May 13, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The college football offseason used to feature slight to moderate turbulence from December to February, followed by a period of calm. Not anymore.

The offseason comes in waves, upending rosters and coaching staffs, sometimes more than once, before things settle down. Every team must be prepared to minimize losses and make significant gains. Those who succeed can make history. Those who fail can also make history. Just look at Indiana and Florida State in 2024.

ESPN college football reporters Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, Eli Lederman and Bill Connelly set out on the herculean task of ranking the offseasons for every Power 4 team, as well as national runner-up Notre Dame. Certain teams had more players enter the NFL draft or simply run out of eligibility than others. We took these losses into account but truly focused our analysis on three areas:

  1. Retention of key (non-draft-eligible) players

  2. Retention of key coaches or staff upgrades

  3. Player additions, primarily through the transfer portal but also high school recruits

All three elements matter as these teams build for conference relevance and College Football Playoff bids. An impressive portal haul doesn’t always equate to a great offseason, especially if the team is also losing players and coaches it wanted to keep. Teams that didn’t add much from the portal, but retained coveted players and assistant coaches, meanwhile, end up with offseasons to be celebrated.

Here are our conference-by-conference rankings and team breakdowns, as well as a national list of the 10 best offseasons.

Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12
Big Ten | Notre Dame | SEC | Overall top 10

ACC

Big 12

Key additions: DT Lee Hunter, OLB David Bailey, OT Howard Sampson

Key departures: RB Tahj Brooks, OL Caleb Rogers, WR Josh Kelly

Top incoming recruits: WR Bryson Jones, OG Connor Carty, OLB Brock Golwas

Biggest coaching move: Coach Joey McGuire has two new coordinators ahead of a much-anticipated season in Lubbock. Shiel Wood, who served as Troy’s defensive coordinator when the team won the Sun Belt and spent last season in the same role at Houston, will take over a Texas Tech defense that finished 121st nationally in points allowed. McGuire brought in Mack Leftwich, a rising star offensive coordinator much in the same mold as predecessor Zach Kittley, to lead the offense.

What went wrong: Not much! McGuire, GM James Blanchard and billionaire board chairman Cody Campbell set out to build the most talented roster in Texas Tech history this offseason and spared no expense in their efforts to compete for the best players in the portal. McGuire also went out and got exactly who he wanted for his coordinator vacancies. The one player Tech didn’t want to lose, five-star wideout Micah Hudson, has already returned after a brief stint at Texas A&M. Post-spring attrition was expected after reserves were supplanted by newcomers, and a total of 22 scholarship players have moved on since the end of the 8-5 season.

What went right: If you’re willing to spend millions on transfers, can you get anybody you want? The Red Raiders came pretty darn close. They’ve assembled one of the best defensive lines in the sport with the additions of Hunter, Bailey, Romello Height (Georgia Tech) and Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois). They made massive upgrades to their offensive line with Sampson, Illinois State’s Hunter Zambrano and Miami (Ohio)’s Will Jados leading the way. Miami (Ohio) transfer receiver Reggie Virgil and Louisiana transfer tight end Terrance Carter should be big-time playmakers, and the list of impact additions certainly doesn’t stop there. It’s one of the most ambitious offseason overhauls in college football history, creating playoff-or-bust expectations for this coaching staff and the loaded roster.

Connelly’s take: Tech’s 8-5 record was a bit of a mirage last season, propped up by a 6-1 record in one-score games. Joey McGuire will therefore need to get even more improvement out of this amazing transfer class than you might think at first glance. But this was indeed a spectacular offseason in Lubbock.

Big Ten

SEC

Overall top 10

1. LSU Tigers: A combination of player/staff retention and some much-needed portal upgrades puts coach Brian Kelly’s team in the top spot. The Tigers get quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for another year, brought back linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. from injury and addressed key positions through the portal, including wide receiver, safety and both lines.

2. Texas Tech Red Raiders: From a purely personnel standpoint, Texas Tech might have been the team of the offseason, doubling down in investments. The team retained general manager James Blanchard, made strong coordinator hires in Mack Leftwitch and Shiel Wood, and pounded the portal, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. A CFP push in Lubbock could be coming.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions: Not every great offseason stems from heavy portal additions. Penn State improved its roster, especially at a lagging wide receiver spot with Trebor Pena and others, but it also kept NFL prospects Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in the backfield, and made the top coordinator hire of the winter in Jim Knowles from Ohio State.

4. Oregon Ducks: Dan Lanning has made Oregon a place where people want to work and play. He retained almost his entire staff from the Big Ten championship team. The Ducks kept wide receiver Evan Stewart and several key defenders. They also added All-Big Ten defensive backs Dillon Thieneman and Theran Johnson, Doak Walker Award semifinalist Makhi Hughes and others from the portal.

5. Clemson Tigers: Coach Dabo Swinney’s aversion to transfers often made Clemson an unlikely candidate for a top offseason. But this winter, Swinney went to the portal for defensive end Will Heldt and others. Clemson also kept quarterback Cade Klubnik, talented defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and a dynamic group of receivers from the ACC championship team. He also upgraded the defensive staff with coordinator Tom Allen.

6. Oklahoma Sooners: OU needed a big offseason after a disappointing 2024 and delivered. An embattled offense landed the Pullman package deal of coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer from Washington State. OU added help around Mateer with running back Jaydn Ott and others. The team also has a clear personnel direction with Jim Nagy, the former Senior Bowl executive director.

7. Auburn Tigers: The financial clout we heard about during Auburn’s courtship of Lane Kiffin showed up this offseason. Auburn bolstered its receiving corps with Eric Singleton Jr. and others, added coveted offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin and gave quarterback Jackson Arnold a reset opportunity. Coach Hugh Freeze should have what he needs for a Year 3 breakthrough.

8. Miami Hurricanes: The Hurricanes’ inclusion here will undoubtedly trigger some eye rolls, but Miami continues to thrive in the offseason. Quarterback Carson Beck could be one of the best portal pickups, and Miami also added notable transfers at wide receiver, defensive back and offensive line. The team retained offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and made a strong defensive coordinator hire in Corey Hetherman.

9. Illinois Fighting Illini: When teams like Illinois have 10-win seasons, the biggest challenge is often retention. Coach Bret Bielema not only kept his staff together but brought back a group of NFL draft hopefuls, even fending off a late Tennessee push for quarterback Luke Altmyer. The Illini also kept national awards candidate Gabe Jacas in the linebacker corps and addressed their primary need at wide receiver through the portal.

10. Arizona State Sun Devils: After a shocking run to the Big 12 title and the CFP, Arizona State is positioned well for an encore. Coach Kenny Dillingham didn’t lose key assistants, has quarterback Sam Leavitt back in the fold along with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and others. ASU also helped its offensive backfield with running back Kanye Udoh and made other strong additions at wide receiver and in the secondary.