Notre Dame football already eyeing biggest need in the transfer portal, and will reportedly fill it aggressively
This is set to be a very interesting portal period this offseason for Notre Dame. The Irish staff has seemingly found the perfect recipe for roster building success, recruit high school at a high level, and find a small group of portal additions each offseason. The latter doesn’t always have to be the biggest names, […]
This is set to be a very interesting portal period this offseason for Notre Dame. The Irish staff has seemingly found the perfect recipe for roster building success, recruit high school at a high level, and find a small group of portal additions each offseason. The latter doesn’t always have to be the biggest names, but the right fits.
Unlike the last couple of offseasons, Notre Dame isn’t expected to be pursuing a quarterback this offseason, at least not early or of the starting variety. Instead the Irish are going to be very calculated with their approach, and particular. Heading into the offseason, everyone knows what the biggest position of need is for the Irish. It’s on the interior defensive line.
With both Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills leaving for the NFL after this season, and the uncertain future of Jason Onye, there is a lot of production to replace. The staff will be hopeful for players like Gabriel Rubio, Donovan Hinish, and Armel Mukam to take a step forward, but even with them, more quality of depth is needed. Even beyond depth, you can argue a substantial difference maker is needed.
From a source close to the Notre Dame side, the staff is very aware of that need. Not only are they planning to fill out, but they are set to be very aggressive doing so. The Irish are very, very competitive from a NIL perspective now and that should pay off big time in this search. Money will be no issue trying to find an impact defensive tackle, and that has been verified through multiple sources.
This is such a clear need that the Irish staff has already been evaluating potential entrants into the transfer portal when it officially opens on December 9th. While it’s still speculation on who will definitely enter, most understand how this process works. Programs are rarely ever caught off guard with who does and does not enter. The information is typically known well in advance, sometimes several months.
There is even a target out there that Notre Dame is expected to have very high interest in. A name can’t be put out there yet since he isn’t officially in the portal yet, but he does play currently in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). He also is going to be very well liked by Irish fans if he does end up with the team. The fanbase has been yearning for a massive nose tackle, and that is an understatement with this unnamed player.
Said player also will have just one year of eligibility left, but that’s the final clue for tonight.
Things are going to get excited this offseason for Notre Dame’s transfer portal search. The urge seems to be to continue getting bigger. How they attract interior defensive line will solidify that thought in a couple of months, seemingly moving away from the smaller interior players.
