The most intriguing newcomer for all 68 Power 4 college football teams
In the past, incoming recruits provided hope across college football. They still do, to a degree, but as the portal has become more prominent, transfers are a primary source of preseason optimism. With training camp in swing across college football — and while everyone is still undefeated — this is a good time to take a look at the most interesting newcomer (including coaches) for each Power 4 program.
Note: Recruiting rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.
ACC
- Boston College: RB Evan Dickens (Liberty) - Dickens, who rushed for 1,339 yards (ninth nationally) and 16 touchdowns at Liberty last season, could be the focal point of the offense. He topped the 200-yard mark in three of the Flames’ final five games.
- Cal: RB Adam Mohammed (Washington) - A solid run game is a quarterback’s best friend — and that is something Cal didn’t have during Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s breakout freshman season. The Golden Bears averaged 2.1 yards per carry in ACC games, the worst by any team nationally in league play. Mohammed has the skill set to bring some juice there, as well as in the return game.
- Clemson: Offensive coordinator Chad Morris - Dabo Swinney likes what he likes. He went outside of his comfort zone by naming Garrett Riley as his offensive coordinator in 2023, but made a change after three lackluster seasons. Now, Swinney has turned back the clock and hired Morris, who ran Clemson’s offense from 2011-14.
Big 12
- Baylor: QB DJ Lagway (Florida) - This is the obvious pick for Baylor. The former five-star prospect didn’t live up to the hype at Florida, but if offensive coordinator Jake Spavital can get Lagway to play up to his potential, the Bears will have a real gem on their hands.
- Oklahoma State: QB Drew Mestemaker (North Texas) - Mestemaker led the nation in passing yards last season, and there’s plenty of optimism about him in coaching and personnel circles. We’ll see how his game translates to a power conference.
Big Ten
- Illinois: Defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck (Montana) - Hauck, who was in his second stint as Montana’s head coach, announced his retirement in February and said that a lot of what goes into being a head coach in Division I college football “was not enjoyable.” Five days later, Illinois announced Hauck as its new defensive coordinator. It’s his first defensive coaching role since he was the secondary coach at Washington in 2002.
- Indiana: QB Josh Hoover (TCU) - Whoever stepped in at quarterback for Indiana was going to be in a massive spotlight. Enter Hoover, who certainly possesses talent, but the Hoosiers need him to protect the ball better if their offense is going to operate at peak efficiency.
SEC
- LSU: Head coach Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) - Kiffin is arguably the most interesting person in college football. He’s tried to temper expectations, but LSU didn’t spend all that money on the coaching staff and roster not to make the College Football Playoff. Baton Rouge isn’t a patient place, so Kiffin will have to deliver quickly.
- Mississippi State: Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett - Arnett was fired 10 games into his lone season as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2023. He made the unusual and humbling decision to return to Starkville as the defensive coordinator and has to turn around a unit that ranked 105th nationally in yards per play allowed and 106th in scoring defense in 2025.
