The Ohio State Buckeyes are a day away from a huge matchup against the Texas Longhorns, but the transfer portal continues to provide storylines involving former Buckeyes playing elsewhere around college football worth following. 

While former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, now at Louisville, settled in nicely against Ole Miss last week despite a loss, other former Buckeyes wide receivers are finding the transition more difficult. 

Quincy Porter’s early season at Notre Dame stands out as particularly challenging

Porter transferred away from Ohio State after one season in Columbus. He played in five games for the Buckeyes in 2025 and caught four passes for 59 yards. He would have been in position to serve as depth again this year, with a chance to see the field more than he did as a freshman. Instead, Porter chose Notre Dame as a landing spot to get more playing time and showcase the kind of player he is.

That plan has hit an early snag. Porter is dealing with an injury recovery that has kept him off the field through the first two weeks of the season. He had a minor procedure in August,  and he has been ruled out again for the Fighting Irish’s Week 2 game against Rice on Saturday.

Notre Dame WR Quincy Porter is listed as OUT for the second game in a row, per Notre Dame Athletics.

Porter has been struggling with a left knee injury during his time in South Bend, and was limited throughout fall camp because of it. pic.twitter.com/QKIrS7Qo9d

— The Irish Tribune (@theirishtribune) September 9, 2026

Porter will have missed the first two games of the season for a program he joined specifically to earn more opportunities. The former five-star recruit out of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey was ranked the No. 23 player and No. 5 wide receiver in his class according to 247Sports composite rankings. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Porter has the potential to be a big-play threat with a wide catch radius, but he has to get on the field first.

Porter isn’t the only former Ohio State wide receiver at Notre Dame. Mylan Graham, now with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, played in the first game against Wisconsin, but did not record a catch despite seeing plenty of snaps. Graham initially hauled in one reception that was wiped out by a penalty and failed to register another catch the rest of the way.

The longer Porter misses time, the harder his path to consistent playing time becomes. Other players on Notre Dame’s roster will have a chance to solidify their spots on the depth chart before he returns. If he’s out multiple games, those windows could close quickly.

It’s a tough start for Porter with the Fighting Irish, and time will tell how quickly he can work his way back and earn the role he left Ohio State to find.