Notre Dame Football

Grad Transfer CB Tre'Shon Devones Goes In-Depth on Notre Dame Visit

By Matt Freeman

April 19, 2024

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The Transfer Portal has opened the door for many student-athletes in recent years, but the process is also a crazy one.

For transfers, the process can be long or it can be expedited overnight.

Rice graduate transfer Tre’Shone Devones is in the middle of his process and took a visit to Notre Dame over the last two days and left impressed with just about every aspect of the program.

“It was really the culture,” Devones told ISD following the trip. The school has a historical context behind it. It was amazing to me, from the gold on top of the building to the gold in the helmets. It’s kind of crazy. I was in awe of all of that.”

Devones was also impressed with the messaging from the Notre Dame staff. The portal often has coaches quickly making pitches or promises to land coveted prospects.

Notre Dame didn’t promise a starting spot or guarantee big roles in Al Golden’s defense and that was more than fine with the Texas native.

“The conversations I had with each coach were all transparent, and that’s all you can ask for, especially going to a university like Notre Dame,” explained Devones. “Obviously, they are going to win a lot of games and the goal is to win a national championship, but it was good to hear them being transparent with me and letting me know why they’re bringing me in and the need for me to contribute to that success.”

“A lot of coaches will tell you you’ll be the starter. They are selling you that so you can commit. A lot of those situations aren’t set in stone. It’s hard to say you’re the starter already. I’m not the type of player who wants the easy way. I want to earn something. I wouldn’t want to be put in an easy situation where I’m the starter because how much can you really trust that?”

Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens hit home with that message as he explained not only why he was recruiting the 6-foot, 187-pounder but also went in-depth on the potential opportunities on the Irish roster.

“Talking with Coach Mickens, he said I could compete to be the starter,” Devones stated. “They have Benjamin Morrison there, who is a great player and a first-round draft pick. He said I could compete to be a starter, which could mean I could go from 80 reps to 60 reps to 50 reps. At the end of the day, he said I’m going to be playing and they need me to come in and play for us.

“They are one of the only college teams that play like six defensive backs. They need defensive backs who can play and can be versatile. For a guy like me, who is trying to play at the next level, showing versatility by playing nickel and outside, is something I really want to showcase in order make it to the next level.”

The highlight of the trip may have come during his time with Golden. Devones entered the visit knowing Golden’s reputation for being a mad scientist with schemes, but he didn't expect to learn from Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator during their meeting.

“Coach Golden is such a hands-on type of guy,” said Devones. “A lot of these coaches like to put the tape on the board and sit there and have you watch it. He said, ‘No. I’m going to take time to teach you.’ That was something that stood out to me. All you hear is this guy is a guru, and he has so much knowledge of the game.

“What he was able to teach me in three minutes was amazing. He said all he needed was three minutes. My mom was right there with me and said, ‘Let’s see what he’s talking about.’ He taught me like six things and that was a highlight. He said they need me to come there and he knows how he’d use me and fit into the grand scheme of things. Hearing that from him is an honor and I’m truly grateful.”

“Coming from Rice, it’s a similar environment. You have guys who aren’t just good football players, but smart in the classroom. People are about their business. Time can’t be wasted because you’ll start to lag behind in the classroom or lag behind on the field.

“When they were giving me a tour of the weight room and facilities, I was always seeing someone get work whether it was mobility, on the field and I was just like these guys are bought in. This is an environment you really want to be part of.”

Devones also saw the work Notre Dame’s players were putting in wasn’t just for show. Marcus Freeman has made it a point for everything to be competitive and Devones was able to feel that during his time on campus.

“A lot of programs, you may have one or two guys in there,” explained Devones. “It was countless guys. You may think he is just doing it because he’s trying to earn a starting spot. But no, the starters and big-time guys were in there too. It shows it’s not a one-day thing and they do it every day.

“You want to surround yourself with that. You don’t want to be around a program where everyone isn’t bought in, especially being a transfer portal guy. You have one year left, so you’re trying to put yourself in the best situation to go where you want to go. Notre Dame checked a lot of boxes in that aspect.”

As for a decision, Devones had penciled in a May 1st deadline, but that is somewhat up in the air as he continues to go through the process. Houston, Tulane and UTEP will also host him on visits in the coming days and Devones will rely on his faith to make the final call.

“I went into this decision process and said May 1st, but I’m a prayer person. I was thinking that I put a time limit on God and magically get to May 1st and know. That’s just unrealstic. I’m giving it to God and he’s going to place me where he wants me on his time. I’ve been taking the visits as they go.

“As I’m checking the boxes and sorting things out, I know the time is going to come when I know it’s enough and know the schools I want to go to and put me in the best situation to succeed as an individual and in the team that I’m on. It’s a matter of taking it day by day and not getting too stressed. I’m being very intentional with each visit. I’m taking notes of what people are offering and how they’re trying to use me.

“When the time comes, I’m going to look at those notes and God is going to show me which school is the best and we’ll go from there.”