2026 State Of North Carolina
Football Transfer Portal Entries
(Outgoing; Tiered Rankings)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Jan. 4, 2026)
NOTE: For updated lists of the in-state FBS programs’ INCOMING transfers, please click HERE. For updated lists of OUTGOING transfers from each of the ACC’s 17 programs, please click HERE.
Thanks to the NCAA’s creation of the transfer portal in 2018, then the organization’s revolutionary 2021 rule change that allowed first-time transfers to be immediately eligible at their new school, the manner in which college football teams are built and sustained has changed dramatically.
During the 2024-25 school year, more than 4,900 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players and more than 3,200 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) players entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal, in another record-setting year for transfer movement.
Adding talent is only part of wisely managing the transfer portal era, though. Coaches now spend countless hours trying to keep their own top talent, too.
Meanwhile, the modern rules governing departing players have changed almost every year.
In football, NCAA rules now provide for only a single transfer portal window each year. The 2025-26 window for both FBS and FCS players is Jan. 2-16.
That’s a major change from the framework during the 2024-25 cycle, in which there was an early window (Dec. 9-28) and a late window (April 16-25), with the latter designed to follow spring practice. Both of those windows had been shortened from those in the 2023-24 transfer cycle.
Although a player can announce his intent to transfer at any time, he cannot enter his name in the NCAA transfer portal until Jan. 2 at the earliest. That official action enables other schools to contact the player — any direct or indirect contact prior to that would violate NCAA tampering rules — and set up campus visits, if desired, but virtually everyone agrees that two-way communication (often involving player agents) and even private commitments already are commonplace, meaning many transfer decisions will be announced as the portal opens and without any campus trips.
The new 15-day transfer portal windows opens one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals conclude. Players on the two teams competing in the CFP national championship game on Jan. 19 will get an additional five-day period, from Jan. 20 to 24, to enter the portal.
In another revised rules wrinkle, if a school fires its head coach before or after the portal window, that school’s players will get a 15-day window to transfer that opens five days after the school has hired or announced its next head coach.
In each scenario, the portal window dates govern the timing of a player’s entry into the portal, not the timing of his ultimate transfer decision, although academic calendars (e.g., most major universities begin their 2026 spring semester on Jan. 12 or Jan. 19) often impact the exact timing of a player’s move.
With this year’s portal in mind, the 2026 outgoing transfers from North Carolina’s seven Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs, divided according to their contributions to the program they’re departing, are listed below.
Important reminder: Under NCAA rules, a player who puts his name in the portal retains the option to stay at his current school without jeopardizing his eligibility. Each year, a very small percentage of potential transfers withdraw from the portal and are welcomed back to their current teams.
Although each player’s situation is unique, generally speaking, schools aren’t concerned about losing little-used veterans or others buried on the depth chart. Often, those transfers can become win-win situations, in which the player finds more playing time elsewhere and the school he’s leaving now has one additional scholarship to offer to an incoming transfer or to a high school senior.
On the other hand, losing proven stars is almost always a bad sign. Losing productive starters is often (but not always) a cause for alarm, too.
