Nearly 20 different Power Four college football programs enter their first season under a new head coach in 2026. The increasing popularization of the NCAA transfer portal in the years following its inception has created a tool that can mitigate the effects of a coaching change. Indiana transformed from a perennial bottom-feeder in the Big Ten to a national champion in a two-year period under Curt Cignetti , largely because of the opportunities it took advantage of in the 2024 and 2025 portal cycles. New LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is another who has become synonymous with portal acquisitions in the last five years. Kiffin amassed a 55-19 overall record in six seasons as the head coach at Ole Miss, a result largely made possible by the play of a large number of transfers he acquired in those years. The Tigers reeled in 40 transfers during the 2026 portal cycle, a tenth of which followed Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU.…