Those who stayed: Why top FCS stars returned to schools over the transfer portal

“I’m back!”

Two words that have echoed across the college football offseason in the ever-changing sport as the transfer portal and player movement hit new peaks year after year. In the new landscape of college football, stability stands out, and “I’m back” graphics, statements and videos have been seen across FCS football.

Those two words indicate that some of the top FCS stars staved off the transfer portal, choosing to remain at the schools that built them into the playmakers we see on Saturday afternoons. It’s an active choice, and it’s not an easy one given the lucrative offers many have on the table. Here’s some insight on why these players are returning to school.

You made it. Now what?

We start where the last season ended: Montana State. The Bobcats won the FCS national championship and were on top of the world. But you don’t get on top without having talented players. The same talented FCS players that can win you a ring quickly become the apple of an FBS program’s eye.

Take Montana State wide receiver Taco Dowler, for example. Dowler caught a touchdown and ran for another in the national championship and had over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in both the title game and semifinals. The national championship had 2.3 million viewers — third-most in FCS title game history — and the semifinal Montana State-Montana game had 2.8 million viewers.

It’s safe to assume that a few FBS coaches were a part of those five million-plus views that saw Dowler put on a postseason show. Such success meant Dowler faced questions of staying at Montana State or hitting the transfer portal from fans and more.

“I had it asked to me so much, especially leading up to the national championship and the week after. It’s recruiting that's done out there that probably shouldn't be,” Dowler said. “There's a lot of questions that were, 'Where are you going?' 'What's your plan?' Not even like if I was going, like, where are you going?”

It’s an amount of questioning that led Dowler to announce his return with of “Who ever said I was leaving?” The speculation around Dowler made it important that he felt the need to announce his decision.

MORE PORTAL: FCS transfers who could impact next year's CFP race

That same speculation followed another FCS athlete that reached one of the pinnacles of the sport, reigning Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard. Brungard had 26 passing touchdowns and 27 rushing touchdowns in 2025’s award-winning season. After a year like that, any quarterback is bound to have FBS suitors. Yet, even after winning the top individual award in the sport, Brungard valued the loyalty and relationships he’s built with the Youngstown State fanbase over the unknowns of the transfer portal.

“In this world of college football, it's the normal thing to get up and leave and go chase money. I wanted to be the 1 percent that's different,” Brungard said. “I wanted to be a difference-maker and hopefully start a change where good FCS players can stay loyal to their schools and stay at this level and stick around.”

BEAU’S STAYING HOME🙌🐧

— Youngstown State Football (@ysufootball)

It was only a season ago that we saw 2023 Payton Award winner Mark Gronowski leave South Dakota State for Iowa. No one would’ve blamed Brungard for leaving. But he chose to stay.

It’s a similar choice that Montana running back Eli Gillman had to make two years ago, when he won the Jerry Rice Award as FCS football’s top freshman. The 2023 Rice Award winner is the only winner of this decade to NOT enter the transfer portal.

Past winners Cam Ward (2020) and Shedeur Sanders (2021) won the award, transferred and are now in the NFL. CharMar Brown (2024) just played for a College Football Playoff national title after transferring.

However, Gillman didn’t allow other’s success sway him back in 2023, nor in any of his three offseasons with the Grizzlies.

“Winning that award, I could have used it to leave, but I also feel like I can use it as proof that you can grow here at Montana and get better just like you can at higher levels," he said.

Winning awards like Gillman and Brungard or championships like Dowler can lead to satisfactory thinking of “what more is there to accomplish after I’ve done this?" But these FCS athletes have had a chip on their shoulder since they were overlooked in high school by the same big schools that want them now. It’s that same chip that eliminates a sense of complacency and motivates them to prove people wrong with continued FCS success.

🗓️: When does the 2026 college football season start?

Brotherhoods and bonds

The leave or not to leave is the Shakespearian question that every athlete faces in the transfer portal individually. The individual nature and pressures of such a decision are in stark contrast to the ultimate team sport that is football. While transfer portal decisions are individual, it’s hard to ignore the bonds made with teammates that factor into the decision-making process, whether at the forefront or subtly. 

When you're a quarterback like Brungard, you’re a leader. That’s what made announcing his decision to return all the more important for his teammates.

“I wanted to get my teammates in the city excited for what's to come. I have a ton of amazing players around me on both sides of the ball, and they're getting offered to go leave and go other places,” Brungard said. “I guess they followed my lead and they felt the same way I did. They wanted to stay loyal, and so we were able to keep a lot of great players on our team.”

Montana quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was one of three notable Grlizzy offensive stars to announce their returns, joining Gillman and wide receiver Brooks Davis. It wasn’t a group decision for Montana’s Big Three, but there was some communication amongst the trio.

