The transfer portal will have a major impact on determining the next college football national champion.
It’s the state of the game now.
Fernando Mendoza and Carson Beck, the first two starting quarterbacks from Florida high schools to face off in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, both were in the transfer portal a year ago.
Several impact players from Florida high schools were in the portal and will be counted on heavily at their new schools.
Former Venice star edge rusher Damon Wilson will be counted on at Miami to help replace Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
Former Wiregrass Ranch quarterback Rocco Becht followed Matt Campbell to Penn State and will lead the Nittany Lions offense in the fall.
LSU cleaned up with players like Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (IMG), Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown (Choctawhatchee) and Ole Miss wide receiver Winston Watkins (Venice).
Here’s a look at some of the top players from Florida high schools who moved in the portal in January:
RB CJ Baxter
Transferred from Texas to Kentucky
Baxter (Edgewater) was a five-star recruit out of high school who rushed for 659 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman in 2023. He battled injuries the past two seasons and finished the 2025 season with 196 yards and a receiving touchdown in eight games.
QB Rocco Becht
Transferred from Iowa State to Penn State
Becht (Wiregrass Ranch) seemed like an obvious fit in Happy Valley considering former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell took the job at Penn State. One of the most experienced quarterbacks in the nation, Becht threw for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for eight scores in 2025.
IOL Brendan Black
Transferred from Iowa State to Nebraska
Black (Bolles) brings a wealth of starting experience to Nebraska. He’s played in 36 career games over the past three seasons, starting 30 games. In 2025, Black played in all 12 games and made 10 starts at right guard.
WR Jayce Brown
Transferred from Kansas State to LSU
Brown (Choctawhatchee), a third team All-Big 12 selection in 2025, went under the radar through much of the recruiting process but has caught 40-plus passes in back-to-back seasons for the Wildcats. He led the team with 41 catches for 712 yards and five touchdowns this season.
IOL Jordan Church
Transferred from Louisville to Texas Tech
Church (IMG) spent his first two years at FAU before playing in Louisville in 2025. Church played in all 13 games for the Cardinals and made three starts at right guard. He surrendered just one sack last season.
RB Jerrick Gibson
Transferred from Texas to Purdue
Gibson (IMG) played two seasons at Texas, making two career starts. In 2025, Gibson had 37 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown in four games before redshirting.
CB Chris Graves Jr.
Transferred from Ole Miss to Missouri
Graves (Naples) is coming off a big season at Ole Miss, when he made nine starts and played in 15 games for the Rebels CFP semifinal team. Graves, who started his college career at Miami, had 33 tackles and four pass breakups in 2025.
CB Daniel Harris
Transferred from Georgia to Cal
Harris (Gulliver Prep) played 27 games at Georgia the past three seasons. His best year was 2024, when he had 22 tackles and broke up three passes in 13 games. Harris recorded seven tackles in eight games this past season.
WR Vandrevius Jacobs
Transferred from South Carolina to Miami
Jacobs (Vero Beach) just wrapped up his second season at South Carolina after starting his college career at Florida State. He caught 32 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
RB Ja’Kobi Jackson
Transferred from Florida to Ohio State
Jackson (Pensacola Catholic) started his college career at Coahoma Community College before transferring to Florida for the 2023 season. After rushing for 509 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, Jackson had 27 carries for 98 yards last season.
S Edwin Joseph
Transferred from Florida State to Ole Miss
Joseph (Chaminade-Madonna) left the Seminoles after a breakout season in 2025. He finished the year with 37 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and three interceptions in 10 starts.
EDGE Keon Keeley
Transferred from Alabama to Notre Dame
Keeley (Berkeley Prep) is a former five-star recruit and was the top rated pass rusher in the 2023 class. The redshirt sophomore had 16 tackles and three sacks in 13 games in 2025.
S Earl Little Jr.
Transferred from Florida State to Ohio State
Little (American Heritage) spent his first two seasons at Alabama before playing the past two years at Florida State. A second-team All-ACC selection in 2025, Little had 76 tackles, two tackles for loss, four interceptions, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles this past season.
CB Bo Mascoe
Transferred from Rutgers to Texas
Mascoe (Kissimmee) earned All-Big Ten honors in 2025 when he started all 12 games for the Scarlet Knights. He finished the season with 53 tackles, two tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception and two forced fumbles.
WR Micah Mays Jr.
