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Operation Sports

Kyler Wolff

The Best Players in EA CFB26 Entering the Transfer Portal, and Where They are Landing.

EA SPORTS CFB Makhi Hughes Colorado (Organization) Darian Mensah Terry Moore Duke Miami Oregon (Organization) Auburn

With the College Football Transfer Portal mostly closed (there is an exception for players on Miami and Indiana who will be playing in the National Championship game), we’ve seen most of the craziness of the CFB offseason come and go. Most big-time transfers have made up their minds (with a few noticeable exceptions still contemplating where to play next season), and we now have a solid idea of which players will be on which teams next season.

There are still some open questions regarding players entering the draft, players suing for eligibility, and, of course, positional competitions in the spring that will help shake out what the full 2026 rosters will look like for EA CFB27, but this past week or two has illuminated much of what we will see regarding rosters next year.

This transfer window has been fast and vast, with over 3,200 Division 1 players and over 10,000 total players all entering the portal. I know it can be hard to keep track, so I made a little list of the top EA CFB26 players, ranked by overall rating, to hit the portal, and which teams these players are headed to.

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4.8

1: Shadre Hurst, Tulane, LG, 93 Overall

Transferring To Houston

Shadre Hurst is a beast guard who is coming off of back-to-back 1st team all-conference selections in the AAC. He will be re-joining his former coach, Willie Fritz, who is now the head coach at Houston. Interestingly, he will also be joining Makhi Hughes, who played with him at Tulane in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to Oregon this past offseason. Despite Hughes also being a 90+ overall player at the time of his transfer to Oregon, he was still buried on the Ducks’ depth chart and never got quality snaps this season.

The Hughes scenario from last year just goes to show you that high overall ratings in CFB, particularly if the player is in the group of five, don’t necessarily mean they’ll be impactful playmakers in the future. We’ll have to see if Hurst ends following in Hughes non-impactful footsteps, or if Hurst (and Hughes, for that matter) can capitalize on their high expectations on a power four roster.

2: Rasheem Biles, Pitt, SAM, 92 Overall

Transferring To Texas

After a season in which Biles broke out for 107 tackles, 17 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and an eye-popping three defensive touchdowns, he will now transfer to the highest level of college football to try to solidify his draft status heading into 2027. He should be a solid replacement for Anthony Hill Jr., who will be entering the 2026 NFL draft.

Biles, the Columbus, Ohio native, didn’t appear interested in joining his hometown team and seemed to narrow his search to Miami, Texas, and Michigan before choosing to head south and play for the Longhorns.

3: Terry Moore, Duke, FS, 92 Overall

Transferring To Ohio State

Following the trend of transfers going to a school to replace elite defenders entering the draft, we have Terry Moore, who is hoping to replace Caleb Downs in Columbus. Despite Moore’s high rating in CFB26, he did not play at all this season after tearing his ACL in the 2024 Gator Bowl. He ended up taking a redshirt year this past season and is now hoping to realize his high potential and hype that he built after a great 2024 season for the Blue Devils.

He will certainly have to prove his health and that he’s still got what it takes to be an impact player, but he certainly has the raw skill to fill a hole in Ohio State’s secondary. We’ll have to see if he can win the starting job in the Spring and earn himself another high player rating from EA.

4: Jordan Seaton, Colorado, LT, 92 Overall

Hasn’t Committed Yet

Jordan Seaton is taking his sweet time after transferring out of Colorado after a fairly disappointing season for the Buffaloes. He should have the ability to start at left tackle at most universities in the country after earning 1st team freshmen All-American in 2024 and putting up similarly dominant play in 2025. My guess for where he winds up would be either LSU or Oregon, given their NIL funds and need at the position.

5: Darian Mensah, Duke, QB 91 Overall

Hasn’t Committed Yet, Although Miami Is The Likeliest Outcome

Mensah shocked the college football world last week by deciding to enter the portal late and spurning Duke, with whom he had re-signed earlier this season. Mensah is the highest-rated CFB26 QB in the transfer portal and, of course, is elite in the game given how great the Duke playbook and offensive scheme are.

His real life play has definitely lagged behind his in-game performance, but he could realize his potential for a new team, perhaps a Miami team that will be ready to run it back next season after making it to the national championship game this year, they could definitely use a replacement for super-senior Carson Beck who will (god willing) be finally forced to leave college after this season.