Stars
East Carolina S Ja’Marley Riddle, Jr. (1st-team All-AAC; 2-year starter; 134 career tackles, 7.5 TFL, 16 PD, 6 INT)
NC State RB Hollywood Smothers, r-Jr. (1st-team All-ACC; 17 career starts, 249 carries, 1,510 yards, 15 TDs; ex-Oklahoma)
Multi-Year Starters/Other All-Conference Honorees
App State PK Dominic De Freitas, So. (3rd-team All-Sun Belt; 21-27 FG, long 49, 33-33 PAT)
App State DT Rondo Porter, r-Sr. (starter; HM All-Sun Belt; 36 tackles, 5 TFL; ex-South Carolina)
East Carolina QB Katin Houser, r-Sr., (2-year starter; 531-846 career passing, 6,438 yards, 43 TD, 22 INT, ex-Michigan State) — ILLINOIS
East Carolina LT Jimarion McCrimon, r-Jr. (2-year starter; 1st-team All-AAC; 6-5, 307 pounds)
East Carolina OG Emmanuel Poku, r-Sr. (2-year starter, 2nd-team All-AAC; 6-5, 326 pounds)
East Carolina WR Yannick Smith, Jr. (starter; 3rd-team All-AAC; 14 career starts, 69 catches, 1,017 yards, 8 TD)
North Carolina LB Khmori House, Jr. (starter; HM All-ACC; team-leading 78 tackles; ex-Washington)
NC State WR Noah Rogers, r-Jr. (2-year starter; 22 career starts, 68 catches, 919 yards, 3 TD)
Wake Forest WR/KR Chris Barnes, r-So. (starter; 3rd-team All-ACC KR, HM All-ACC AP; ex-Washington State)
Other Regular Starters
App State WR/PR Jaden Barnes, Sr. (starter, 55 catches, 608 yards, 7 TD; ex-Austin Peay)
App State CB Elijah Mc-Cantos, r-Sr. (starter; 13 career starts, 77 tackles, 2 INT; ex-Illinois)
App State LS Jacob Poff, So. (starter as true freshman)
App State P Ian Ratliff, r-Jr. (starter; 44-yard average; ex-Texas)
Charlotte PK Liam Boyd, Gr. (starter; 13-16 career FG, 25-25 PAT; ex-Clemson/UNC)
Charlotte OG Mo Clipper Jr., r-Sr. (starter; 6-5, 315 pounds; ex-Tennessee)
Charlotte S Cary Grant, r-Sr. (starter; 45 tackles, 2.5 TFL; 2024 redshirt; ex-juco)
Charlotte WR Javen Nicholas, r-Sr. (starter; 64 career catches, 766 yards, 5 TD; ex-LSU)
East Carolina RB London Montgomery, r-Jr. (starter; 227 career carries, 1,101 yards, 9 TD)
East Carolina TE Desirrio Riles, Sr. (starter; 15 career starts, 45 catches, 475 yards, 4 TD)
Wake Forest WR Micah Mays Jr., r-Jr., (2024 starter, 13 career starts, 34 catches, 520 yards, 4 TD)
Part-Time Starters
App State S DJ Burks, r-Sr. (12 career starts, 125 tackles, 4 TFL, 5 PD, 2 INT)
App State LB/DE Thomas Davis, r-Sr. (2025 starter; 14 career starts, 90 tackles, 13 TFL; ex-Miami)
App State WR Davion Dozier, r-Jr. (7 starts in 2025; 20 catches, 448 yards, 5 TD; ex-Arkansas)
App State QB JJ Kohl, r-Jr. (6 starts in 2025; 142-227 career passing, 1,488 yards, 12 TD, 2 INT; ex-Iowa State)
App State DT Dylan Manuel, Jr. (2025 starter; 33 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 INT; ex-Charleston Southern) — COLORADO
App State OG Griffin Scroggs, r-Sr. (9 career starts; 6-3, 330 pounfd; ex-Georgia)
App State QB AJ Swann, r-Sr. (18 career starts at Vandy/LSU/App; 354-620 passing, 4,236 yards, 32 TD, 17 INT)
Charlotte CB Dwight Bootle II, r-Sr. (6 starts in 2025; 40 career tackles, 1 FR, 1 PD; ex-Nebraska)
Charlotte WR Miles Burris, Jr. (5 starts in 2025; 16 career catches, 198 yards)
Charlotte RB Rod Gainey Jr., r-So. (3 starts in 2025; 84 career carries, 294 yards, 1 TD)
Charlotte OT Tyler Gibson, r-Sr. (6 starts in 2025; 6-5, 310 pounds; ex-Georgia Tech)
Charlotte DE Curtis Simpson, r-So. (3 career starts, 30 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks; ex-UNC)
East Carolina TE Jayvontay Conner, r-Jr. (7 starts in 2025; 25 catches, 342 yards, 4 TD; ex-Ole Miss) — VANDERBILT
East Carolina RB Parker Jenkins, Sr. (3 starts in 2025; 191 career carries, 754 yards, 5 TD; ex-Houston)
North Carolina OT William Boone, r-Jr. (3 UNC starts before injury; 6-6, 340 pounds; ex-juco/Prairie View A&M)
North Carolina OT Trevyon Green, r-Sr. (left team 2025; 13 starts in 2024; 6-7, 340 pounds)
