Notre Dame Football: 3 potential post-spring 2021 transfer targets

Notre Dame football hasn’t been as active as most teams in the transfer portal, but that could change in the near future as attrition continues to happen following spring practice.

Brian Kelly brought in Jack Coan from Wisconson following the 2020 season and he could be looking to add guys to positions of need from the portal. This is the new direction of college football as just about every team is getting richer through the portal, treating it almost like a second form of recruiting.

The Irish are fresh off a playoff appearance and a trip to the ACC title game where they lost to Clemson. It was their first season in the ACC and they fared well, but back to independence they go.

If Notre Dame wants to get back to the playoff, it should consider adding these three transfers.

Notre Dame’s defense is losing a few key pieces from last season including Daelin Hayes and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Even Ovie Oghoufo decided to hit the transfer portal and that leaves plenty of voids on the defensive side of the ball.

That’s where a guy like Jay Hardy could come into play.

Hardy was listed as a defensive end out of high school, but has the size to play on the interior as well. He stands 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds and he was one of the top 150 recruits in the country in the 2020 class. He was being courted hard by just about every SEC team and everyone assumed he’d stay close to home with Tennessee, but he chose Auburn.

Notre Dame did extend Hardy an offer and Mike Elston was his primary recruiter with Clark Lea as his secondary recruiter. Marcus Freeman would love to add him to the line with Elston coaching him up.

This addition would make plenty of sense.