ESPN Sleeper Portal Transfer Stars

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Not everybody had the luxury of working with budgets of $30 million to $40 million (or more!) when building out their college football rosters for 2026. Most programs had a ton of work to do during the January transfer window and had to move quickly while spending their money carefully.
No matter how much the market has changed in the past few years, successful transfer recruiting still comes down to sharp talent evaluation and the ability to identify under-the-radar or undervalued players capable of becoming good fits. And when more than 7,000 Division I transfers become available in a two-week window, lots of good players are going to slip through the cracks.

It's time once again for us to celebrate the September surprises. This is our annual all-sleeper team we put together four weeks into the season, composed of players who did not make ESPN's top 100 transfer rankings but have made strong first impressions in nonconference play.
The squad we put together last September featured unexpected Ole Miss stars Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy. Our 2024 team had a transfer QB on the rise at Vanderbilt named Diego Pavia and seven future NFL draft picks.
This year's September surprises include more hidden gems from the Group of 6, FCS and Division II among the many transfers making the most of their new opportunities early on this season.

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Offense:

QB: Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville
RB: Dilin Jones, LSU
RB: Jaylin Carter, Memphis
WR: Gavin Freeman, Baylor
WR: Chris Marshall, Arkansas
WR: Justin Bowick, Oklahoma State
TE: Hunter Tipton, Memphis
OT: Paki Finau, BYU
OT: Monroe Mills, Virginia
OG: Dylan Sikorski, Texas
OG: Charlie Adams, Kansas State
C: Brock Riker, Penn State
All-purpose: Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia

Defense:

Edge: Emmanuel Oyebadejo, Florida
Edge: Amaree Williams, Mississippi State
DT: Jireh Moe, Utah
DT: Eli Coenen, Michigan State
LB: Sammy Omosigho, UCLA
LB: Anthony Palano, Boston College
LB: Owen Chambliss, Nebraska
CB: Jalen Mayo, Houston
CB: Sione Laulea, Missouri
S: Kingston Lopa, Cal
S: Kaleb Beasley, Louisville
S: Dejuan Lane, Tennessee


Special Teams:

PK: Manaki Watanabe, Fresno State
P: Gabe Russo, Pitt
Returner: Zay Robinson, Penn State