Ranking the top-five Big Ten Football transfer portal additions for 2025

The transfer portal can change the outlook for a program in any given offseason, and some pivotal additions have been made around the Big Ten so far this offseason. Today, we’ll look at the five biggest moves around the Big Ten so far:

As we’ve seen in recent years, proper utilization of the transfer portal can change the outlook for college football programs over the course of one offseason. We saw that once again heading into 2024, as Big Ten schools like Oregon , Ohio State and Indiana used the portal to bolster their rosters and find success on the field.

That trend should hold up in the Big Ten once again in 2025, with several marquee players making their way to new schools. Today, we’ll be taking a look around the Big Ten and ranking the top five transfer portal additions made so far this offseason.

5. Max Klare TE (Purdue to Ohio State)

The addition of Max Klare to Ohio State’s passing attack is a prime example of the rich getting richer. While star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are coming back for their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively, the departure of Emeka Egbuka will leave a void over the middle of the field. That’s where the former Boilermaker can come in and make an immediate impact.

Although Ohio State doesn’t traditionally rely on tight ends heavily, Klare might represent the best player the Buckeyes have had at the position in quite some time. He finished the 2024 season with 651 yards, the second-most for a tight end in the Big Ten, and those numbers could climb even higher at a place like Ohio State. He has two years of eligibility remaining as well, meaning this could be more that he could be more than a one-year wonder in Columbus.

4. RB Makhi Hughes (Tulane to Oregon)

Plenty of Oregon’s offensive production is headed out the door. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, receivers Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson, as well as tight end Terrance Ferguson have all exhausted their eligibility. Meanwhile, leading rusher Jordan James will also be gone, leaving room at his position. That’s why the addition of Makhi Hughes could pay dividends for the Ducks.

Hughes comes over from Tulane, where he ran for 2,779 yards over the last two seasons. In 2024, he also showed some chops as a receiver, catching 19 passes for 176 yards. He’ll potentially be a part of a duo with Noah Whittington (should he return for his senior season), which could be one of the Big Ten’s best. In what should be a new-look offense for the Ducks led by quarterback Dante Moore, Hughes could be a big time playmaker in Eugene.

3. CB Tacario Davis (Arizona to Washington)

While Washington finished at 6-6 in its first season in the Big Ten, Jedd Fisch should have the Huskies in position to take a step forward in 2025. Defensive back has been a position that’s seen some departures for Washington this offseason, as Thaddeus Dixon, Elijah Jackson and Jordan Shaw all entered the transfer portal. That makes the addition of Tacario Davis all the more important.

Davis was ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the transfer portal by On3 and was a second-team All-Big 12 performer this past season. He registered 43 tackles and broke up six passes as a junior in 2024. He’ll join his former Arizona teammate Ephesians Prysock in the Washington secondary. Don’t rule out Dixon coming back either to even further bolster the position group.

2. S Dillon Thieneman (Purdue to Oregon)

As a true freshman in 2023, Dillon Thieneman asserted himself as one of the better defensive backs in the Big Ten for an otherwise dismal Purdue squad. He was impressive enough to earn third-team All-American honors from the AP as well. In 2024, he tied for the fifth-most tackles in the Big Ten with 104 before transferring to Oregon.

Thieneman will enter the 2025 season as the best defensive back in the conference and represents a huge addition for the Ducks, who will be losing their top two safeties, Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson. He’ll lead the way for the Oregon defense alongside returning stars Bryce Boettcher and Matayo Uiagalelei.

1. QB Fernando Mendoza (Cal to Indiana)

Indiana was the poster child for the transfer portal in 2024, bringing in 31 new players to help propel an 11-2 season in Curt Cignetti’s first year. The biggest addition was Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who asserted himself as one of the best at his position in all of college football in 2024. The Hoosiers will try to replicate that success in 2025 with Fernando Mendoza, Cal’s breakout star.

It was a bit of a surprise when Mendoza entered the portal, but Indiana will surely welcome him nonetheless. He finished the season with 3,004 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, but those numbers could be even better in what figures to be a more productive and more well-coached Indiana offense. Cignetti is determined to prevent Indiana from once again being a cellar dweller in the Big Ten, and the addition of Mendoza, one of the portal’s biggest names at quarterback, is a testament to that effort.

Other notable portal additions: QB Mark Gronowski (Iowa), RB Justice Haynes (Michigan), WR Dane Key (Nebraska), Edge Williams Nwaneri (Nebraska), OT Isaiah World (Oregon), WR Nyziah Hunter (Nebraska), WR Johntay Cook (Washington), OT Ethan Onianwa (Ohio State), OT Alex Harkey (Oregon), OT Elijah Pritchett (Nebraska), DL Keeshawn Silver (USC)