FCS continues fueling FBS rosters, more than 420 players transfer up for 2026

More than 420 FCS players are headed to FBS programs for 2026, a reminder that the subdivision has become college football’s most reliable talent market. Sam Herder’s Hero Sports tracker shows the flow remains massive even after more than 500 FCS players moved up for 2025 and nearly 400 did so for 2024, with names spread from Rashon Myles to Georgia Southern and Jonathan Goins to Bowling Green to TyQuez Richardson to Georgia, Jalen Jones to Texas Tech, Cedric Roberts to North Texas and Racin Delgatty to Alabama.

That volume is the new talent tax on FCS football. The best players do not just leave for depth-chart opportunities, they leave because FBS staffs now treat proven FCS production as a shortcut to immediate help. Texas Tech’s CFP run featured North Dakota State safety Cole Wisniewski as a starter, while Miami leaned on Bison running back CharMar Brown as a key piece. That is the model FCS coaches are chasing and fighting at the same time: develop players who can dominate on Saturdays, knowing the biggest programs will be watching by Sunday.

The market around them is just as crowded. The NCAA says the Division I transfer portal cohort year runs from August 1 through July 31, and its portal dashboard reflected data available as of January 5, 2026. Across college football, more than 10,000 players entered the portal in the 2026 offseason, including more than 6,700 Division I players in the winter window alone. In that environment, FBS staffs looking for certainty are often choosing the older, more battle-tested FCS transfer over a high school projection.

That has pushed FCS contenders to value retention as much as recruiting. The programs that survive the drain are the ones that keep selling playing time, development and a faster path to the field, while building enough roster stability to withstand the annual raid. The list of movers to 2026 underscores the reach of that pressure, with Ellis Ellis and Xavier Allen heading to Memphis, Dara Adeyemi to Stanford, Braydon Alford to Michigan, Victory Johnson to Arizona, Charlie Adams III to Kansas State, Ty Dieffenbach and Mason Rivera to UCLA, Jesse Ehrlich to Arkansas, Noah Serna to San Diego State and Trevor Wilson to Buffalo.

The numbers point to a pipeline that is no longer episodic but structural. FCS remains a proving ground for FBS rosters, and the programs that can keep enough of their own stars will have the best chance to stay competitive while the rest of the sport keeps shopping their best players.