“I was definitely talking to Eli and Brooks and seeing what they were gonna do,” Ah Yat said. “Me and Brooks having that connection, we're roommates. We wanted to come back. We feel like we have unfinished business.”

First and foremost I want to thank the Montana coaching staff, my teammates and the fans. These last 3 years I have created so many memories with so many special people. With that being said I’ve decided to not enter my name in the portal. This is too fun lol I’m back!

— Keali’i Ah Yat (@kealiiahyat)

A QB-WR connection found similar transfer portal decisions from the Northwest all the way to New England. That’s where Rhode Island quarterback Devin Farrell and wide receiver Marquis Buchanan announced their decision to return together via a FaceTime call with head coach Jim Fleming.

🐏🏈⚓️💙👀

— Rhody Football (@RhodyFootball)

“It was kind of a group decision. Me and Dev talked and we both knew if one of us came back, the other one would be interested,” Buchanan said. ”Once I locked him in, I was like, 'all right, we'll be good to go.' ”

The QB-WR bond isn’t the only reason the FCS leader in receiving yards and the nation’s second-leading passer chose to return despite heavy interest. The bond and brotherhood with the whole team makes Rhode Island a special place that’s hard to leave.

“We never have a dull moment in our locker room. There's days where we have a dance party after practice almost. You can't get that elsewhere. You can't. We've built that,” Farrell said.

Then there’s the national champions, which due to the timing of the championship game had to make their portal decisions later than most. Dowler announced his decision on Jan. 10. His announced two days later. Two days after that,  announced his return among others. 

It was no coincidence that all of the announcements were so close together. It helps when great players have other great players to lean on.

“We all had an idea and a gauge of where each other were at, not a hundred percent, but there was an idea,” Dowler said. “I needed to make sure that there were certain pieces coming back for me to come back and for sure that played into everyone's different roles. It all worked out perfectly.”

Dowler's decision of course had the other unique aspect of his brother having a decision of his own. You may have noticed that there was a gap of one day in between Lamson and Fleischmann’s announcements. That’s because that was the day — two days after Dowler — that Taco’s twin brother . 

“During the whole recruiting process out of high school, we had to deal with the same thing of what does our future look like? Are we going to be together? Are we going to be separate?" Taco said. “I think together is the right way to do it a hundred times out of a hundred. The best thing that I've ever done is share the field with him.”

The Dowler twins put a literal meaning to the brotherhood of a football team. It’s symbolic of the brotherhood across the country that has helped star FCS players turn down offers from other programs to remain at the programs that poured into them.

NEW HOMES: Making sense of FCS conference realignment

Coaching matters

A key part of any brotherhood is sacrifice. While FCS players across the country sacrificed opportunities and dollars at other programs for loyalty and stability, Montana State has a unique perspective of a head coach doing the same.

Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen was one of the top candidates — if the frontrunner — for the open Oregon State job this offseason. He even flew into Portland during Montana State’s bye week during the first round of the playoffs. As reports went, the Oregon State’s job was Vigen’s for the taking, but he would have to potentially leave his Bobcat team during the postseason run. That was a decision Vigen wasn’t about to make.

Oregon State instead hired JaMarcus Shephard to a five-year deal that pays him $1.6 million in 2026. Vigen’s in 2025 was $295,000 and he made $232,500 in incentives after winning the FCS title. That’s over a $1 million dollar sacrifice from the Montana State head coach.

“I'm not the only one that turned down some money to come back and try to run it back,” Dowler said. “Coach Vigen sets a really good standard of the type of man you want to be. The stuff that he has sacrificed... I think it just is a lot easier to say no to that when the blueprint's right in front of you and Coach Vigen.”

The Vigen story is nice and wholesome, but what about when a coach does leave? The NCAA’s transfer portal rules allow for any player to enter the transfer portal beginning five days after a new coach is hired or announced for a 15-day period. 

That’s exactly what happened for Jamar Curtis at Sacramento State.

Similar to HBCU national player of the year Andrew Body or Illinois State breakout star wide receiver Dylan Lord, Curtis announced he was entering the transfer portal before returning to the FCS.

After careful thought and conversations with the new head coach, I have decided to stay at Sacramento State for my last year and not enter my name in the transfer portal. Let’s run it back!

— Jamar Curtis (@flyymar2)

Unlike Body or Lord, Curtis had to evaluate his standing with a new head coach before deciding to return. The coaching element was a unique factor in Curtis’ transfer portal experience. He only was a year removed from transferring from Lafayette to Sacramento State, after all. It was important for him to establish a good relationship with the new staff.

“Coach Alonzo Carter, I think he's a real genuine dude coming in. I think he’ll help change this program,” Curtis said. “We had a lot of phone calls, long phone calls, just talking ball. I like what he was talking about. I believe in his vision and I support him so that ultimately ended up resulting in me staying at Sacramento.”

