There’s a new wide receiver on the transfer portal market that Notre Dame should make a strong push for
Notre Dame should look to the SEC to find another talented speed wide receiver in the transfer portal.
Notre Dame football is in the middle of the transfer portal chaos, and they are attempting to fill some very important holes in their 2026 roster. That includes at wide receiver, where surrounding quarterback CJ Carr with as much talent as possible should be a major priority. While there is an intent to add some impact size in the boundary, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish appear open to bringing different styles of passing game weapons.
The Irish staff is currently hosting former Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Townsend, who is a smaller wideout who does his best work after the catch. If that is a style that Notre Dame is considering, they should turn their eyes to former Vanderbilt star Tre Richardson, who also entered the portal recently. There may not be a better player with the football in his hand currently on the market than Richardson.
It is uncertain whether Notre Dame will have any interest in Richardson, but they should. The senior is the type of player who can handle several different roles for a team, both on offense and on special teams. The speed he brings to the table makes Richardson a very unique target coming from another outstanding academic institution. It will be interesting to see if the Irish give him a long look.
If Notre Dame does make a move for Richardson, they will still need to keep their eyes open for a bigger-bodied outside receiver as well. Anytime, however, that you can bring in more speed for a quarterback like Carr, you do it.
Tre Richardson’s career background
Richardson has taken a very interesting journey to get to this point in his football career. He played his high school football at Highland Park in Topeka, Kansas, where he was a dynamic all-around athlete. During his senior season in 2022, he managed to rush for 1,964 yards and 27 touchdowns. Richardson also hauled in 40 receptions for 1,079 yards and 15 scores through the air. He was also a dynamic track and field runner and basketball player for the school.
Despite that, Richardson began his career at Hutchinson Community College, where he was selected as a first-team NJCAA All-American as a return specialist in 2023. That eventually earned him an opportunity to play at Washburn, a Division II team in the state of Kansas. During that lone season, the 5-11, 175-pound pass catcher totaled 1,609 yards and 11 touchdowns as a runner, receiver, and return specialist. That gave him another opportunity to transfer to Vanderbilt ahead of the 2025 season.
For what seems like the millionth time, Richardson managed to prove all the doubters wrong in his one season with the Commodores. In 13 games, he led the team with 46 receptions for 806 yards and seven touchdowns, an average of 17.5 yards per reception. Richardson also rushed the football 11 times for 62 yards while also averaging 25.1 yards per kick return. He is now one of the more dynamic playmakers in the portal with a ton of upside as a space weapon.
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