Charlotte’s transfer portal work isn’t finished. Here’s what 49ers have done so far
Tim Albin and the Charlotte 49ers’ football staff have been busy since their season concluded in November, aiming to drastically improve the roster through the transfer portal after a one-win season in 2025.
The 15-day transfer window opened Jan. 2 and closed on Friday, but with more than 1,200 unsigned FBS scholarship players in the portal as of Thursday night, the 49ers will continue to add.
The 49ers unofficially lost 21 players to the portal, including leading receiver Javen Nicholas (Duke), multiple starting offensive linemen, leading rusher Rod Gainey Jr. (LSU), backup quarterback Zach Wilcke and several more players with high snap counts last season.
But with an increased NIL budget to build this season’s team, Albin and the 49ers added plenty of Power Four talent, including former five-star offensive linemen J’Ven Williams from Penn State.
As of Sunday, Charlotte has added eight players from the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, with 18 total incoming transfers.
Quarterback, skill position upgrades
After losing starting quarterback Conner Harrell (knee) for much of last season, the 49ers are set to return both Harrell and Grayson Loftis. Charlotte added Pittsburgh transfer Cole Gonzales to the mix, with the 6-foot signal-caller playing just three games last season with the Panthers as a backup.
Albin’s staff recruited Gonzales ahead of last season, following three years at Western Carolina. Gonzales’ best season came in 2023, where he threw for 2,803 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. There will likely be another extended quarterback battle with the trio of upper-classmen.
With wideouts Sean Brown and E. Jai Mason graduating, Nicholas headed to Durham, and Jayden McGowan in the portal, the 49ers added Tank Boston (N.C. State) and Jaden Barnes (Appalachian State) to bolster the room.
Boston was the No. 9 player in South Carolina before committing to N.C. State, where he caught just two passes in as many seasons. Barnes, on the other hand, racked up three 100-plus yard games last season with the Mountaineers, including six catches for 134 yards and a touchdown against Charlotte in the Duke’s Mayo Classic to open the season. At 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, Barnes will likely fill Nicholas’ role in the slot.
Building inside-out
Albin has been adamant about building Charlotte’s roster through the trenches, which will feature plenty of familiar faces on defense — and little to none on offense.
“On the offensive line, we don’t return a ton of guys. It’s going to be a total rebuild on the offensive line. There’s some uncertainty, but I’m not discouraged, because we’ve got to upgrade. We’ve got to make a huge improvement,” Albin said in December on the Highway 49 Podcast. “We’re going to build this thing from the inside-out, and we needed some fresh blood in there.”
The addition of Williams at tackle is massive for the 49ers, both literally and figuratively. Williams was a five-star prospect out of Reading, Pennsylvannia, before committing to James Franklin at Penn State. He didn’t see much playing time with the Nittany Lions, and suffered a season-ending injury early in the year prior to hitting the portal. At 6-foot-5, 319 pounds, Williams has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The 49ers didn’t have a single running back break 300 yards last season, and while the line struggled to open holes, the tailbacks couldn’t hold on to the ball. Both groups got an upgrade through the portal, featuring new running backs Khamani Alexander (Appalachian State) and Chance Williams (Cincinnati).
Roster improving incrementally
According to 247 Sports, Charlotte’s portal additions rank sixth in the American, one spot ahead of East Carolina.
While compounding injuries derailed the 2025 team, that roster wasn’t on par with the rest of the American. Bright spots on offense were hard to find, and Charlotte desperately needs a formidable rushing attack to aid its signal-callers with Todd Fitch returning for his second season as offensive coordinator.
The defense will return much of its production from a season ago, including linebackers Kadin Schmitz and Gavin Willis.
Albin is known to turn teams around in his second season as head coach, and with this year’s roster coming together, he has his work cut out for him.
This story was originally published January 19, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s transfer portal work isn’t finished. Here’s what 49ers have done so far."