ISD Intel | Behind The Scenes Of Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s transfer portal run to this point has been underwhelming to say the least. The Irish have not yet landed a commitment, several early targets have come and gone and the urgency of the window has only heightened the level of scrutiny.

That said, Notre Dame can still exit this cycle having accomplished its core objective; improving the roster. The process has been deliberate, selective and noticeably tilted toward underclassmen with multiple years of eligibility remaining rather than one-year rentals. 

That is a meaningful - and encouraging - philosophical shift for the future. 

It illustrates the staff looking beyond simply plugging holes for 2026 with grad transfers, instead trying to create longer-term roster stability. It’s encouraging because the inability to go after underclassman transfer prospects was something that has hamstrung the Irish in the past. Quite frankly, for years Notre Dame staffs have felt they were at a distinct disadvantage being prevented from pursuing such transfers outside of very specific situations.

But the lack of results in the short term have fans understandably frustrated.

Exiting the portal with a better roster than it entered with will require Notre Dame to hit at certain spots and the margin of error seems to get slimmer by the day, sometimes the hour. While some positions are simply must-haves, others can objectively be described as luxuries. 

Here is a position-by-position look at where things stand.

DT AN ABSOLUTE MUST: Defensive tackle is one position where Notre Dame cannot afford to miss. Two additions are probably required and recent developments have only sharpened that reality.

Francis Brewu, formerly of Pittsburgh, sits squarely at the center of the board, but won’t be an easy pull. 

He has two years of eligibility remaining and brings a direct connection to new Notre Dame defensive line coach Chris Partridge, who recruited him to Pitt. That relationship could matter greatly here. Brewu has already drawn interest from Tennessee, Indiana and Miami. Landing Brewu would be akin to adding a Howard Cross-type player to the Irish defense. 

This is shaping up to be a very competitive recruitment. Brewu has already visited Tennessee and was at Notre Dame on Thursday with Ohio State expected this weekend and potentially Miami and Indiana next. The Buckeyes could be surging here. 

A new name popped up on Thursday, when former New Mexico State defensive tackle Ezra Christensen reported an offer from the Irish. The 6-foot-2, 280-pounder is a grad transfer who also spent time at San Diego Mesa College and Fresno State before heading to New Mexico State. Christensen recorded 42 tackles, 11 for a loss and six sacks en route to First Team All-Conference USA honors and some All-American mentions last season. 

Christensen has received offers from several Power-Four teams, including Colorado, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Auburn, Kentucky, Duke and Virginia among others. He should be seen as a similar one-gap penetrator as Brewu. Partridge has had success with those types of players in his career. 

Xavier Gilliam of Penn State looked to be another defensive tackle option, but he committed to Tennessee on Thursday night. 

The outlook at defensive tackle right now is simple. The Irish must land bodies here and with Brewu and Christensen both far from locks, additional names will need to enter the picture quickly.

Of course, Jason Onye being granted another year of eligibility would be a major boost. Potentially circling back on Armel Mukam, who is in the portal, and getting him to return to Notre Dame after all could also be helpful.  

WANTED | D-ENDS & EDGES: Keon Keeley spurred Notre Dame and Irish fans during his recruiting process back in high school, but could all be forgiven? Keeley has two years of eligibility remaining after ultimately signing with Alabama out of high school before entering the portal. He was in South Bend for multiple days this week and while Ohio State, Florida and North Carolina are trying to get involved, ISD’s Matt Freeman reported yesterday that no other visits have been set and that USC is now out. The Irish are the clear frontrunners here. 

Keeley’s appeal lies in his versatility along the front rather than a rigid label, which fits Notre Dame’s broader defensive approach, along with the upside that made him such a highly-coveted recruit out of high school. The hope would be that he could deliver the kind of production Javonte Jean-Baptiste gave the Irish in 2023.

Former Michigan State defensive end Jalen Thompson also visited Notre Dame this week and would bring both production and experience. Thompson has two years of eligibility remaining and is coming off a career-best 2025 season with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks and has 26 career starts. Thompson would be a fine replacement for what the Irish lost in Joshua Burnham. He also checks the boxes off the field as a nominee for the Big Ten’s Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award, which recognizes those aiming to make positive impacts in their communities. Thompson organized a youth camp in Detroit that supports anti-gun violence. He’s also a distinguished student with multiple All-Academic honors. 

Texas A&M, Florida State, Mississippi State and Nebraska are all part of the picture, making this another competitive race.

Former Utah defensive end John Henry Daley was an intriguing option on the surface as a Second Team All-American with two years of eligibility left despite being older after doing a Mormon mission before beginning his career. But he is coming off a serious injury and we were told that while he visited South Bend earlier this week, the Irish didn’t extend an offer. He committed to Michigan and his former Utah coach, Kyle Whittingham, on Thursday night. 