Transferred from Wake Forest to Florida
Mays (Benjamin) was a four-star recruit and U.S. Army All-American at Benjamin. He had 18 catches for 302 yards (16.8 yards per catch) and scored two touchdowns in 2025.
WR Lawayne McCoy
Transferred from Florida State to Louisville
McCoy (Miami Central) played in 20 games the past two seasons and made seven starts in 2025. He set career highs with 27 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns. McCoy became the fourth FSU player to catch touchdown passes against Miami, Clemson and Florida in the same season.
QB Alberto Mendoza
Transferred from Indiana to Georgia Tech
Mendoza (Columbus) is the younger brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Alberto Mendoza appeared in nine games in 2025. He completed 18 of 24 passes for five touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 190 yards and a score.
WR Aidan Mizell
Transferred from Florida to UCLA
Mizell (Boone) was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class. In three seasons with the Gators, Mizell played in 21 games and caught 38 passes. He had a career-best 19 catches for 177 yards and a score in eight games in 2025.
EDGE Elo Modozie
Transferred from Georgia to Purdue
Modozie (Bartram Trail) started his career at Army before spending last season as a reserve linebacker at Georgia. Modozie had eight tackles in 13 games for the Bulldogs, including a season-best three tackles against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoffs.
TE Randy Pittman Jr.
Transferred from Florida State to SMU
Pittman (Mosley) started his college career at UCF before spending last season in Tallahassee. He caught 23 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns and had seven carries for 37 yards and three touchdowns. Pittman became the third player in FSU history to catch, run and throw a touchdown in the same game.
WR Shamar Rigby
Transferred from Oklahoma State to Wisconsin
Rigby (Clearwater Central Catholic) is on the move again. He played his freshman year at Purdue in 2024 and before spending last season with the Cowboys. Rigby caught 26 passes for 351 yards and a score and also threw a 63-yard touchdown pass in 2025.
OT Jordan Seaton
Transferred from Colorado to LSU
Seaton (IMG) was the top-ranked tackle and one of the biggest prizes in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound sophomore started 22 games at Colorado the past two seasons and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2025.
QB Austin Simmons
Transferring from Ole Miss to Missouri
Simmons (Pahokee) was a four-star recruit who started the 2025 season as the starter at Ole Miss before suffering an ankle injury and opening the door for Trinidad Chambliss to take over. Simmons threw for 744 yards and four touchdowns this season.
S Omar Thornton
Transferred from Boston College to Miami
Thornton (American Heritage)
Thornton had a breakout season in 2025 when he played in all 12 games with 11 starts and earned All-ACC honorable mention. He finished the season with 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two sacks and an interception.
WR Joshisa Trader
Transferred from Miami to North Carolina State
Trader (Chaminade-Madonna) was one of the top receiver recruits in the country in the 2024 class as part of a loaded roster that includes current NC State starting quarterback CJ Bailey. Trader caught 13 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown for Miami in 2025.
WR Raiden Vines-Bright
Transferred from Washington to Arizona State
Vines-Bright (IMG) played in Tempe before playing at IMG and now is returning home after one season with Washington. Vines-Bright started seven games and was the Huskies fifth leading receiver in 2025, catching 24 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.
WR Winston Watkins
Transferred from Ole Miss to LSU
Watkins (Venice) leaves Ole Miss after his true freshman season to reunite with former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge. Watkins appeared in all 15 games for Ole Miss in 2025, catching 26 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown.
EDGE/TE Amaree Williams
Transferred from Florida State to Mississippi State
After playing only tight end as a true freshman in 2024, Williams (Benjamin) played both offense and defense for the Seminoles in 2025. He caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, while also recording 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in last season.
CB Jontez Williams
Transferred from Iowa State to USC
Williams (Bradford) was one of the premier defensive players available in the portal. Ranked the No. 1 cornerback in the portal by both On3 and 247Sports, Williams had 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and an interception in five games before suffering a season-ending injury in late September.
EDGE Damon Wilson II
Transferred from Missouri to Miami
Wilson (Venice) was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2025. The former Georgia player recorded 23 tackles, nine sacks and 40 quarterback hurries in his lone season at Missouri.
WR Eugene Wilson III
Transferred from Florida to LSU
Wilson (Gaither) earned True Freshman All-American honors in 2023 but has dealt with injuries the past two seasons. He caught 27 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Gators in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Transfer portal: Best players from Florida switching football teams
Reporting by Jon Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
