Notre Dame football is right in the middle of the transfer portal chaos, and things haven’t been great for them so far. While we are still only six days into the portal being open, it would be nice to see head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish land a portal player, even just one.

So far, all we have gotten is rumors, cancelled visits, and a whole bunch of frustrations. It has not been a great week to be a Notre Dame fan.

While that frustration is justified, Notre Dame can flip this portal process for the better. There are some secondary needs for the Irish that would be interesting for the team to hit, including adding an experienced backup quarterback, a depth piece at nickel, and potentially bringing in a talented pass rusher like John Henry Daley (Utah), but there are also much bigger priorities for the team right now.

For this portal period to be anything close to a success, Freeman and Co. will need to hit the insight straight going down the stretch.

Here is the portal wishlist for Notre Dame as we head down the stretch. Let’s hope they can check off some of the most important boxes.

Close the deal with Brewu

The defensive tackle portal discussion among Notre Dame fans has become toxic recently, and for good reason. Notre Dame has failed to take advantage of a good crop of interior players so far, and things look bleak.

The Irish are, however, hosting former Pitt defensive tackle Francis Brewu for a visit, who the new Irish defensive line coach, Charlie Partridge, once recruited to Pitt. With the inside track, there are no excuses for Notre Dame. Get the 6-1, 285-pound bowling ball to South Bend and get on the board.

Couple Brewu with size inside

If Notre Dame lands Brewu, it still needs to land at least one or two defensive tackles in the portal. With Brewu being a bit undersized, the Irish staff would be best served by bringing in some size to complement him. Who those names are right now is a bit of a mystery. Notre Dame must make sure to land them at any cost, or else you could hurt a championship window.

Bring Keon Keeley home

I know some Notre Dame fans are hesitant to jump on the Keon Keeley bandwagon, and I get it! He once disappointed the Irish fanbase when he decommitted in the 2023 class and ended up with Alabama, but he’s on campus, and there is a fun full-circle moment that could come with this.

Keeley, who stands at 6-5 and 283 pounds, is also a really outstanding former five-star talent who was playing well down the stretch for the Crimson Tide in 2025. While his main spot would be on the edge, at least early on, Keeley also has the body type and experience to help from some reduced alignments as well.

The things that defensive coordinator Chris Ash could do with the trio of Keeley, Boubacar Traore, and Bryce Young from a creativity perspective are exciting.

Bring Keeley home this time.

Take advantage of Ohio State

With the depth of the wide receiver room at Ohio State, you are naturally going to lose some talent from time to time, especially after wide receivers coach Brian Hartline left this offseason. We have seen two former five-stars leave recently in Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, both of whom Notre Dame was high on in their respective recruiting classes.

Graham is already on a visit to South Bend, and Porter named the Fighting Irish a team of interest to kick off his second chance at recruiting.

The initial want was for Notre Dame to bring in a proven wide receiver, but things haven’t gone its way so far. Unless a couple of new options come to the forefront, there could be reason to believe the Irish could opt for the youth movement route.

If they do, bringing in at least one or both of Graham and Porter would load the room with some elite talent. From there, wide receivers coach Mike Brown has more than enough talent to prove just how good a developer he is, but the volume of intriguing options would certainly not be an issue.

Find a kicker… please

Kicking was painful to watch for Notre Dame in 2025. With the Fighting Irish bringing back a talented roster and an easy schedule to navigate next season, a playoff run does feel on the horizon. If so, you will eventually play in a close game, in which you need to make a big kick. With Scott Starzyk (Arkansas) and Trey Borkowski (Pitt) heading to LSU and Michigan, respectively, a couple of the top names are already off the board. This is on special teams coordinator Marty Biagi to find an answer, and quickly.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

Debating the reasons behind Notre Dame’s early transfer portal struggles – The unjustifiable, the logical, and the downright bizarre 

What are the real reasons why Notre Dame has had so many early transfer portal struggles?

Ryan Roberts