A new crop of stars has emerged from the transfer portal just in time for the Mountain West to debut its new look.
Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and Utah State are joining Oregon State, Washington State, and Texas State in the new Pac-12. Their departure leaves a void at the top of the Mountain West standings, which could be filled by returning contenders UNLV, New Mexico, and Hawaii or newcomers Northern Illinois, UTEP, and North Dakota State.
Here’s a look at some of the Mountain West’s top incoming transfers heading into the 2026 season:
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QB Jackson Arnold, UNLV
The former five-star recruit won the starting job at Oklahoma and Auburn in 2024 and 2025, respectively, but he didn’t hold onto the job long at either spot. He’ll compete with Alex Orji this fall to replace Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea as UNLV’s new starter.
Arnold threw for six touchdowns and ran for eight last season at Auburn before he was benched in late October. He racked up 1,421 passing yards and 15 total touchdowns as Oklahoma’s starter in 2024, but he was benched late in the season before returning to play in a bowl game.
Orji, who transferred in from Michigan last year, rotated with Colandrea early last season, playing mostly on obvious rushing downs, but he was lost to a season-ending injury after just three games.
QB Luke Weaver, San Jose State
Weaver is the likely frontrunner to replace Walker Eget as San Jose State’s starting quarterback, especially after athletic sophomore Tama Amisone moved to wide receiver this spring.
Weaver started two games at Hawaii last season in place of injured starter Micah Alejado. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior posted 320 yards of offense and three passing touchdowns in a win over Sam Houston. Weaver also came off the bench and threw a game-winning 22-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in the Rainbow Warriors’ 35-31 win over Cal in the Hawaii Bowl.
CB Caleb Brown, Hawaii
Brown is back at Hawaii after he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Rainbow Warriors and last season at Virginia Tech. He started two games for the Hokies before suffering a season-ending injury and receiving a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA.
Brown started five games at Hawaii in 2024 and was No. 2 on the team with seven pass breakups. He played in all 13 games in 2023 and should compete for a starting role right away this fall.
QB Tyler Hughes, Wyoming
Hughes is reunited with Wyoming’s new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor, who recruited him to FCS William & Mary in 2022. Now Hughes will compete with Landon Sims to run Taylor’s offense on the field this fall.
Hughes, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior, showed off his big-play ability in Wyoming’s spring game last month. He connected on a 47-yard touchdown pass and broke off a 45-yard run in his first live action in front of Cowboys fans.
QB EJ Colson, UTEP
UTEP head coach Scotty Walden named Colson the Miners’ starting quarterback shortly after the conclusion of spring ball. The former four-star recruit began his career at UCF in 2024 and started 10 games at Incarnate Word last fall, throwing for 2,142 yards and 16 touchdowns and completing 70% of his passes.
TE Joey Olsen, New Mexico
The Lobos nabbed a former four-star recruit in Olsen to replace All-Mountain West tight end Dorian Thomas, who transferred to California. Olsen, a 6-5, 250-pound sophomore, appeared in two games at USC the past two seasons. He posted program records in receptions (119) and receiving yards (2,303) during his career at Lakeridge High School in Oregon.
CB Selman Bridges, Nevada
Bridges is a former four-star recruit who spent the past two seasons at Arkansas. The 6-2, 185-pounder has three seasons of eligibility left and should compete for a starting job right away at Nevada.
CB Yassine Falke, Northern Illinois
Falke returned three interceptions for touchdowns in two seasons at NAIA program Marian University, and two of those were last season. The 6-3, 180-pound junior started all 12 games at Marian last fall and finished the season with 44 tackles, five interceptions, and nine pass breakups. He should compete for a starting job right away in Northern Illinois’ rebuilt secondary.
OT Kene Anene, North Dakota State
Anene spent the past two seasons at Kansas, where he appeared in two games last season. The 6-5, 310-pounder should step into a starting role right away. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 10 overall prospect in Minnesota in 2024, according to Rivals.com.
