Ranking Big Ten football programs with the fewest transfers entering 2026 season

Seemingly every college football program out there wants a taste of the NCAA transfer portal. Teams in the Big Ten are no different. Some massive overhauls took place in the conference this season, as new head coaches took over.

>However, there are still some rosters without a ton of transfers on them. So, of the 18 Big Ten teams, which has the fewest? Let’s take a look at where each of them stands, beginning out West.

1. USC Trojans – 17 transfersEarly in his USC tenure, Lincoln Riley opted to raid the transfer portal. The goal was to find immediate success in Los Angeles, especially as the program moved into the Big Ten. For the most part, Riley’s plan failed.

>Now, the Trojans are investing heavily in high school recruiting. Transfer will still be taken here and there, just not at as big a volume.

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2. Iowa Hawkeyes – 19Of the 19 transfers on campus, 15 of them are from this past cycle. Fittingly enough, three of those 15 are special teams guys — two punters and a kicker.

>Elsewhere, it’s a lot of skill position players for Iowa. Both offensively and defensively, the Hawkeyes looked to shore up traditional positions of weakness.

3. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – 20Coming in at No. 3 on the list is Rutgers. Like the team above them, most of the 20 transfers are coming into the program this offseason. Nineteen of them, to be exact.

>A nice mix of position versatility is included in the bunch. Four cornerbacks stand out more than anything, meaning the secondary should look completely different.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes – 20Ohio State falls into a similar category as USC. The Buckeyes prefer to do most of their roster building through the high school ranks. As a result, transfers become more of a luxury.

>Everyone remembers how Ohio State won a national championship, finding a way to keep guys on campus. No reason to go away from the strategy.

5. Michigan Wolverines – 20Michigan is the first team on this list to have a first-year head coach. Retention was the name of the game, as the roster was not in a bad spot after the firing of Sherrone Moore.

>Kyle Whittingham will feel like the Wolverines are in a spot to compete right away. One of the more interesting teams entering ’26.

6. Maryland Terrapins – 23Maryland begins a three-team run of 23 transfers on the roster. Head coach Mike Locksley needs to find some wins after back-to-back 4-8 campaigns.

>The Terrapins are going to be rolling with a lot of their own guys, though. Not quite inside the top five in the Big Ten but just on the doorstep.

7. Indiana Hoosiers – 23Seeing Indiana so high on the list might feel odd. For the first two seasons of Curt Cignetti’s tenure, all you heard was about transfers. Now, they are in the lower half when it comes to the Big Ten.

>Even so, some key guys on the 2026 roster will have played elsewhere before. None bigger than quarterback Josh Hoover, making his way to IU from TCU.

8. Northwestern Wildcats – 23No, there are not too many transfers for Northwestern. However, some big-time names are coming to Evanston. Quarterback Aiden Chiles certainly stands out, as does linebacker Kobie McKinzie.

>If Northwestern is going to take the next step under David Braun, names like those need to step up. Hopefully, a good class for the Wildcats.

>10. Illinois Fighting Illini – 24 11. Nebraska Cornhuskers – 25 12. Minnesota Golden Gophers – 25 13. Washington Huskies – 29 14. Penn State Nittany Lions – 39 15. Michigan State Spartans – 39 16. Wisconsin Badgers – 42 17. Purdue Boilermakers – 49 18. UCLA Bruins – 55