The Notre Dame football team fell in the national championship game against Ohio State last week, and the offseason is now here for all of college football. Because of the late end to the season for the Fighting Irish, they are now seeing the majority of their transfer portal departures. One player that entered the portal following the national championship loss is wide receiver Jayden Thomas. Thomas has found a new home in the ACC as he has committed to Virginia.

“Former Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Thomas has committed to Virginia, his agency @QCSports tells @chris_hummer, @JacquieFran_ and me,” Matt Zenitz said in a post. “Thomas (@jgpt333) posted 64 career catches and seven career touchdowns for Notre Dame.”

Jayden Thomas has spent each of the last four seasons with the Notre Dame football team, and he made an immediate impact back in 2022 when he started getting meaningful playing time.

As a freshman, Thomas appeared in a few games but he didn't record stats. The next season, he hauled in 25 receptions for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He had another solid year in 2023 as he finished with 21 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns. During Notre Dame's run to the national championship in 2024, he finished with 18 receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

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Thomas has had a good career with the Notre Dame football team, and he is now ready for a new chapter of his playing career. The Fighting Irish have played a lot of ACC teams over the year, so Thomas is pretty familiar with Virginia and a lot of the opposition that he will go up against.

This is about as good of a transfer portal pickup as you can ask for if you're a fan of the Virginia football team. The Cavaliers certainly aren't known for being a premier college football program, and in terms of NIL, there are definitely a lot of other programs that have better resources. Jayden Thomas is a guy that has a lot of meaningful experience for one of the best programs in college football, and he has put up good numbers. He will provide an immediate spark for this Virginia offense.

Thomas spent this past season with Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish made it all the way to the national championship game. He probably won't be making another appearance with this Virginia team, but the Cavaliers got better with this addition, and Thomas should be put in position to have a big year.