The spring portal is closed for entries, so it's time to rank all 18 Big Ten teams based on their performance in the portal. Sure, players currently in the portal can still commit, but the final players' committing will not change the rankings. There's not enough star power left.
Let's be clear: These rankings are not Big Ten power rankings; you can find that here. This isn't how the teams will perform; this is simply ranking how each team did in the portal or how well they should have done. Talent acquisition and subtraction only. Let's dive in.
Best transfer in: Preston Stone, QB
Worst transfer out: Josh Thompson, OG
The Northwestern Wildcats had a pretty uncomplicated transfer portal this offseason. They saw 12 players leave and 14 come through the portal. They come in at the bottom of this list because they lost multiple players ranked as 4-star players while adding zero 4-star players back. They were able to pick up their starting quarterback from SMU, but that's about it.
Best transfer in: Nitro Tuggle, WR
Worst transfer out: Dillon Thieneman, S
The exact opposite scenario is at play between Northwestern and now Purdue. The Boilermakers had the most chaotic transfer portals. They had 56 players transfer out, and 42 players come in. Therefore, picking which was the best and worst for Purdue is basically impossible. They changed the entire team, and it didn't really get any better. They lost more good players than they replaced.
Best transfer in: Bryce Hawthorne, DL
Worst transfer out: Gavin Thompson, TE
While the Hawkeyes didn't lose any of their top players and were able to gain a really solid player in Hawthorne, they lost some important depth on their roster, with 14 good players leaving in the portal. They ended up towards the bottom of this list because they needed to do more but didn't.
Best transfer in: Keeshawn Silver, DL
Worst transfer out: Zacariah Branch, WR
The Trojans are hard to rank in this portal because they had a few really good pickups, but they also lost 26 players but only gained 15. According to 24/7 Sports, they lost seven 4-star-rated transfers but only added five. The rest of their losses were solid 3-star transfers. Giving them a glowing review is hard because they lost more talent than they gained.
Best transfer in: Jamare Glasker, CB
Worst transfer out: Lavon Johnson, DL
The Maryland transfer portal feels like a wash. They lost and gained about an equal number of players, which isn't actually good news for Maryland. That strategy may work for Ohio State, but not for Maryland, which needs to get a lot better. They can't just tread water, which is why they are at 14 in this list.