Notre Dame football welcomed its first transfer portal acquisition of the offseason on Monday when it was announced that former Colorado star cornerback DJ McKinney had opted for the Fighting Irish. The 6-2, 180-pound cover man was a heavily sought-after defensive back with plenty of options on the table. Head coach Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens now have the chance to develop one of the more physically gifted cornerbacks in all of college football for his final season.

Go Irish?#natty? pic.twitter.com/GtAMjsC5qn

— Dylahn (DJ) McKinney (@DjMcKinney22) January 12, 2026

On paper, this is a tremendous addition for Notre Dame. With Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson, and Luke Talich all returning in 2026, this has the look of another elite secondary for the Fighting Irish. Adding a player like McKinney offers even more length and possibilities. It will be fascinating to see just how he fits on the back end.

DJ McKinney’s career background

McKinney was originally considered a consensus three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms coming out of the 2022 class. He originally signed with Oklahoma State, where he spent the first two years of his college career. During the 2023 season, McKinney ended up playing in 14 total games. He ended that year with 38 total tackles and five pass breakups.

Over the last two seasons, McKinney has been learning under head coach Deion Sanders while with the Colorado program. The All-Big 12 cornerback ended his time in Boulder with 97 total tackles, four interceptions, and 14 pass breakups. If not for a late-season injury, there is a very good chance that McKinney would have been a part of the 2026 NFL Draft class.

Instead, the former Colleyville (Texas) Heritage star is heading to South Bend for his fifth and final year. The talent is easy to see when you pop on the film. If Notre Dame is able to get the most out of McKinney, they could have the best cornerback duo the team has had in a very long time.

How does this secondary fit together?

While the addition of McKinney is an exciting one, it is very fair to question just how the secondary is going to fit together. You know that Moore is going to be your best cornerback in 2026. That is a no-brainer. With Gray coming back, you would seemingly have your starting cornerback duo for next season. The only question would be who is playing nickel along with sophomore Dallas Golden. That is still a fair question to pose.

With Shuler, Johnson, and Talich all returning, Notre Dame is in a great spot at the safety position. This is as complete a secondary group as we have seen in some time. The dynamic between McKinney and Gray is going to be a fascinating conversation to continue having. I am sure that Freeman and Co. have a plan for how to best utilize the talent, but it is still worth wondering about.

Where does Christian Gray play in 2026?

With Gray and McKinney both having been primarily outside cornerbacks in their careers, could we see someone shift into the slot? With McKinney’s long and skinny frame, he doesn’t look like a fit inside. Gray is a player who has enough physicality to fix inside. It could also hide some of his deficiencies in man coverage, which could upgrade the nickel spot from a pure versatility perspective. A potential move with Gray is worth watching.

If the Notre Dame staff doesn’t want to move Gray, we might be in a situation where two very talented players are going to have to be okay with rotating. McKinney did not come to Notre Dame just to be a backup. This is an NFL talent who is just flat out better than Gray right now. The move should also make each player better and create one of the deepest cornerback rooms that we have ever seen in South Bend.

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