There's no question that the focus of Notre Dame football is centered 100% on its upcoming College Football Playoff battle with Indiana. The Fighting Irish will fight for a spot in the Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal on Friday night in front of their home fans.

While the team locks in on trying to compete for a national championship, Notre Dame's recruiting staff is already going work in the transfer portal. On Monday, the Fighting Irish snagged a huge pickup in former Alabama cornerback DeVonta Smith, according to ESPN's Max Olson.

While it isn't that Alabama DeVonta Smith, the redshirt junior is still a quality player who has a lot of experience playing against top competition in big games. Smith started 11 games for Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide this season, recording 30 tackles and five pass breakups to go with a forced fumble.

Smith will now get a chance to pay for Marcus Freeman and a Notre Dame team that consistently has one of the best secondaries in college football. Even after its current star cornerback, Benjamin Morrison, went out with a season-ending injury, Notre Dame has still been playing at a very high level on the back end, and Smith will add an experienced piece to that group next season.

Notre Dame has huge CFP opportunity

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Southern California Trojans with offensive lineman Pat Coogan (78) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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We are just days away from the very first game of the 12-team College Football Playoff era that will pit Notre Dame against Indiana in South Bend on Friday night. The Fighting Irish are the rightful favorite and have a chance to legitimately compete for a national title this season.

Notre Dame is punished, per se, for not playing in a conference by being excluded from the pool of first-round byes. However, the Fighting Irish should be very pleased with their draw in the CFP. The Irish have a home game against an Indiana team that is very good but also hasn't beaten a top team all season long.

If Notre Dame wins that one, it will head to New Orleans to take on No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Drawing Kirby Smart's Bulldogs is never an amazing stroke of luck, but starting quarterback Carson Beck may not play due to an elbow injury, so the Irish and their top secondary may get to play against a backup quarterback in Gunner Stockton.

Notre Dame has been close to winning multiple national championships in this playoff era, but it has been blown out when it has to face the best of the best. This year, it feels like the Irish have the type of team to compete with the big boys, and they will get the chance to prove it starting on Friday night.