The NCAA transfer portal officially opens on January 2, but there have been a long list of names already announcing their intentions to enter the portal when it opens. It has already affected Liberty with several players announcing their intentions of entering the portal.
As Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell and staff prepare to target a large number of prospects when the portal opens, there are also a handful the Flames are hoping to keep in Lynchburg heading into 2026. We have compiled a list of the six names the Flames can least afford to get poached in the transfer portal. Of course, this list comes after several have already mentioned including names such as Evan Dickens and Donte Lee who would have certainly been on this list.
WR Jamari Person
Person’s inaugural season with the Flames after transferring from Colorado State was a bit of a disappointment as he finished with 28 receptions for 315 yards. Still, as it currently stands, the 6’1″ receiver is the only pass catcher that ranked among the top eight on the team in receiving in 2025 slated to return. With a very young returning nucleus, that will certainly be added to through the portal, Person adds some veteran leadership that is so vital.
OL Aaron Fenimore
Fenimore is entering his third year starting at center and fourth year in the program. He was part of the initial recruiting class under Chadwell and is a team leader. If the Flames can keep Fenimore, he should lead a very experienced offensive line that could be a strength of the team next fall.
Joker Brenton Williams
Williams and CJ Bazile rotated the reps at Joker this past season, and with Bazile moving on, Williams will be the one slated to step into that role and be a prominent feature on the Liberty defense. In 12 games played, he had 27 tackles with 4 TFLs and 3 sacks this past season to go along with three QB hurries and a fumble recovery. Those numbers should only increase as his snaps would as well.
LB Derrell Farrar
It was a bit of a slow start for the App State transfer this past season, but by the end of the year Farrar was arguably the team’s top linebacker and defender. He ended up leading the team in tackles with 71 to go along with 4 TFLs and a sack. If Farrar and the rest of the crew return, the Flames’ linebacker corp is poised to be the strength of the team.
DB Christian Bodnar
Bodnar may be the next NFL player on this Liberty team. He’s also very versatile, as he can line up in the slot, at corner, at safety, or even at linebacker. In a full season, Bodnar was fourth on the team in tackles with 44 to go along with 2 sacks, 2 PBUs and a QB hurry. The sky is the limit for Bodnar moving forward, especially in a secondary raided by the portal and graduation so far.
S Devin Henderson
When Brylan Grenn missed the middle part of the season due to injury, it was Devin Henderson who stepped into a much larger role. He finished the season with 18 tackles in 11 games played. Now, with Green, A’Khori Jones, Eli Auguste, and Eldric Griffin all departing from the safeties room, we will likely see Henderson play a huge increase in snaps in 2026.
