There’s an early potential Notre Dame Transfer Portal target who would fill the biggest need for the Fighting Irish defense
Notre Dame has a massive need on defense, and there is a Transfer Portal entrant who could fill it in a big way.
Despite the fallout from the final College Football Playoff ranking and the controversy involved, the future of Notre Dame football is still very bright. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff have continued to do a tremendous job upgrading the program, including the overall talent on the field. This is a bigger, faster, and stronger assortment of players that we have seen in a very long time in South Bend.
For all the good that Freeman and his staff have done over the years, there are still a couple of positions that the team will need to upgrade to take the team to the next level. The defensive tackle position is the one spot that most fans will point at, and for good reason. Notre Dame has some good players inside, but they need to continue getting more talented on the interior. That is especially true with Jared Dawson, Gabriel Rubio, and Jason Onye all leaving the program this offseason.
With just Tiki Hola and Elijah Golden coming in the 2026 recruiting class, the Fighting Irish will need to attack the Transfer Portal a ton this offseason. The team will need to bring in multiple defensive tackles with some experience, and a very interesting potential target just entered this week when former UCF standout John Walker made his intentions to transfer known. He is a player that the Irish should have a heavy interest in.
John Walker’s background
If Walker’s name sounds familiar, it is because he was once considered a top-100 recruit on the 247 Sports Composite ranking for the 2023 recruiting class. The 6-4, 324-pound defensive tackle held offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Tennessee, Miami, Florida, Penn State, Texas A&M, and Auburn, among many others. Walker was considered one of the biggest recruiting wins in the history of the Golden Knights at the time.
Walker made a huge impact as a true freshman during the 2023 season, having been selected as a Freshman All-American. During that season, Walker managed to collect 24 total tackles and five tackles for loss. Those numbers need some context, making the bevvy of his plays from his nose tackle position. He unfortunately missed the entirety of the 2024 season due to injury, but came back strong this past season with 40 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Walker’s impact is seen most in the run game.
The raw size and power that Walker brings to the table would be a welcome addition to the defensive tackle room. While he wouldn’t be the only answer you would need, the Florida native would be a great step toward rebuilding that interior. Whether Notre Dame or Walker has much interest is a question, but it does help that there is a previous relationship from his recruitment. Walker is, at worst, worth a phone call to gauge interest.
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