There’s already college football on your television sets, and if you’re like me, you have the media guide out, and you’re highlighting the guys worth dedicating your Saturdays to for the next few months as the country shifts back into fall football mode.
In just football, the Big 12 ushered in anywhere from 250 to 300 total transfers ahead of the 2026 college football season. That number is based on a rough average of 15 to 20 transfers per school, with an extreme case being Oklahoma State with 50-plus new players on its roster.
Here’s a look at three incoming transfers from outside the Big 12:
Cole Rusk, Arizona
A former FCS standout, Cole Rusk jumped from Murray State to Illinois in 2024, only to have his first Power Four season derailed by a knee injury in fall camp. He’d return and start 13 games for the Illini last season, tallying 19 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown vs. Duke. He’d catch a season-high five passes against Ohio State.
With one season of eligibility remaining, Rusk is now part of the Seth Doege offense at Brent Brennan’s Arizona. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound veteran lends star quarterback Noah Fifita an instant option over the middle and a big man to depend on in the block game.
Arizona kicks off the season against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Tucson.
Mekhi Mason, Kansas State
The focal point for the Wildcats at linebacker, Louisiana Tech senior transfer Mekhi Mason adds immediate depth to Kansas State’s front seven, and will be a key tackler to watch in early contests against Nicholls, Washington State and Tulane. His adjustment could mean big things for a defense that returns just two starters from last year’s team.
Last year at LA Tech, Mason tallied 68 combined tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four passes defended as a Second Team All-Conference USA defender. Recorded a career-high 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack last year against LSU. He now joins senior Rex Van Whye and JUCO product Michael Graham at nickel.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
When Oklahoma State travels to Tulsa next Saturday, Sept. 5, the Cowboys will be out for blood.
The Golden Hurricane shocked OSU 19-12 last year in Stillwater and signaled the beginning of the end for longtime coach Mike Gundy as the program ultimately collapsed to 1-11 overall for the season. Eric Morris, young quarterback Drew Mestemaker and many of their former North Texas teammates are setting out to rebuild the program from scratch.
Mestemaker, a First Team All-American Conference quarterback as a freshman at UNT, would be right to feel some pressure from a Power Four fanbase leaning on his breakout start to lead the Cowboys back into relevance. Leading the FBS in passing last year, then-freshman Mestemaker tallied a nation’s best 4,379 passing yards for 34 touchdowns, the second-most in the country.
Tulsa, which trails the series 44-28, captured this game a year ago for the first time since 1998; Mestemaker will be playing in it for the first time in an OSU uniform.
