Aside from adding multiple defensive tackles, Notre Dame football has made clear it is prioritizing a talented boundary wide receiver during the transfer portal period. There is also no question who its top target out wide is: former Michigan State standout Nick Marsh. The demand was always going to be high, but head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are ready to fight. 

The 6-3, 203-pound pass catcher was a strong performer for the Spartans over the last two seasons. Considered a consensus four-star player coming out of River Rouge (Mich.) High School in the 2024 recruiting class, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise that he made an immediate impact. In his two seasons, Marsh managed to haul in 100 receptions for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns, despite being a part of an underwhelming offense. 

With Malachi Fields heading to the NFL this offseason, Notre Dame has next to no proven production in the boundary. The Irish know that and are aggressively pursuing to fill that role with a proven commodity. 

Based on the demand we have seen since he entered the portal, everyone is high on Marsh’s overall talent and upside. Even before visits started, Notre Dame and LSU were viewed as the top two contenders for the talented pass catcher. More recently, Indiana came into the fold, and that’s where Marsh’s visits began this weekend. 

Marsh’s visit to Indiana 

The Hoosiers are in a very good spot to land both quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU) and running back Turbo Richard (Boston College) in this portal cycle. I’m told that both players are already recruiting hard for Indiana, and Marsh has been their primary focus so far. Including your potential quarterback in the recruiting pitch can be significant (more on that later). 

Based on what I’ve been told, the visit to Indiana went very well this weekend, but it doesn’t sound like Marsh will commit to the on-campus staff. Head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers put together a strong pitch and a competitive NIL package, but the feeling is that they are still running third coming out of the visit, barring something changing at the last minute. 

With the Hoosiers seemingly already in a great position with Texas transfer wide receiver Parker Livingstone and Charlie Becker coming back in 2026, their wide receiver room will be fine without Marsh. He is, however, a player that the team very much wants. We will see if they can make up any ground over the next week.

Where does LSU stand with Marsh?

Lane Kiffin and LSU are probably the most interesting schools in the race right now. Early in this portal process, it seemed they were the firm to beat for Marsh, yet he hasn’t even scheduled a visit to Baton Rouge. I expect that to change in the future, but nothing has been finalized yet. 

The Tigers have the NIL infrastructure and a resume in developing NFL-wide receivers that will be highly appealing to a player like Marsh. They will have a strong chance to win out in the end, but it’s not a done deal. The next several days will go a long way toward determining if Marsh stays up North in 2026 or becomes the first huge portal victory for Kiffin.  

Notre Dame’s chances with Marsh 

After being a little hesitant on Notre Dame’s chances early on, I’ve become more and more optimistic as the days have gone on. Freeman and the Irish have done a tremendous job so far, as has starting quarterback CJ Carr. Carr and Marsh have a preexisting relationship going back to high school, and I’m told that the star signal caller is working hard to get Marsh to South Bend. 

Speaking of getting to South Bend, that’s exactly what Marsh is doing on Monday. He is set to take a multi-day official visit to Notre Dame, which will go a long way toward determining whether the Irish land him. It’s hard to bet against this Notre Dame staff when they get kids on campus. Its work on the recruiting trail recently is evidence of that. 

I’m told that Notre Dame will be very aggressive for Marsh, and that includes from a money perspective. Marsh will demand a substantial amount of money. The staff understands this and will remain competitive as final offers come in. This is a Notre Dame-LSU battle right now, but the Irish have a very real chance. Hitting that official visit out of the park this week will be the key. 

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Ryan Roberts