Without those behind the scenes conversations between Curtis and Carter, we may not have seen Curtis at the FCS level in 2026. The challenges that come with a coaching change is something that Devin Farrell knows very well.

He started his college career at Virginia Tech in 2022, the first year under then-head coach Brent Pry. He was a recruit from the previous staff, but by the time spring ball was over, the new staff told him that they didn’t have any scholarships left and it was time to hit the portal. It’s what led him to a landing spot at Rhode Island.

Fast forward to 2026 and Farrell’s transfer portal decision was completely different with the Rams.

“This time around, I know my coaches. They recruited me. I played. They wanted me to stay,” Farrell said. “My freshman year, it was scary not knowing where you're gonna end up. Not knowing a whole bunch of stuff to look out for. Now I'm in a position where people actually see my value and appreciate it.”

There’s a trust between FCS players and coaches that has been built, whether it's over a few weeks like Curtis’ case or over a few years. The trust keeps FCS stars away from the unknown risks that could come with a transfer decision. 

“It's a high risk getting in the portal, and the reward could be much higher, but [the coaches] had a plan for me since day one. I'm also a very loyal guy, so I'm just gonna stick to that plan,” Buchanan said.

The relationship between coach and player is just one of many that impact the extensive transfer portal decision making process.

2025 HBCU Recap: Everything from the 2025 HBCU football season | Celebration Bowl | Final  Rankings 

Hungry for more

Unfinished business is a major theme amongst every FCS player that opted against the transfer portal.

Curtis barely got to play last year. He redshirted after an early season ankle injury limited him to just four games. He did rush for 105 yards and a touchdown in his last game. The former FCS All-American has a lot to prove after an off year.

“I had a decent game, but I still feel like I didn't play my best ball in the Sacramento jersey yet,” Curtis said.

Ah Yat already told us that he and Gillman feel like they have “unfinished business” at Montana after a playoff semifinal exit. Meanwhile, Brungard is coming off a first-round playoff exit. 

Winning championships holds more importance to Brungard than becoming the first back-to-back Walter Payton Award winner since Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards in 2008-09. He, too, is choosing to take care of unfinished business at the FCS level instead of opting for the transfer portal.

“I’m trying to stay as non-complacent as I can. Just putting my head down and going to work and seeing how much better I can get,” Brungard said. “There was a lot left on the table for this team this past year, and we know that we can do great things.”

Even Rhode Island’s duo, for all of their stats, still hasn’t made an FCS quarterfinal round during their time with the Rams. 

“These last two years we've been so close to getting to that next level. We need to get to that next level. We got the guys to get to the next level,” Buchanan said. “With Dev back at quarterback, I know we can take that next step. Last year, it was wide open for us. I feel like this year is just as open. We just gotta take advantage of our opportunities.”

None of these players would want to leave unfulfilled. It’s just not in their work ethic that’s allowed them to be some of the top players in the subdivision. Transferring now would be like leaving food on the table.

FCS AWARDS: Walter Payton Award history | Buck Buchanan Award history | Jerry Rice Award history

Community loyalty

Overall, the decision to remain at the FCS level is one that demonstrates an intense loyalty between player and fanbase. The sense of community established at an FCS program is impactful.

Taco Dowler knows the Montana State community well as a Montana native. He’s hosted youth camps and more. Dowler knows his decision to remain a Bobcat can be an example for the kids whose shoes he was in just a few years ago.

“Look at me. I’m not some giant receiver. Having the kids relate to me and know that the blueprint is in front of you...” Dowler said. “Just do what I did. Work hard and be competitive and you could be at any position you want to be in to make any decision you want to make. There's no right or wrong decision.” 

Like Dowler, Marquis Buchanan is a similar local kid playing FCS ball in his home state of Rhode Island. In hometown-hero fashion, Buchanan too knows the impact running it back with the hometown team can have on the youth.

“In the summertime I work at a summer camp. I’m just really showing them that you don't have to up and leave and you know, really have to go to the big-time school to put your name out there,” he said. “You don't have to go to Alabama, Ohio State, or a school like that. It's really just whatever opportunity you get, take, and make the most of it and take advantage of it.”

The Youngstown State community is one that has impacted multiple generations for Brungard. His dad played quarterback at YSU, winning two national titles. His family still lives just 20 minutes away from the school and he’s getting married soon. It would be hard for any player to leave a community that’s poured so much into him.

“I love being a Penguin. I wanted to my whole life. I wanted to play quarterback here just like my dad and now that I have the opportunity to do that, I just didn't want to give that up and leave. I love it here,” Brungard said.

Ah Yat is a legacy FCS product, too. Keali’i’s father Brian was a member of Montana’s 1995 FCS title winning squad and led the Grizzlies to the 1996 title game as the starting quarterback. Yet for Keali’i, following in his father’s footsteps wasn’t a major part of his decision. Instead it was the value created from the relationships in the football building that helped him stay. 

