Notre Dame TE Holden Staes Will Enter Transfer Portal
Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes has announced his intentions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after his sophomore season.
“I want to thank God for guiding me on my journey and allowing me to experience all that Notre Dame has to offer during my two seasons here,” stated Staes in a statement. “I have grown as a student, player and most importantly as a person during my time here and I am forever grateful.
“I will always cherish the relationships that I have made with my teammates, and members of the Notre Dame football family during my time in South Bend.
“I want to thank Irish Nation for supporting me and my family throughout my time in the blue and gold.
“After many conversations and prayer with my family, I have made the decision to enter the Transfer Portal.”
The 6-foot-4, 242-pounder appeared in 22 games during his two-year stop in South Bend.
As a freshman, Staes played in 11 games and made one start in 2022. The Atlanta native made his first catch against BYU in Las Vegas as part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series.
In 2023, Staes made six starts as a sophomore before a shoulder injury kept him out of the regular season finale at Stanford. Staes would finish the year with 15 catches for 176 yards and four touchdowns. The NC State game put Staes firmly on the map as he recorded four receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s 45-24 win.
As a recruit, Staes held offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Colorado, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.
Notre Dame is expected to return Kevin Bauman, Mitchell Evans, Eli Raridon, Davis Sherwood and Cooper Flanagan while Jack Larsen is expected to sign in December. Bauman and Evans are coming off ACL injuries, so the Irish could be light in the tight end room during spring ball.
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