Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano did exactly what he needed to do in the transfer portal this year, especially as the spring window came and went. The Scarlet Knights earned the third-best transfer class in the conference, ranking eighth nationally.
With four-star edge rushers Eric O'Neill and Bradley Weaver joining the roster, the Rutgers offensive line gained some big-time power.
On the other side of the ball, Schiano was able to recruit four-star tight end Colin Weber, three-star wide receiver DT Sheffield, and three-star running back CJ Campbell to jazz up his offensive unit as well.
Oregon fans can rest assured that their rivals, the Washington Huskies, will once again fall short in the Big Ten standings. Despite poaching a few players from other teams in the conference, the Huskies will be far from a dominant force in the Big Ten this year.
While Jedd Fisch was able to bring in the No. 7 transfer class in the conference, he lost 30 players while only earning 17 commitments from the portal.
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz fell flat in the transfer portal, but the Hawkeyes' head coach has never had a huge focus on the portal, having nearly three decades of head coaching experience under his belt.
The Hawkeyes earned a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten at the end of the 2024 season, and the addition of a relatively disappointing transfer portal class is dragging Iowa down the power rankings.
Ferentz only secured nine commitments from the portal, including four-star quarterback
Mark Gronowski and eight three-star players. Meanwhile, he lost 14 three-star players to the portal, including highly-touted cornerback Kahlil Tate and desirable safety Ty Hudkins.
While the USC Trojans have one of the top recruiting classes of 2026 in the nation, they fell well beyond the top 10 of the transfer portal class rankings in the conference.
Head coach Lincoln Riley only earned 15 commitments from the portal this year, while losing 26 of his former players, following the Trojans' embarrassing 6-6 finish to their first season in the Big Ten.
Most notably, Riley lost four-star receivers Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson, four-star running back Quinten Joyner, and four-star quarterback Miller Moss, virtually shredding his previous offensive lineup.
Minnesota performed admirably in the spring transfer portal this year, only losing 18 players while bringing in 21 new Golden Gophers.
Head coach P.J. Fleck was able to entice four-star running back AJ Turner, three-star wide receiver Javon Tracy, and three-star interior offensive lineman Marcellus Marshall, all of whom should help beef up the rather lackluster offensive unit from last season.
Last year, Fleck and the Golden Gophers finished seventh in the Big Ten with (slightly embarrassing) losses to Rutgers and Iowa, as well as losses to Michigan and Penn State.
After a great start to the 2024 season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers finished at a disappointing 6-6 regular-season record. However, with the win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, head coach Matt Rhule is hoping that the momentum is in his favor heading into next year.
Rhule was able to bring in 10 three-star and four four-star transfers from the spring portal to secure the No. 13 portal class in the Big Ten.