North Carolina TE Jake Johnson, r-Sr. (primary 2025 TE; 6 career starts, 43 catches, 402 yards, 5 TDs at A&M/UNC)
North Carolina QB Max Johnson, Gr. (24 career starts at LSU/A&M/UNC; 540-890 passing, 6,355 yards, 49 TD, 13 INT)
NC State WR Terrell Anderson, Jr. (5 starts in 2025; 53 career catches, 787 yards, 6 TD)
Contributing Reserves
App State WR William Fowles, r-Jr. (4 career starts, 9 catches, 122 yards, 0 TD; ex-Louisville)
App State TE Kanen Hamlett, r-Sr. (4 career starts, 17 catches, 177 yards, 4 TD)
App State LB Brayshawn Littlejohn, r-Jr. (2025 backup; 38 career tackles, 4.5 TFL; ex-Missouri)
App State OL Denell Nix Jr., So. (2 starts in 2025 as true freshman)
Charlotte RB Don Chaney Jr., r-Sr. (left team 2025; 225 career carries, 1,030 yards, 9 TD; ex-Miami/Louisville)
Charlotte DE Yamil Talib, r-So. (2 career starts, 37 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks; ex-Oklahoma State) — COLORADO
Charlotte QB Zach Wilcke, r-Sr. (2025 backup; 9 career starts at Southern Miss/Charlotte)
Duke QB Henry Belin IV, Gr. (2 career starts, 46-82 passing, 540 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT)
Duke RB Peyton Jones, r-Jr. (1 career start; 2025 backup; 112 career carries, 422 yards, 5 TD)
East Carolina CB Key Crowell, Jr. (2025 backup; 2024 starter at Indianapolis)
East Carolina OC Dru McClough, r-So. (injured 2025; 6-3, 299 pounds; 2024 starter at Presbyterian)
North Carolina WR Chris Culliver, Sr. (1 career start, 2025 backup; 12 career catches, 276 yards, 3 TD)
North Carolina RB Davion Gause, Jr. (1 career start; 2025 backup; 128 career carries, 585 yards, 7 TD)
North Carolina WR/PR Javarius Green, r-So. (2025 backup; 14 career catches, 162 yards)
North Carolina OT Miles McVay, r-Jr. (2025 backup; 6-6, 350 pounds; ex-Alabama)
North Carolina DE Tyler Thompson, r-Jr. (2025 backup; 32 career tackles, 8.5 TFL, 7 sacks)
North Carolina S Malcolm Ziglar, Jr. (2025 backup; 13 career tackles, 1 INT)
NC State OT Val Erickson, r-Sr. (2 career starts; 2025 backup; 6-5, 320 pounds; ex-Missouri) — LIBERTY
NC State LB Kelvon McBride, r-Jr. (2025 backup; 19 career tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack)
NC State OL Brock Stukes, r-Jr. (DNP 2025/redshirt; 2023/2024 starter at North Carolina A&T)
Wake Forest RB Tate Carney, r-Sr. (1 career start; 133 career carries, 592 yards, 10 TD)
Wake Forest DT Mateen Ibirogba, r-Sr. (75 career tackles, 14.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks; ex-Georgetown)
Wake Forest TE Harry Lodge, r-Sr. (6 career starts; 2025 backup; 12 career catches, 190 yards)
Wake Forest WR Reginald Vick Jr., r-Sr. (2025 backup; 2024 HBCU A-A at Virginia Union)
Others
App State RB Khamani Alexander, r-So. (career reserve)
App State LB Jayden Bethea, r-Jr. (career reserve)
App State RB Jaylon Calhoun, r-So. (DNP 2025; career reserve)
App State CB Cristian Conyer, Sr. (career reserve; ex-Tennessee/CCU)
App State OL Felix Doege, r-So. (career reserve)
App State DT Bucci Farmer, r-So. (career reserve)
App State OL Gabe Funk, r-So. (career reserve)
App State RB Khalifa Keith, r-Jr. (career reserve; ex-Tennessee)
App State LB Marquis Lane-Owens, r-So. (career reserve; ex-Coffeyville CC)
App State WR Chris Lawson Jr., r-Jr. (career reserve)
App State WR Jose Leon, r-So. (career reserve)
App State DT KJ Liles Jr., r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
App State DB Ja’Torian Mack, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
App State LB/DE AJ Mebane, r-So. (DNP 2025; 2023 redshirt)
App State DB Kaleb Neal, r-So. (career reserve)
App State DB Ashton Parker, r-So. (career reserve)
App State DB Ty Sanders, r-So. (career reserve)
App State OL Moritz Schmoranzer, r-So. (career reserve; ex-Pittsburgh)
