Reviewing the new arrivals for Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Following a record-setting season that saw the Irish win 14 games and reach the CFP National Championship game, Notre Dame is now looking to revamp the team with a number of new players on both sides of the ball.
With quarterback Riley Leonard moving on to the draft, the competition under-center will likely come down to veteran Steve Angeli, sophomore Kenny Minchey and freshman CJ Carr.
Another freshman addition looking to turn some heads is a legacy player in Jerome Bettis Jr., who joins a competitive wide receiver room.
A total of eight players were added to the team from the transfer portal.
They include:
- Jalen Stroman, safety from Virginia Tech
- Elijah Hughes, defensive lineman from USC
- Noah Burnette, kicker from North Carolina
- Jared Dawson, defensive lineman from Louisville
- Ty Washington, tight end from Arkansas
- Will Pauling, wide receiver from Wisconsin
- Malachai Fields, wide receiver from Virginia
- Devonta Smith, cornerback from Alabama
This marks the fourth straight year that the Irish have turned to the transfer portal for the kicking position.
One of the players expected to make an immediate impact will be Devonta Smith, who started 12 games at corner for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and allowed zero touchdowns throughout the season.
The team’s new GM, Mike Martin, told the press in his introductory press conference that while Notre Dame would pull from the transfer portal in the future, “they won’t live in the portal”, and will still have a heavy focus on player development and recruitment.