Diggs Transfer Disappointing, Not Surprising
Even with some high profile names leaving the program, Notre Dame hadn’t lost a starter to the transfer portal yet.
That changed when running back Logan Diggs announced he intended to transfer.
Diggs shared the position with Audric Estime last season. From North Carolina on, Diggs averaged 16 touches per game. Estime averaged 12.8.
That number was likely going to increase this season, with or without Diggs’ presence on the roster. I don’t think that was the primary motivation for Diggs to transfer. There are very few programs in the country where he won’t share the position and if he’s looking out for his future, having a reasonable workload in college is the kind of thing that would extend his shelf life at the next level. He’s also not going to find too many programs that are going to emphasize the run like Notre Dame.
It would be naive to say NIL isn’t something that could be a factor in this decision. It would also be incorrect to say that would be the only factor.
From the time he committed to Notre Dame to after he signed and then after a freshman season where he played and contributed, there has always been trepidation about him at Notre Dame. There was no time since he committed when anyone could definitively say he was going to stick and when you add in the culture shock of a kid from New Orleans moving to South Bend, it was always an uphill battle to keep him completely happy.
In that sense, this was not a surprise. It is still a disappointing development because he’s a proven player who demonstrated he could be a closer in several games.
It’s not a devastating development, though.
More carries for Estime is a good thing. He scored seven more touchdowns, averaged almost a yard more per carry, and forced 14 more missed tackles than Diggs with nine less carries. Notre Dame fans got a glimpse of Gi’Bran Payne and his potential in the Blue-Gold game. He’s a talented option now that he's healthy.
Notre Dame is also getting JD Price back this summer after his Achilles injury that kept him out of the 2022 season. His debut this fall is as highly anticipated as anyone on the roster after he lit up last spring as an early enrollee. Jeremiyah Love is also arriving in June and now he’ll get an opportunity to compete for snaps this fall. He has sub-4.4 speed.
There are doomsday scenarios that could happen with the group behind Estime, but Notre Dame also has Chris Tyree who could slide back to running back at any time as well.
The backfield isn’t as deep as it was yesterday and Diggs is a winning player. That makes losing him a tough pill to swallow for Notre Dame. But like Mike Tomlin said, coaches prefer volunteers, not hostages. Now the volunteers will get a chance to shine.
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