5 College Football Stars Who Shocked Everyone By Not Transferring

Noah Fifita, Arizona

When things are said and done for Noah Fifita in Tucson, he may go down as a program legend. Heading into his fifth year with Arizona, Fifita has stayed loyal to the Wildcats from day one. He didn't follow Jedd Fisch to Washington, stayed despite a rough inaugural season for Brent Brennan and surely was courted with million-dollar offers this offseason. This past season, the gunslinger out of California threw for 3,228 yards with 29 touchdowns to just six interceptions, leading Arizona to a 9-4 record.

While schools like Alabama, Miami, North Carolina and Texas Tech among others all needed quarterbacks, Fifita has made it clear he is a Wildcat through thick and thin.

A near transfer that didn't happen

Demond Williams, Washington

Speaking of Fisch and Washington, the Huskies were almost in the quarterback market late into the process. Just days after signing a new contract with Washington, Williams pulled the rug out from under the program. He revealed that he would be transferring, and seemed to be LSU-bound. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that he had received an offer north of $4 million from new head coach Lane Kiffin. However, both the University of Washington and the Big Ten Conference were prepared to take legal action.

Williams ultimately decided to remain in Seattle, but it's hard to imagine that things weren't at least slightly awkward.

A game-changing running back

Isaac Brown, Louisville

Coming off a season that saw him rush for 884 yards and seven touchdowns on a college football-best 8.8 yards per carry, Isaac Brown initially announced his intentions to transfer away from Louisville. With blueblood programs lining up for his services, it was loyalty that prevailed.

The 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year opted to return to Louisville, and will look to help the Cardinals make a run for the conference title and potentially the College Football Playoff in 2026.

Elite college QB of the future

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal

If there were an archetype for a player that is expected to transfer, Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele would check every box. A former blue-chip recruit who bet on himself by leaving Oregon for a program where he'd play right out of the gate. A program that likely cannot pay him as much as other schools around the country, like a Miami or Texas Tech. It also didn't help ease the minds of Cal fans that the program parted ways with the head coach whom he had committed to.

Regardless, new head coach Tosh Lupoi made it a point of emphasis that he wanted to retain Sagapolutele, traveling to Hawaii after his introductory presser to show the southpaw that threw for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns, how badly they wanted to keep him.

Defender that everyone wanted

Jayden Woods, Florida

The programs that are the most susceptible to losing players in the transfer portal are the ones that fire a head coach, which was the case for the Florida Gators. Quite a few players made their way out of Gainesville, and one player who was considering doing so was pass rusher Jayden Woods. The freshman out of Kansas racked up 27 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pick on the year, and had the big dogs after him.

However, in one of the biggest retention wins of the offseason, Jon Sumrall was able to convince Woods to stick around.