Making sense of Notre Dame’s transfer portal wide receiver search – Who the Fighting Irish are pushing for
What can we make of the Notre Dame push for wide receivers in the transfer portal?
Notre Dame football entered the transfer portal period with a couple of big needs, especially at defensive tackle. On the offensive side of the football, the major need comes in the boundary at wide receiver. With Malachi Fields off to the NFL, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have next to no proven production in that spot heading into the 2026 college football season. Getting quarterback CJ Carr some impact size out wide is a top priority.
There is no question who that top target was when the portal officially opened up on Friday: former Michigan State standout Nick Marsh. The 6-3, 215-pound pass catcher felt like the perfect fit in the Notre Dame offense and was set to visit early this week. Unfortunately for Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, that visit never happened. Marsh opted to commit to the Indiana Hoosiers while on his visit, leading to a tough early loss for the Irish.
What’s next for Notre Dame in the boundary?
Now that Marsh is off the board, the Notre Dame staff is left to turn to Plan B. As of today, that appears to be former Rutgers wide receiver Ian Strong, who is visiting South Bend on Monday. The 6-3, 211-pound wideout is coming off a junior season where he earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. In ten games, the New York native managed to haul in 52 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns. On paper, Strong’s combination of size and production looks, well, strong.
When you break down the film, however, there are some legitimate concerns with Strong. The biggest concern centers around his speed, which he has very little of. Strong is an impressive catch point receiver, but there is context to that. With such limited ability to separate as an athlete, Strong is often in the position to try and win 50/50 balls. If that is what you’re looking for, fine, but I do believe that there are some split opinions on Strong behind the scenes.
Aside from Strong, it is uncertain if Notre Dame pursues many other bigger wide receivers. Former Boston College star Reed Harris is a player asked about a ton, but there hasn’t been much buzz around from Notre Dame circles. The 6-5, 217-pound pass catcher does bring an intriguing profile, as well as some vertical ability and two years of eligibility remaining. He would be someone I would look at, but who knows if Notre Dame will right now.
Where does Xavier Townsend fit into all of this?
Strong isn’t the only wide receiver visiting Notre Dame this week. They will also host former Iowa State pass catchers Xavier Townsend. The 5-11, 195-pound athlete feels like a bit of an odd inclusion, having hauled in just 84 receptions for 764 yards and four touchdowns in his four seasons with the Cyclones. He has also rushed for 296 yards and two touchdowns on just 37 carries (eight yards per carry), while also dabbling in the punt return game.
Perhaps Townsend is being pursued just as a depth player, but it feels like there could be several younger players on the roster who could handle those duties. With KK Smith entering the transfer portal, this might also be a push to add some speed missing from the wide receiver room. Regardless, it is unclear just how hard Notre Dame will push for him during his official visit this week.
As of today, things look bleak when it comes to the wide receiver portal push. With some younger talent on the roster, perhaps this is about securing depth after Marsh went off the board. Let’s just hope that this stretch doesn’t hurt the chances for Carr to make a massive step in year two as the starting quarterback in 2026. It doesn’t look promising so far.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Notre Dame has made a crippling transfer portal error that could hurt their championship chances heading into the 2026 season
Notre Dame football made a transfer portal error that has hurt them to begin the process.
