September surprises: Our unexpected all-portal team

Not every college football program had the luxury of working with budgets of $30 million to $40 million when building out their 2026 rosters. Most programs had a ton of work to do during the January transfer window, moving quickly while spending carefully. Successful transfer recruiting still comes down to sharp talent evaluation and identifying undervalued players. With more than 7,000 Division I transfers available in a two-week window, many good players slip through the cracks. This is our annual all-sleeper team, composed of players who did not make ESPN's top 100 transfer rankings but have made strong first impressions in nonconference play.

Offense QB: Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville (transferred from Ohio State). Jeff Brohm made a big bet on an unproven quarterback with only 36 career pass attempts. Kienholz lit up Ole Miss with 307 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, and three touchdowns in his debut. He followed with 219 total yards and three TDs against No. 16 SMU. Kienholz ranks No. 11 nationally in total offense, averaging 11.2 yards per attempt with zero turnovers over 177 snaps.

RB: Dilin Jones, LSU (transferred from Wisconsin). Jones ran for 300 yards over seven games in 2025 but has taken over LSU's backfield, rushing for 113 yards and two scores against Clemson. He followed with 106 yards and another touchdown against Ole Miss, ranking as the SEC's fourth-leading rusher.

RB: Jaylin Carter, Memphis (transferred from Southern Miss). Carter ranks No. 4 nationally in rushing with 437 yards and seven touchdowns over four games, producing 201 total yards against his former program.

并非每所大学橄榄球项目在组建2026年阵容时，都能拥有3000万至4000万美元的预算支持。大多数项目在1月转会窗口期间都需高效运作，既要快速行动，又要精打细算。成功的转会招募最终仍取决于精准的人才评估与发掘被低估球员的能力。在短短两周内，超过7000名NCAA一级联赛转会球员可供选择，许多优秀球员容易被遗漏。这是我们年度评选的全 sleeper 阵容，成员均未入选ESPN转会百大榜单，但在非联盟比赛中已展现出强大影响力。

进攻组

四分卫：林肯·肯霍尔茨，路易斯维尔大学（从俄亥俄州立大学转会）。杰夫·布罗姆对一名仅有36次传球经历的无经验四分卫下了重注。肯霍尔茨在首秀中对阵密西西比大学，传出307码、冲球69码并完成3次达阵，惊艳全场。随后对阵全美第16名南卫理公会大学，他再贡献219码总进攻和3次达阵。肯霍尔茨在全国进攻效率榜排名第11，场均每次进攻11.2码，177次进攻中零失误。

跑卫：迪林·琼斯，路易斯安那州立大学（从威斯康星大学转会）。琼斯在2025年七场比赛中冲球300码，如今已接管LSU后场，对阵克莱姆森大学冲球113码并取得2次达阵。随后对阵密西西比大学再冲106码并再添一达阵，位列SEC跑卫榜第四。

跑卫：杰林·卡特，孟菲斯大学（从南密西西比大学转会）。卡特在四场比赛中冲球437码并取得7次达阵，全国跑卫榜排名第四，其中对阵母队时贡献201码总进攻。

关键实体：公司：ESPN、路易斯维尔大学、路易斯安那州立大学、孟菲斯大学、俄亥俄州立大学、威斯康星大学、南密西西比大学、密西西比大学、克莱姆森大学、南卫理公会大学、马歇尔大学 | 人物：马克斯·奥尔林、林肯·肯霍尔茨、迪林·琼斯、杰林·卡特、杰夫·布罗姆、莱恩·基芬、查理·哈夫、斯泰西·盖奇、哈莱姆·贝里、凯登·达勒姆 | 地点：巴吞鲁日

FAQ：什么是大学橄榄球转会中的“九月惊喜”？

九月惊喜是指未入选ESPN转会百大榜单，但在非联盟比赛中展现出色首秀表现的球员，他们常从被低估或默默无闻的处境中脱颖而出，成为球队关键贡献者。