PROVO — There are three seasons in modern college football: the regular season, the postseason, and the portal season.
The steam had yet to rise off the final Pop-Tart and No. 12 BYU's 25-21 win over Georgia Tech that capped the Cougars' first 12-win season in 24 years before players were already choosing to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
The NCAA's 15-day transfer portal window opens Jan. 2, and it will be the only full-sized transfer window of the year after the Division I administrative committee voted in October to consolidate the sport's transfer apparatus into a single phase for all FBS and FCS players beginning in 2026.
Players whose head coach leaves their current team will also have a 15-day window to enter their names into the portal starting five days after a new head coach is hired or announced, as well.
The 2024-25 academic year saw more than 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS players enter the transfer portal in a record-setting year for transfer movement, according to ESPN.
Once the portal opened Jan. 2 at 12 a.m. EST, more than 4,000 players entered the portal in the first 12 hours, per ESPN — in large part because of the reduction of opportunities to a single transfer window. More are expected over the next two weeks.
Here's a look at the BYU players who have announced they intend to enter the portal, a move that began immediately after the Cougars' Big 12 title game loss to Texas Tech back on Dec. 6.
BYU has signed coveted Cal linebacker transfer Cade Uluave, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 13, 2026
Uluave, who has 235 career tackles, is ranked as the top linebacker to enter the transfer portal this cycle. pic.twitter.com/Vi4k4odtsn
The list will be updating as more players enter the portal and commit to new schools.
Who's transferring to BYU for 2026?
The Cougars received their first Division I incoming transfer Jan. 8 with a commitment from former Oregon wide receiver Kyler Kasper. The former consensus four-star recruit played in 19 games over three years with the Ducks, but was limited to 97 snaps in four games most recently due to injury.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound rising junior will have two years of eligibility remaining.
A day later, former USC tight end Walker Lyons committed to BYU, he announced via Instagram. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound rising junior from Folsom, California, was once a highly coveted four-star recruit before he caught 26 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons with the Trojans.
Lyons, who was previously recruited by BYU, Georgia, and others, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oslo, Norway immediately out of high school. He's the older brother of BYU quarterback signee Ryder Lyons, who will serve a church mission in Orlando before enrolling.
The list will be updating as more players commit to BYU from the transfer portal and/or other schools.
Who's coming back for 2026?
The NCAA transfer portal is tempting for plenty of players. But that makes re-commitments from current players (at times) just as valuable as new players transferring in or out of a program.
BYU is no exception, as current players — including some who many expected to follow former defensive coordinator Jay Hill to Michigan — began announcing their commitment for 2026 on social media immediately after the New Year.
This list will be updated.
Early signing class of 2026