While defensive end and edge are not must-haves, given the current makeup of the roster, they certainly aren’t pure luxuries either. 

SAFETY NET NEEDED AT QB, BUT WHO?: Notre Dame’s need for a backup quarterback is real, even with the long-term starter firmly in place with CJ Carr.

Former Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson visited this week and there were some reasons - at least on Atkinson’s side - to see it as a good fit. This pursuit could have fit along the lines of adding an underclassman who could help solidify the depth in that room long-term. 

But, with incoming freshmen Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard, the long-term depth of the room isn’t the issue. The issue is finding a quarterback capable of filling in next season to replace Carr if need be. 

Atkinson may have been an intriguing candidate, but it would make more sense from our point of view for the Irish to chase a more veteran option, which we expect them to do.

Who that could be isn’t clear at the moment.  

RECEIVER CERTAINLY A WANT, IF NOT A NEED: The Irish may not be able to find an exact replacement for boundary Malachi Fields, who was the ideal grad transfer addition last season…or maybe his replacement is already on the roster in the form of somebody like Micah Gilbert. 

Either way, Notre Dame cannot afford to wait until August to find out, so it likely needs to add some pieces now.

Mylan Graham, a former Irish recruit who ultimately landed at Ohio State, is more than a bit intriguing. Graham has three years of eligibility remaining after spending a season in Columbus. Interest heated up quickly when the Fort Wayne native entered the portal and he’s since made it to campus. Auburn, Cincinnati, Louisville and Ole Miss are among the other programs involved here. While some wondered whether this would end up being a fit, things seem to be trending in a positive direction. But the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Graham is more of a field receiver than a boundary guy. 

Now, Quincy Porter, who is also in the portal after spending 2025 at Ohio State, would be a perfect boundary-type receiver. And after redshirting for the Buckeyes in the fall, Porter will have four years of eligibility remaining. While his name has been tied to Notre Dame a bit since entering, sources are split on whether the Irish will be true players or not in the end.

“I doubt it,” one source on Porter’s side of things said of whether they saw the Irish being real players. “I don't know for sure that they wouldn’t be, but I don't feel like they would as of now.”

Porter’s agent, Latish Kinsler, is more open to the possibility. 

Kinsler says Porter is still very much in the fact-finding stage, trying to see which programs could be a potential fit, and that at the moment, Notre Dame remains a possibility.

“It’s a school any young man should consider,” Kinsler said. “Notre Dame is an outstanding university. So you definitely will take a look at it to see if everything else lines up. 

“When you talk about the leadership of the head coach, the strength of the staff. You talk about the other pieces that are in the program as far as other athletes that are on the team and things of that nature. You start checking boxes and that's a program that does check a lot of boxes.”

We’re told there have been no visits set to this point and it’s difficult to outline the exact competition just yet. Kinsler expects further communication with Notre Dame, and although he entered the portal with a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag, Kinsler said that just means he’ll be the point of contact. 

Former Iowa State receiver Xavier Townsend has one year of eligibility remaining and visited Notre Dame this week. Florida State is also heavily involved here and the Florida native has already visited Tallahassee. He previously played for Seminoles offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr. when Townsend was at UCF earlier in his career. Missouri and Purdue are also in pursuit. There is an added personal layer here as Townsend was once a teammate of Notre Dame staffer Tre Reader when the two were both at Berkeley Prep.

Townsend isn’t a boundary guy either, he’d be more in line with bringing a bit of what Will Pauling brought. 

Wide receiver remains an area where the board could shift quickly depending on movement elsewhere, but is a spot where new names could pop up soon. 

SHOPPING FOR NICKELS: Just like Gilbert could be the answer at boundary receiver, the Irish could have their answer at Nickel in the form of Dallas Golden. 

But, Utah cornerback Smith Snowden is the type of player you make a play for regardless of need. Snowden has already visited BYU, Colorado and Michigan earlier this week and was scheduled to arrive in South Bend last night to visit today before heading to Oregon next. 

The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder is a battle-tested veteran who has played in three dozen games, including 23 starts. He was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection this past season. He’s likely to demand a hefty price tag. 

AND NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN: Irish fans know all too well the importance of specialists.

Notre Dame struggled mightily in the kicking game in 2025, missing four of 67 extra point attempts and four of nine field goal attempts. Noah Burnette has graduated and Marcello Diomede entered the portal, leaving sophomore-to-be Erik Schmidt, who was 41-42 on PATs, but 0-for-3 on field goals. 

Ideally, the Irish would bring somebody in to push Schmidt. 

Former Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen has one year of eligibility remaining and there is an expectation that Notre Dame will be involved here, though competition remains unclear.

Trey Butkowski, formerly of Pitt, looked like a potential possibility as well, but his commitment to Michigan was announced on Thursday.