Notre Dame has made a notable upgrade to its defensive backfield in the transfer portal.
The Fighting Irish will be bringing in Colorado transfer DJ McKinney, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett, who was purportedly told the news by McKinney. The fifth-year senior started 22 games for the Buffaloes over the past two seasons, recording 97 tackles, four interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown.
BREAKING: Colorado transfer CB DJ McKinney has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells @On3sports
He’s totaled 97 tackles, 14 PBUs, 4 INT, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 1 pick six in the past 2 seasons with Colorado
Started 22 gameshttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/FDWVQLkuvj
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 12, 2026
When arriving in South Bend, McKinney brings with him even more experience than what he picked up during his time in Boulder. Specifically, the Colleyville, Texas native spent the first two years of his college career at Oklahoma State.
As a true freshman in 2022, McKinney played four games for the Cowboys, tallying two tackles in the process, and redshirted to retain the year of eligibility. The following season, he played in all 14 OSU games, during which he had 38 tackles and five pass deflections.
In total, McKinney has played 40 games in his career and earned 137 tackles, four interceptions, and 19 pass breakups in college.
As it stands, McKinney is set to join a secondary that could help spur Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff (CFP) next season. He is expected to play alongside the likes of unanimous All-American cornerback Leonard Moore, team captain Adon Shuler, Luke Talich, Christian Gray, and Tae Johnson.
In 2025, Notre Dame's defense ranked ninth in the country in terms of passing efficiency, and it had the fourth-most interceptions (21), three of which were returned for touchdowns.
Despite the stats and a 10-2 record, the Irish were left out of the 12-team CFP; after being ranked 10th in the penultimate rankings, Notre Dame was passed in the final set of rankings by No. 12 Miami, which beat the Irish in the season opener but had been behind ND for a number of weeks. In the aftermath of the CFP decision, Notre Dame declined an invite to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which featured BYU beating Georgia Tech.
Notre Dame is scheduled to open its 2026 season on Sept. 6 vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
