Notre Dame football battling for high upside Big 10 defensive tackle – Eyeing visit to South Bend, among others
A potential defensive tackle transfer portal option could be surfacing for Notre Dame with a visit on the horizon.
There is no question that Notre Dame football is, and will continue to prioritize defensive tackles in the transfer portal now that it is officially open. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are big-game hunting for some of the best interior players on the market, and there is going to be a lot of money thrown around. While there were already a few top names circulating, it appears another has surfaced.
Former Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam isn’t one of the flashiest defensive tackle names in the portal right now, but there aren’t many with more raw talent. The redshirt freshman opted to enter the portal after former Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin was let go. Gilliam’s future is extremely bright, and the Fighting Irish staff has clearly taken notice.
According to Chris Hummer of 247 Sports, Glliam is set to visit Notre Dame, but a date hasn’t been disclosed yet. Gilliam will also take official visits to both Indiana and Texas A&M. The demand for the former Nittany Lion defensive lineman is extremely high.
It is extremely early on in the process, but Notre Dame has clearly put itself in at least a solid spot. When they get Gilliam on campus, the fit will begin to make more sense. The competition will be big, but I expect the Fighting Irish to have a strong chance, depending on how the next few days go.
Xavier Gilliam’s career background
After redshirting as a freshman in 2024, Gilliam earned a spot in the rotation this past season. Despite being a part of a deep rotation, the Maryland native was very productive on a snap-to-snap basis. In 13 games, Gilliam managed to collect 15 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and half a sack. With three years of eligibility remaining, there is a ton of upside to continue to tap into.
When Gilliam came out of Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard in the 2024 recruiting class, he was billed as a bit of a raw football player. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Gilliam finished as a three-star player, which included being rated as the No. 750 overall player, the No. 82 defensive lineman, and the No. 26 player from the state of Maryland in the 2024 class. Only listed at 265 pounds at the time, Gilliam has now ballooned to a 6-2, 300-pound bowling ball on the interior.
Despite the lower rankings, the talented defender still had a long list of impressive options. Some of his top offers included the Nittany Lions, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Indiana, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Maryland, West Virginia, Boston College, Duke, and Wake Forest, among others.
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