One impactful offensive transfer to watch for each MAC team in 2026

College football rosters are turning over more than ever, especially in the Mid-American Conference. Western Michigan returns 11 starters — which is a ton for the modern-day MAC — but even the Broncos brought in 21 transfers to fill in the cracks after losing a good portion of the 2025 championship team to graduation.

Other rosters like Toledo were completely gutted and had to rely heavily on incoming transfer talent. But there is one common theme — every MAC team will likely start multiple transfers. Before they play their first down in their new homes, we take a look at which MAC transfers could be the most impactful additions this offseason, starting with the offensive side of the ball:

Akron Zips

QB Reese Poffenbarger — North Texas

Reese Poffenbarger started his last college football game at UAlbany in 2023, where he carved out a successful two years as an FCS starter. Akron represents his third FBS school in three years, but it's not exactly an indictment of Poffenbarger that he hasn't been QB1, considering he sat behind the nation's passing touchdowns leader in Cam Ward at Miami (FL) in 2024 and the nation's passing yards leader in Drew Mestemaker at North Texas in 2025. Akron has finished top five in the MAC in passing yards per game all four years under Joe Moorhead, and Poffenbarger (3,614 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 13 interceptions at UAlbany in 2023) should be a perfect addition to keep the Zips' aerial attack explosive.

Ball State Cardinals

WR Jabari Smith Jr. — Florida Atlantic

No, Ball State did not add the power forward from the Houston Rockets to its roster this offseason. This is a different Jabari Smith Jr., and he excelled as a rotation receiver in a pass-happy Florida Atlantic offense. It's no secret Ball State is in desperate need of a WR1. Nobody on the Cardinals attained more than 320 receiving yards last year, and the program hasn't seen a 600-yard wide receiver since 2022. Smith offers the potential to buck those trends, tallying 32 receptions for 466 yards, and six touchdowns in two seasons at FAU.

Bowling Green Falcons

QB Austin Novosad — Oregon

Bowling Green never figured out its quarterback situation in Eddie George's inaugural year, starting four different QBs and averaging just 151 passing yards per contest. Bowling Green has spent the entire 2020s as a refuge for transfer quarterbacks with names like Matt McDonald, Connor Bazelak, and Drew Pyne reinventing themselves in the MAC. Austin Novosad is next in line, and he didn't exactly get his opportunity at Oregon, sitting behind stars Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore. Now is Novosad's time to unleash what he learned as a backup, and he enters his new home with 99 career passing yards — with the fourth quarter of the 2023 Fiesta Bowl being his most substantial action to date.

Buffalo Bulls

OG Joe Crocker — Baylor

After fielding a veteran group in 2025, Buffalo retains just one starter on its offensive line for 2026. Joe Crocker arrives as a potential day one starter after operating as a reserve on Baylor's offensive line last year — playing primarily with the special teams unit. The United Kingdom native is on his third school in three years after a previous stop at Louisville. He stands six-foot-six and 339 pounds and offers 18 games of experience to a Bulls' o-line that certainly needs it.

Central Michigan Chippewas

RB Vaughn Blue — Liberty

Central Michigan adopted a new physical, ground-oriented style of football under Matt Drinkall, and it worked. In year one of the Drinkall era, the Chippewas produced their first winning season since 2021– but now they must replace their top two running backs Nahree Biggins and Trey Cornist. That's where Vaughn Blue comes in. After operating as a secondary back in Liberty's spread option system, Blue now moves to a different run-heavy scheme where he takes his 557 career rushing yards (on a stellar 5.5 yards per carry average). He'll likely split carries with Brock Townsend and fellow transfer Jayden Clerveaux on a team that ran 67.6 percent of the time in 2025.

Eastern Michigan Eagles

RB Braydon Bennett — Virginia Tech

Eastern Michigan's offense enters 2026 in stellar shape by returning the MAC's leading passer in Noah Kim, All-MAC wide receiver Nick Devereaux, all-MAC tight end Joshua Long, and two starting linemen. Running back is the main vacancy of this offense after the departure of current Baltimore Ravens running back Dontae McMillan. Replacing McMillan will be seventh-year senior Braydon Bennett, who spent five years at Coastal Carolina (serving a major role during the Chanticleers' glory years in the early 2020s) and one season at Virginia Tech. Bennett didn't get much run as a Hokie, but he's closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards after producing 781 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2024 as Coastal's feature back.

