College football transfer portal 2025: Live updates, spring tracker, rankings as Nico Iamaleava headlines

Live updates and analysis as the transfer portal opens on Wednesday

The NCAA spring transfer portal cycle for the 2025 college football season officially opens on Wednesday and will remain open through Friday, April 25. Though some players announced their intentions to transfer prior to Wednesday, they cannot officially enter the portal until it opened.

Given that thousands of FBS players enter the portal each cycle and NIL — as well as the upcoming House v. NCAA settlement — has become a differentiating factor in player acquisition, expect to see plenty of movement this offseason in what has become one of the most important periods on the college football calendar.

In addition to the notable transfer players that will be listed below as the process continues over the next month, keep it locked here as CBS Sports and 247Sports cover the transfer portal window from top to bottom with a live tracker, updated rankings and much more. Hit the key links below and keep scrolling for live updates.

NCAA transfer portal via 247Sports: Latest portal additions | Team transfer rankings 

Most notable players in transfer portal 2025

• Nico Iamaleava | QB | Tennessee
• Julian Neal | CB | Stanford
• Joe Cotton | T | South Dakota
• Mikai Gbayor | LB | Missouri
• Jaden Rashada | QB | Georgia
• Johntay Cook | WR | Washington
• Jaydn Ott | RB | Cal (Signed with Oklahoma)
  

[Apr 20, 2025 at 3:16 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

UCLA expected to land Iamaleava 

UCLA coaches have told the team's quarterbacks that they plan to add former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the team, 247Sports confirms. Iamaleava's impending transfer ends a significant couple of weeks for 247Sports' top-ranked player in the portal. Tennessee moved on from the Southern California native ahead of its April 13 spring game and the opening of the spring portal window, ending a high-stakes standoff over NIL contract negotiations. 

Iamaleava sought a new deal from Tennessee worth $4 million annually, nearly double his original reported deal, per ESPN's Chris Low. Iamaleava's lucrative first deal represented a high-water mark in the early NIL era in college athletics, and his standoff over more money was a somewhat fitting, if not ironic, way for the two sides to part ways. 

Nico Iamaleava officially signs with UCLA: Ex-Tennessee star QB heading back home amid NIL saga

Cameron Salerno