College Football playoffs are just around the corner for the 12 teams featuring in it. But for the rest, it’s a time for making crucial decisions. Coaches are finding destinations, backroom staff are getting upgrades, and players are busy finding new opportunities. Wednesday brought us a plethora of transfer portal announcements, and now we are compiling the five crucial ones from today’s roundup.

According to a report by On3’s Hayce Fawcett, Tennessee QB1 Jake Merklinger has finally decided to enter the transfer portal. Merklinger is the sixth Vols player to announce his transfer decision after players like safety Boo Carter and DL Jamal Wallace also did the same. Notably, the Vols QB2 competed for the QB1 job with QB1 Joey Aguilar in the 2025 offseason.

“I thought both of them (Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger) handled themselves extremely well. George (MacIntyre) did as well. I thought they’d taken strides during the last three practices, before we got inside the stadium for today’s scrimmage,” said head coach Josh Heupel before the fall camp in August.

Aguilar, who came from UCLA and the JUCO level, finally won the job and has started in all games for the Vols. But now, he has lost his NCAA eligibility and, barring a court decision, will be moving to the NFL. Still, Merklinger’s decision seems to be influenced by Tennessee’s acquisition of five-star Faizon Brandon in the 2026 class. 2025’s four-star recruit George MacIntyre is also set to return in the QB room for the Vols.

Trovon Baugh, who just completed his junior season as a starting offensive lineman for the Gamecocks, is set to enter the portal. Baugh was named to the Freshman All-SEC team but worked as a backup in 2024.  Now, in 2025, the OL started all games, but is now looking for better opportunities.

Next up is North Carolina’s ace edge rusher, Tyler Thompson. The 6’4″ and 225 lbs player has finally decided to enter the portal. The Cary, North Carolina native compiled a total of 26 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 2 FFs this season and was the fourth-ranked player in the ACC in sacks. Factor in that Thompson was the highest PFF graded (85.00) player on UNC’s roster, and he already looks hard to replace for Bill Belichick.

Thompson joined the team in 2023 under former head coach Mack Brown and sat behind other veterans waiting for his turn. Belichick arrived in December 2024 and quickly thrust him into a prominent role. But now, the head coach is losing him along with linebacker Malcolm Ziglar. Other players like tight end Jake Johnson and QB Max Johnson have also decided to do the same, among others.

USC and Kansas State lose one key player each

USC is losing its key defensive tackle in Devan Thompkins. The Tracy, California native compiled 31 tackles this season along with 3 sacks. In total, USC’s #8 has notched 56 tackles and 5 sacks with the team. Moreover, he has spent 3 seasons with USC ever since he arrived in 2023. Thompkins last appeared in the final game of the season, leading USC to a 29-10 win over UCLA.

In 2024, the DT appeared in 13 games and had six starts as a redshirt sophomore. Now a redshirt junior, he will have a year of eligibility remaining. That alone would command significant interest apart from his elite abilities. As for Lincoln Riley, the head coach is set to lose players like Matai’ Tagoa’i, Makai Saina, and Gus Cordova, among others, in the transfer portal.

The fifth crucial transfer portal decision came from Kansas State cornerback Donovan McIntosh. The 6’3″ and 195 lbs player had accumulated 33 tackles this year, along with an interception and 4 defended passes. The Kansas State #9 has started in all games since the 2024 season. But the CB was limited to 55 defensive snaps in 2024. In 2025, though, he emerged as a dominant force.

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“I thought our corners played really well for the first time. Donnie Mac got beat on the one double move. I thought [Rocco Becht] the kid made a great throw, and he was right there. But I thought Donovan McIntosh played a really good football game,” said Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman upon the Week 0 loss to Iowa State.

McIntosh himself had acknowledged his growth as a leader in the locker room and commanded a prominent role in the secondary. The player has learned “how to get out there and line up” and will garner noteworthy interest in the transfer portal. The sophomore also has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and he will look to make the most of them.