"The best players available in college football's transfer portal are making millions these days, and the programs assembling top portal recruiting classes are the ones willing to spend the most. But make no mistake: Talent evaluation is still very much the name of the game during portal season. When thousands of players become available at the same time, there will always be good players who get overlooked and under-recruited. Four full weeks into this college football season, it's time to celebrate the September surprises. This is not exactly an early all-transfer team; we'll get to that later in the season. Consider the following more like the all-sleeper team."
"None of these players made our offseason rankings of the top 100 transfers for 2025, but they've been impressive and productive through nonconference play. Some brought serious experience to their new programs while others are finally getting a shot to start. This team includes hidden gems from the Group of 5, FCS and even Division II as well as Power 4 players."
"Back in December, ESPN ranked the top 25 quarterbacks available in the winter portal window. Castellanos was No. 16 on the list after a tough season under Bill O'Brien at Boston College that ended with the QB getting benched and leaving the program. Now that he has found a perfect fit at Florida State, that ranking seems way too low."
Top transfer-portal players command large sums while programs willing to spend assemble leading portal classes. Talent evaluation remains critical when thousands of players enter the portal simultaneously. Many capable players get overlooked and under-recruited, creating September surprises four weeks into the season. The sleeper team features transfers absent from the offseason top-100 yet delivering strong nonconference production. Some transfers brought experience to new programs; others earned starting chances for the first time. The group spans Group of 5, FCS and Division II as well as Power 4 contributors. Anthony Castellanos moved from Boston College to Florida State and is excelling early.
Read at ESPN.com
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