Kurisky transferred to Duke. On defense, Louisville needed to add a ton of talent on the line and in the secondary with just four full-time starters returning in pass rusher Clev Lubin , linebackers Antonio Watts and T.J. Capers , and corner Tayon Holloway . But Brohm and his staff have been restocking through the portal year after year, so that challenge was nothing new.

What went right : The Cardinals were extremely active in the portal as usual, but arguably their biggest win of all was getting star running back Isaac Brown locked in with a new deal that kept him from transferring. Brohm and his staff brought in another big portal class with more than 30 newcomers, replenishing their depth at receiver, defensive back and along both lines. The coaches are making a big bet on Kienholz, an unproven starter who played 131 snaps over three seasons as a backup at Ohio State,

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48627615/ranking-offseason-college-football-power-4-teams-2026)._