Notre Dame football is going all in on the Transfer Portal, and there’s a defensive tackle they should pursue heavily
The Notre Dame football program is expected to be very aggressive in the Transfer Portal this offseason, and there are a couple of positions that are believed to be the areas of focus. Those are at defensive tackle and wide receiver, with the former seemingly being the main area to fill. It’s conceivable that the […]
The Notre Dame football program is expected to be very aggressive in the Transfer Portal this offseason, and there are a couple of positions that are believed to be the areas of focus. Those are at defensive tackle and wide receiver, with the former seemingly being the main area to fill. It’s conceivable that the Irish could be in the market for two defensive tackles over the next few months.
One player who should be firmly on the Notre Dame radar is former Wisconsin defensive lineman James Thompson Jr., who announced his intentions to enter the portal a few days ago. Thompson entered the year as a legitimate prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft class but unfortunately had his season cut short due to an upper-body injury.
From a talent perspective, Thompson is an extremely gifted mover at 6-5 and 295 pounds. While being a very coordinated athlete, Thompson also has a really nice first step and is able to create power in tight windows. It’s impressive to watch Thompson make plays from all types of different alignments.
During his two previous seasons, Thompson recorded 52 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two pass breakups. There is still a ton of upside that Thompson brings to the table. He is an ideal three technique fit into the Notre Dame system.
With the belief that the Irish could bring in a couple of interior defensive linemen, it is interesting to consider the duos you can bring in via the portal. Thompson paired with a bigger nose tackle is a very intriguing name to know, and a player that the Irish should do a lot of homework on. He has an argument as one of the more gifted defensive tackles who will enter the portal.
Notre Dame is set to lose both Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III this offseason, and the future of Jason Onye is very much up in the air. With those losses finding quality bodies to add to that room is a priority. You are also going to need to potentially add a couple of starting options as well, and that is exactly what Thompson could provide.
