College football in 2026 is truly a war of attrition. Teams have always had to account for losing players through graduation and pursuing their dreams at the next level, but the transfer portal era has made building depth and keeping position groups stocked with talent an unenviable task. Recruiting will always be the foundational piece of any contending program, but if you want to consistently place yourself in title talks, using the transfer portal is not only an additional

After losing DB Coach Mike Mickens to the NFL, Marcus Freeman moved swiftly to name a successor. Aaron Henry, the former DC and DB's coach at the University of Illinois, will be taking on a similar role with the Fighting Irish. Photo via The University of Illinois Henry's playing days began in Wisconsin, where he played safety for four seasons with the Badgers, earning Academic All-Big Ten selection three times. Henry finished his career with the Badgers, totalling 181 tackle