“My dad let me make the decision myself. Throughout this whole process my parents were always in my corner,” Ah Yat said. “Knowing that I have built a lot of relationships here, staying loyal to the coaches was a big thing that went into my decision because they're the only staff that believed in me coming out of high school.”

In the same locker room, Gillman proves that the sense of community isn’t just something that is found within local or legacy FCS players. He’s been embraced by the Grizzlies fanbase so much that he announced his decision to stay with a teasing video that made it seem like he was leaving.

Love this place

— Eli Gillman (@eli_gillman)

“I just thought I'd find a way to have some fun with it. But no, I was never going to leave this place. This place is way too good for me to leave them,” Gillman said. “Montana has welcomed me like family since I first got here. This place became my home super fast. Even when I go home back to Minnesota to visit, it feels like I'm on vacation.”

The welcoming nature of FCS football communities and fanbases plays a big role in helping the star players feel comfortable enough to turn down FBS offers. Even after players announce their decisions to return, they still have felt — to their surprise at times — the outpouring of love from their fanbases.

“The people in the community have shown support, DM’d me, commented on our posts and stuff. It's like, dang, I didn't realize we had this much love,” Farrell said. “Everybody chases that big name and the wine and dine of recruitment, but I've been in college for four years now. None of that means anything. It's about the people and the relationships that you have with those people that really matter.”

FCS HISTORY: The 9 all-time winningest FCS programs | 7 of the most unbreakable FCS records

The NFL is still the goal

Even with the brotherhood, sacrifice, community and more, some pundits may still think these athletes returning to the FCS is the wrong decision for their football futures. There were only eight FCS players selected in the NFL draft last year. We’ve seen a downward trend of FCS draft picks this decade as the five lowest total amount of FCS selections in a year have occurred since the 21st century.

But there’s no guarantee that FCS players would find more success for their NFL futures in a new home. Only 19 Group of 5 FBS players have been drafted in each of the last two years, a 47 percent decrease from 2023.

As Northern Arizona head coach Brian Wright explains, these players could leave the FCS level and not even play. 

NAU HC Brian Wright spoke on the challenge of retaining players at the FCS level.

Wright said the team conducted its own study and found that only 14% of players who left NAU or the Big Sky conference have moved on to play more snaps or the same number of snaps as they did at…

— Adam Beadle (@therealbeadle)

It’s hard to make it to the NFL if you don’t get on the field, no matter how much money you make from NIL. Maybe that’s why quarterbacks like Devin Farrell are one of the many all-conference-level stars to bank on the FCS for their futures instead of the transfer portal.

“I think the opportunities are here to get to that next level. We've had years of work, and as we continue to get better and continue to prove ourselves in a sense, then those looks after college ball will come,” Farrell said. “If I was at a DII, I would still have the same belief that I have now. Just because of my faith in Christ, I know I'm on this road for a reason.”

FCS players could turn to the unknown of the portal or instead look to the paths carved out in front of them. There’s nine FCS Pro Football Hall of Famers, guys like Cooper Kupp, Dallas Goedert, Kyle Juszczyk, Joe Flacco and more have had long NFL careers — and every year there’s former FCS stars playing on the biggest stage in the Super Bowl.

Did somebody say Superbowl LX 🗣️🚨

Come February 8th, some of our FCS Alums will go head to head to be crowned Superbowl Champions! We are sending good vibes and good health to all of our alums and their teams as they prepare and practice for the game ❤️

— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS)

The example of achieving the ultimate goal is right in front of the FCS stars that choose to stay playing FCS ball.

“Bryce Oliver, Jaleel McLaughlin, I was able to play with those guys and see the work ethic and what it took for them to play at the FCS level and then turn over and play at the NFL,” Brungard said. “It happens every single year, numerous guys play at the FCS level and then dominate in the NFL. There’s no doubt in my mind that I could make that happen.”

“I keep looking back at those two guys back in 2017 and 2018, Aaron Parker and Isaiah Coulter. Coach Will, my wide receiver coach now, coached them when they were here,” Buchanan said. “He told me this past season, 'Your numbers are already where they're at. Imagine if you got one more year here.' "

Players don’t even have to look solely at players. They can also look at the resume of coaches. Jamar Curtis’ new coach Alonzo Carter at Sacramento State comes in from Arizona, where he was a running backs coach. He turned Jacory Croskey-Merritt into an NFL draft pick after playing just one game in his final year.

Carter is just one of many FCS coaches that have gotten players to the league. It allows players to trust in the coaches development process and connections to scouts. Thus, players know that if they don’t enter the transfer portal, they still can reach the ultimate goal of making the league.

“Just seeing stuff like that, it’s just motivation to get to the next level,” Curtis said." It doesn't matter what division you are. If you could play ball, you could play ball at the end of the day. Everybody's still got to line it up.”