Top 5 Transfer Portal Pickups: ACC

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Joe Cockerill | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 6:00 PM ET

With the new style of the transfer portal and the NIL, the portal is as active and diverse as it has ever been. The ACC has thrived by using the portal and has had some huge pickups. Let’s dive in and see the five biggest players to transfer to an ACC team.

1. QB Darian Mensah, Miami

Mensah was a heavily impactful player for the Duke Blue Devils and is one of the biggest additions to a stacked Miami offense. Mensah could help this Miami team make another College Football Playoff push and easily dominate the ACC.

His move to Miami gives him the supporting cast he needs to thrive and he could transition into one of the top QBs in the nation.

2. WR Cooper Barkate, Miami

Barkate was Mensah’s No. 1 target at Duke and was a huge piece for the ACC Champions. He moved down to the beach with his QB and joined Malachi Toney in what could be the most powerful offense in the nation. He is a quick wide receiver who can play all parts of the field with beautiful route running skill. With the chemistry between Mensah and Barkate, the Hurricanes could be a powerhouse for not only the ACC, but the entire country.

3. RB Quintrevion Wisner, Florida State

Wisner , the leading halfback of the Texas Longhorns for the past two years, is an all-purpose back known for his field vision and quick skill moves.

Florida State has given coach Mike Norvell another chance to rebuild the Seminoles and this is a great start. Wisner is an amazing running back and a huge pickup to help kickstart a sub-par offense.

4. WR Tre Richardson, Louisville

Richardson was a top piece on a strong Vanderbilt offense with more than 800 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He is a slightly undersized receiver but makes up for it with impressive speed and ability after the catch. Louisville had a powerful offense led by RB Isaac Brown last season and this new edition could help build Louisville to a powerful ACC team once again.

5. WR Chase Hendricks, Cal

Hendricks is a great deep-threat receiver coming from Ohio and will be a great addition to this young Cal offense. He had a great breakout season with more than 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele needs depth to work with and this is an amazing pickup to bolster his development.

Final Thoughts

The ACC may look like a new conference from these amazing pickups. The transfer portal gives not conventionally great teams a chance to shine and many teams are taking advantage of it. Going into next season watch for these players to have a large impact on their new teams.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: