The Transfer Portal has been open for 10 days thus far, and some programs have added 20-30 players to bolster their rosters. Some programs rely heavily on the Transfer Portal, while others shy away from it, only adding pieces around the edges while relying on high school recruiting to build their rosters. Programs like Notre Dame typically blend both with how high the roster turnover rate is in this era.
This Transfer Portal cycle, Notre Dame was expected to be a big player, at least for the high-end game-changing pieces. Notre Dame was just left on the outside looking in from the College Football Playoff, and after being snubbed, the Fighting Irish were expected to go scorched earth and send a statement in 2026.
Notre Dame hasn't landed a transfer in bizarre fashion
If you're scrolling through the Transfer Portal Rankings looking to find Notre Dame, it's going to take you awhile to find the Fighting Irish. As of Monday Morning, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame are yet to land a player out of the Transfer Portal.
The Fighting Irish's struggles aren't for a lack of effort, either, as they've been heavily tied to players, even hosting them on visits. Early on, it was Michigan State's Nick Marsh and Rutgers' Ian Strong, but they've both landed elsewhere.
It even looked like Notre Dame had its first addition to get the ball rolling when Colorado's DJ McKinney signed with the Fighting Irish. Then in a strange fashion, McKinney's signed status was rescinded.
DJ McKinney’s signed status with Notre Dame has been rescinded, @mzenitz and I have learned. https://t.co/vEZfCjlHpB
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 9, 2026
The good news for Notre Dame is that there are still a few days left for players to enter the Transfer Portal, meaning additional options are going to continue to become available. As a new week begins, the Fighting Irish will have a chance to continue hosting transfers on visits and hopefully close out recruitments.
Marcus Freeman and his staff are going to need to be aggressive over the next few weeks as there are pieces in place to make this a National Championship contender.