USA Today names Top 10 impact transfers in Big Ten for 2026

NCAAF College Football
August 17, 2026
Colton Joseph (23 - Newport Harbor), Indiana Hoosiers Network, John Henry Daley (21 - Lone Peak), Josh Hoover (22 - Rockwall-Heath), Koi Perich (24 - Lincoln Secondary), Michigan State Spartans Network, Michigan Wolverines Network, Minnesota Golden Gophers Network, Nick Marsh (24 - River Rouge), Ohio State Buckeyes Network, On3, On3 Football, Oregon Ducks Network, Penn State Nittany Lions Network, Rocco Becht (22 - Wiregrass Ranch), Sahir West (24 - Mount Saint Joseph), Sports, Terrell Anderson (24 - Grimsley), Terry Moore (22 - Washington), Transfer Portal College Football, Transfer Portal Home, UCLA Bruins Network, USC Trojans Network, Wayne Knight (22 - Smyrna), Wisconsin Badgers Network

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USA Today’s Austin Curtright named the top 10 most impactful transfers in the Big Ten for the 2026 college football season. There are a lot of impact positions in this group of course.

Now, will all these transfers pan out? Not necessarily. But, these teams took some big swings in some cases to fill roster holes and it could be boom or bust. Not to mention, there are a few quarterbacks on this list.

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So without further ado, let’s take a look at the 10 most impactful transfers in the Big Ten for 2026. We’ll start out west with two guys who followed their coach for a new, sunny location!

Wayne Knight, RB – UCLA (James Madison)

Knight followed his head coach Bob Chesney to the Big Ten after playing for James Madison. It took him until 2024 to get solid reps and get moving, but he broke out in 2025.

Last fall, Knight ran 207 times for 1,373 yards, nine touchdowns and 6.6 yards per carry. He also added 40 catches for 397 yards and a touchdown reception.

Sahir West, DL – UCLA (James Madison)

West, like Knight, followed Chesney from James Madison to the Big Ten to play for UCLA. He played two years for the Dukes and helped a solid defense in 2025 get into the CFP!

West only played in two games during his 2024 campaign, but he made his mark last fall. Hence why Chesney wanted him to follow to UCLA. West logged 45 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Koi Perich, S – Oregon (Minnesota)

Oregon has had success with transfers in the secondary even within the Big Ten. They landed Dillon Thieneman from Purdue last year and now Perich is the next version.

Perich played two seasons for Minnesota and totaled 26 games. He logged five interceptions as a freshman in 2024 and has six for his career. Perich also has 128 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pick-six, five pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

John Henry Daley, DL – Michigan (Utah)

Michigan landed a big transfer in Daley from Utah as he followed head coach Kyle Whittingham to the Big Ten. Trading red for blue, not that BYU blue though, Daley should have an instant impact for the Wolverines’ defensive line.

Funny enough, Daley actually started his career at BYU before playing the last two years at Utah under Whittingham. He broke out last year with 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, one pass deflection and two forced fumbles.

Terry Moore, S – Ohio State (Duke)

Moore had three productive seasons at Duke before he transferred to Ohio State. He should be fine transitioning to Big Ten play and will be counted on in a secondary that lost superstar Caleb Downs to the NFL.

Last year, Moore had 71 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Moore has 116 tackles in his career (33 collegiate games).

Colton Joseph, QB – Wisconsin (Old Dominion)

Luke Fickell has been looking for a steady quarterback ever since he returned to the Big Ten, this time as head coach of Wisconsin. Injuries have taken their toll. But Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph could be different.

In 12 games last year, Joseph threw for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 59.7% completion percentage. Not only that, he showed off the wheels with 1,007 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Nick Marsh, WR – Indiana (Michigan State)

Indiana, on the heels of winning a national championship, went out and retooled through the transfer portal again. Curt Cignetti landed a couple of big names, but we’ll start with Marsh.

Marsh comes from Michigan State, so he’s used to Big Ten play. But now, he’ll have title repeat expectations thrown at him in 2026. Marsh, in 23 games, has 100 catches for 1,311 yards, nine touchdowns and 13.1 yards per catch.

Rocco Becht, QB – Penn State (Iowa State)

Becht and head coach Matt Campbell traded in Big 12 football for the Big Ten version as he transferred to Penn State to follow his leader. A veteran of the game, Becht will be a solid plug and play for the Nittany Lions in 2026.

Becht started the last three years for Iowa State and now goes into his fifth year of college football. As one of the more experienced and winningest QBs in the conference, he should have no problem adjusting. Over the course of his career, Becht has 9,274 yards, 64 touchdowns, 27 interceptions and a 60.7% completion percentage.

Josh Hoover, QB – Indiana (TCU)

Speaking of impact transfers, Hoover might be the biggest one, considering the position, in the Big Ten. He replaces Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza in Bloomington after coming in from TCU.

He spent four seasons with the Horned Frogs, totaling 36 games. He’s a big gunslinger, so turnovers have been a problem, but he can air it out. Hoover’s career totals are: 9,629 yards, 71 touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a 65.2% completion percentage.

Terrell Anderson, WR – USC (NC State)

We wrap up the Big Ten transfers list from USA Today with Anderson, who goes cross country to play for the Trojans. It’ll help that he gets to play with QB Jayden Maiava, who might have some Heisman buzz.

Last year as a sophomore, Anderson had 39 catches, 629 yards, five touchdowns and 16.1 yards per catch. In 26 games, Anderson has 53 catches for 787 yards, six touchdowns and 14.8 yards per catch.

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