School soccer gamers nonetheless have till Jan. 16 to enter the switch portal, however a number of have already made strikes to drastically alter the 2026 season panorama.
Beneath, we check out 5 groups which have taken the largest strides towards enchancment by the portal’s first 10 days.
LSU Tigers
LSU’s offense cratered in 2025, ending the yr No. 103 in scoring (22.8 factors per sport). Whereas Lane Kiffin’s hiring made a rebound seemingly, till Monday, he did not have a confirmed quarterback. That modified when the Tigers added former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has thrown for 4,652 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions whereas including 816 speeding yards and 10 speeding touchdowns in his first three collegiate seasons.
Leavitt may have a full cupboard of weapons at his disposal after Kiffin beforehand loaded up at large receiver, including Hawaii’s Jackson Harris, a 2025 All-Mountain West workforce member, Eugene Wilson III (Florida Gators), Jayce Brown (Kansas State), Tre Brown (Previous Dominion), Malik Elzy (Illinois), and Winston Watkins Jr., an Ole Miss commit within the 2025 class.
Harris can take the highest off defenses, ending his sophomore yr with 49 receptions, 963 yards (19.7 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. Jayce and Tre Brown (no relation) even have big-play capacity; Jayce has averaged 17.1 yards per reception over the primary three years of his collegiate profession, whereas Tre exploded for 20.1 yards per catch as a sophomore for the Monarchs. Wilson and Elzy have much less manufacturing, however as upperclassmen coming in from different energy convention packages, they’re going to present invaluable depth for a new-look unit.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The cavalry is coming.
Head coach Eric Morris is bringing a big crew with him from North Texas, which completed the season a win shy of clinching a School Soccer Playoff berth, however none is extra essential than quarterback Drew Mestemaker. He threw for an FBS-high 4,379 yards this season whereas finishing 68.9 p.c of his passes. Oklahoma State passers, in the meantime, mixed for two,089 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025. The Cowboys wanted to enhance at quarterback, and so they landed one of the prolific obtainable because of their head coach.
Texas Longhorns
Quarterback Arch Manning was up-and-down in his first season however ended on a excessive notice within the Citrus Bowl. The optimistic momentum has continued into the offseason, with the Longhorns taking main strides to enhance an offense that sputtered of their three losses. Texas signed former NC State operating again Hollywood Smothers, who averaged 5.9 yards per try and scored six touchdowns on 160 carries in 2025. This system additionally added one of many portal’s most gifted wideouts, Cam Coleman, from Auburn.
Virginia Tech Hokies
First-year head coach James Franklin has shortly rebuilt a porous protection that allowed 30.2 factors per sport in 2025, which ranked No. 106 within the nation. He introduced in a number of former Penn State recruits, with rising senior linebacker Keon Wylie a possible anchor. Expert Troy nook Jaquez White had three interceptions and 11 passes defended as a junior and gives stability within the defensive backfield. Franklin additionally bolstered the entrance with underclassmen, permitting the unit to develop collectively.
West Virginia Mountaineers
After rating No. 110 in scoring (21.8 factors per sport) in Wealthy Rodriguez’s first season of his second stint in Morgantown, the longtime head coach went again to his earlier stomping floor to kickstart a turnaround. West Virginia added three All-Convention USA members from Jacksonville State, Rodriguez’s house for 2 seasons (2023-24) earlier than being employed again by the Mountaineers.
Guards Amare Grayson and Cameron Griffin, recruits underneath Rodriguez, mixed to account for 28 complete pressures and three sacks allowed this season, per Professional Soccer Focus knowledge. They have been additionally wonderful blockers for operating again Cam Cook dinner, who performed at TCU from 2022-23 earlier than transferring to Jacksonville State final season. He was one of many breakout gamers in FBS, main the nation in speeding (1,659 yards) and scoring 16 touchdowns on 295 carries.
The very best groups throughout Rodriguez’s first go as West Virginia head coach (2005-07) have been dominant operating the soccer, averaging 291.4 speeding yards per sport as this system went 32-5. In 2025, the Mountaineers gained 160.6 yards per sport on the bottom and averaged 3.7 yards per try. The dedication to the run could possibly be their ticket again to rivalry.
