College
How Sarkisian’s Portal Pivot Signals a New Era for the Sport
College football’s traditional recruiting model collapsed in 2025, as transfer portal power reshaped the CFP, flattened the SEC’s edge, and redefined how championships are built.
The 2025 college football season will go down in history as the year that broke the old-school method of team building.
Four of the top five transfer portal classes heading into 2025 were signed by Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Miami. Each of those programs reached at least the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff and are a combined 7-3 so far in the tournament with Miami still alive. Oregon was the only one of the four to sign a Top 10 recruiting class in 2025. Miami signed the 14th best class, Ole Miss landed at 19, and Tech checked in at 43. Indiana, the overwhelming favorite to win the championship, landed the 53rd best recruiting class but the 13th-ranked portal class in 2025.
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