App State QB/DB Matthew Wilson, r-So. (career reserve)
Charlotte RB Jake Davids, r-So. (career reserve)
Charlotte RB Duke Guenther, r-So. (career reserve)
Charlotte OL Aiden Martinez, r-Fr. (DNP 2025; 2024 redshirt)
Charlotte OL Eli Samples, r-Sr. (career reserve; ex-ECU/juco)
Duke DT Desmond Aladuge, r-Jr. (career reserve)
Duke TE Vance Bolyard, r-Jr. (career reserve)
Duke CB Kyren Condoll, r-So. (career reserve)
Duke CB Vontae Floyd, r-So. (2025 backup/redshirt)
Duke S Kenzy Paul, r-Jr. (DNP 2024/2025; career reserve)
Duke DT Terry Simmons Jr., r-Jr. (career reserve)
Duke OT Jack Small, r-So. (career reserve)
Duke WR Chase Tyler, r-So. (career reserve; 4-star GA HS prospect)
Duke S Maliki Wright, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
East Carolina LB Kendric Davis, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
East Carolina QB Raheim Jeter, r-Jr. (career reserve)
East Carolina DB Bernard Lackey Jr., r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
East Carolina DB O’Marion Lewis, r-So. (career reserve)
East Carolina WR Jyron Waiters, r-So. (career reserve)
North Carolina LB Austin Alexander, So. (2025 backup)
North Carolina DT Devin Ancrum, r-Fr. (2025 backup/redshirt)
North Carolina QB Bryce Baker, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt; 4-star NC HS prospect)
North Carolina WR Paul Billups II, r-So. (career reserve)
North Carolina CB Khalil Conley, r-So. (2025 backup)
North Carolina TE Connor Cox, r-Jr. (2025 backup; ex-South Carolina)
North Carolina WR Aziah Johnson, r-So. (left team 2025; ex-Michigan State)
North Carolina RB Jaylon Nichols, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
North Carolina OL Jani Norwood, r-So. (career reserve)
North Carolina LB Chinedu Onyeagoro, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
North Carolina WR Jason Robinson Jr., r-So. (DNP 2025; 2024 redshirt at Washington)
North Carolina TE/DE Yasir Smith, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
North Carolina DT Kamarion Thomas, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
North Carolina WR Kenedy Uzoma, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
North Carolina DB Ty White, r-So. (career reserve; 4-star GA HS prospect)
NC State DE Josh Alexander-Felton, r-So. (career reserve)
NC State WR Tank Boston, r-So. (career reserve)
NC State S Daemon Fagan, r-Jr. (career reserve; 4-star FL HS prospect)
NC State LB Elijah Groves, r-So. (career reserve; 4-star TN HS prospect)
NC State S Zack Myers, r-Jr. (career reserve)
NC State LB Joshua Ofor, r-So. (career reserve)
NC State OT Darion Rivers, r-Jr. (career reserve)
NC State DT Justin Terrell, r-So. (career reserve)
NC State WR Christian Zachary, r-So. (career reserve)
Wake Forest DB Jacob Cosby-Mosley, r-So. (career reserve)
Wake Forest DE Cole Funderburk, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
Wake Forest WR Ben Grice, r-So. (2025 redshirt)
Wake Forest DL Kendal Howard, r-So. (career reserve)
Wake Forest OL Derrell Johnson II, r-Sr. (career reserve)
Wake Forest LB Darius Jones, r-So. (career reserve)
Wake Forest QB Elijah Oehike, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
Wake Forest OL Nathan Pahanich, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
Wake Forest RB Drew Pickett, r-Jr. (career reserve)
Wake Forest WR EJ Reid, r-So. (career reserve)
Wake Forest DT Ka’Shawn Thomas, r-Jr. (career reserve)
Wake Forest DB William Wiebush, r-Fr. (2025 redshirt)
NOTE1: Eligibility listed is for upcoming (2026) season.
NOTE2: Non-scholarship players (walk-ons) are not included.
NOTE3: References to high school recruiting rankings from 247 Sports Composite.
NOTE4: Some graduate students (Gr.) have multiple seasons of eligibility remaining.