Kent State Golden Flashes

RB Mason King — Illinois State (FCS)

Kent State's offense is in great shape after returning starting quarterback Dru DeShields. But DeShields is also the returning rushing leader after producing just 36 yards in 2025. The Golden Flashes are down their top four rushers from a year ago, and the offense needs a new bellcow to step up. Mason King is suited for that role. The sixth-year senior was a member of Northern Illinois' 2021 MAC championship team before carving out a larger role at the FCS level with Illinois State, generating 983 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns for Illinois State in 2023. Injuries limited his availability from that point forward with the Redbirds, but he has potential to bolster a rushing attack that ranked 131st in the FBS a year ago.

Miami RedHawks

OT Evan Malcore — Northern Illinois

Evan Malcore just couldn't get away from MACtion.

Northern Illinois is heading out to the Mountain West, but Malcore remains grounded in the conference where he found plenty of success in three years as a starting left tackle. The reigning third-team all-MAC selection fits seamlessly in a RedHawk offensive line returning four of its five starters — only losing offensive tackle Drew Terrill to Houston. Malcore was an exceptional run blocker at NIU, which finished top three in the MAC in rushing in all three seasons which he anchored the line.

Ohio Bobcats

RB Victor Rosa — UConn

There was a mass exodus from the MAC to UConn (see Toledo's transfer portal activity), but one established UConn player is doing the opposite and making his way from New England to Ohio. Victor Rosa served a major role in the Huskies' backfield from 2022-25, collecting 1,413 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Rosa's production peaked during his true freshman and sophomore seasons, before a 2024 injury halted his progress. He now looks to pick that progress back up in an Ohio offense replacing the FBS's sixth-leading rusher in Sieh Bangura. Rosa should split carries with Duncan Brune for a Bobcat team expected to do plenty of running in 2026.

Sacramento State Hornets

QB Carson Conklin — Fresno State

Choosing Carson Conklin as an impactful offensive transfer might be cheating since he is more than familiar with all things Sacramento State. Conklin started an entire season at quarterback for the Hornets in 2024 before transferring to Fresno State for 2025. Now he boomerangs back to the Sunshine State's capital to complete unfinished business. In 2024, Conklin threw for 2,858 and 28 touchdowns at Sac State and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which is handed to the top freshman in the FCS. He leveraged that success into starting three games at Fresno State last year, including the Bulldogs' signature upset over eventual Mountain West champion Boise State.

Toledo Rockets

WR Rico Bond — Lindenwood (FCS)

The name's Bond. Rico Bond. And he'll be tasked with the mission of elevating a refurbished Toledo offense that lost all but one starter after its first coaching change in a decade. Bond hails from Lindenwood, where he was one of the best players in the FCS as a redshirt freshman. Bond was first-team All-OVC/Big South in 2025 after producing 701 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 61 catches. Bond now turns the page to his sophomore year, looking to fulfill the Junior Vandeross-sized vacancy in the Rockets' receiver room.

UMass Minutemen

QB Pop Watson III — Virginia Tech

UMass needs something electric to pop out on the page after a dreadful, dreary 0-12 season — which is about as bad as any team has performed in the 21st century. Enter Pop Watson III, a Massachusetts native who won Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state, and he's the quarterback aiming to change the narrative surrounding Minutemen football. Watson started two games at Virginia Tech in 2024, demonstrating a preview of his abilities in a win over arch rival Virginia with 254 yards passing, 48 yards rushing, and two total touchdowns accounted for. The worst scoring offense in the country from 2025 hopes the former Hokie can be that spark.

Western Michigan Broncos

RB AJ Green Jr. — Arkansas

Western Michigan is going to run the ball often and not apologize for it. That was the working formula behind the Broncos' 10-1 finish to 2025 which featured a MAC title and Myrtle Beach Bowl victory. Mobile quarterback Broc Lowry and feature tailback Jalen Buckley return to Kalamazoo, but the run game could always use more bodies. That's where AJ Green Jr. steps in. Green will likely replace Devin Miles as the second fiddle in a potent backfield that could always use some fresh legs. Green arrives with substantial experience, logging 962 yards and six touchdowns in four years at Arkansas, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Western Michigan produced three 100-yard rushers in a single game last year, so Green should still play a major role even with Buckley still on campus.