Transfer portal or recruiting? How the CFP semifinalists built their rosters
The New York Times••sports
Key Points:
- The College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinalists for 2025 show a significant shift toward building rosters through transfers rather than traditional high school recruiting, with three of the four teams (Miami, Indiana, Ole Miss) having over half their starters as transfers.
- Indiana leads in transfer usage with nearly 65% of starts from transfers, including their starting quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, continuing a trend set by previous transfer QBs.
- Oregon remains the outlier with 57% of starts from recruits, reflecting strong high school recruiting success, especially on defense, while their offense features more transfers, notably on the offensive line.
- Ole Miss heavily relies on transfers (about 66%), particularly on offense
