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The Notre Dame football team was busy playing in the College Football Playoff during the first college football transfer portal window, but they were also preparing for the 2025 season. The transfer portal opened up for the first time on December 9th, so Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish had to balance their CFP prep with transfer portal work. The transfer portal is one of the most important aspects of the college football offseason, and it's a big tool for teams like Notre Dame that are hoping to reload after a big season. The Fighting Irish made it to the national title game last year.
Notre Dame is in the offseason now, but last year was one that the Fighting Irish will remember for a long time. They didn't end up winning it all as Notre Dame ended up falling against Ohio State in the national title game, but they still put together an impressive run that has them heading into the 2025 season with a lot of momentum.
The Fighting Irish took down Indiana, Georgia and Penn State on their way to the national title game. Notre Dame nearly pulled off the upset against Ohio State in the championship, but the Buckeyes ultimately got the job done.
The Fighting Irish have built some great momentum this season as they are one of the best teams in the country. Part of the reason they are in this position is because of past big portal pickups. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish need to continue to utilize the portal to bring in experienced talent. They picked up some good commitments during the winter cycle, but Freeman has noted the Fighting Irish aren't looking too hard at the spring portal.
Notre Dame is satisfied with its current roster, but that doesn't mean they won't explore transfer portal options. If the right guy pops up, the Fighting Irish might pursue, and they also might look to add depth pieces. Here are a few guys worth taking a look at:
Bernard Gooden, DL, USF
One player who is good enough to be an impact player for the Notre Dame football team next year is USF transfer Bernard Gooden. Gooden is currently the best available player in the transfer portal. He has spent his entire career with USF as he played for the Bulls each of the last two seasons. He didn't do a ton during his first year, but this past season was a big one. Gooden finished the year with 35 total tackles, two passes defended and 1.5 sacks. The Fighting Irish don't need Gooden, but he is good enough to warrant a look.
A.J. Haulcy, S, Houston
After losing safety Kennedy Urlacher to the transfer portal last week, it might be worth it for the Notre Dame football team to look for some more depth in the transfer portal. Urlacher ended up finishing the 2024 season with 12 total tackles and one pass defended as a freshman. He has a bright future, and bringing in a replacement wouldn't be a bad idea. A.J. Haulcy is currently the top available safety in the portal. He started his career at New Mexico in 2022, and he has spent the past two seasons at Houston. He finished with 74 total tackles, seven passes defended and five interceptions last year.
Jaden Rashada, QB, Georgia
After losing Steve Angeli to the transfer portal, it might be a good idea for Notre Dame to bring in a transfer. The Fighting Irish do not have a lot of experience at the position as sophomore CJ Carr seems to be in the lead for the starting job. Having more experience in the QB room and another guy in the competition would be a good thing for the Fighting Irish, and Jaden Rashada is a player with a lot of upside. He was a very highly-rated recruit, and he has played at Arizona State and Georgia in his career. He could be an intriguing option for Notre Dame.
Transfer portal overview
One of the biggest parts of the college football offseason is the transfer portal, and the festivities begin before the offseason actually starts. Teams that don't qualify for the postseason have entered their offseason when the portal first opens, but there are a lot of teams that still have bowl games/playoff games to play. The transfer portal opened up for the first time on December 9th, so it created some issues for players that want to transfer but still have a season going.
The transfer portal is a massive part of college football now, and there are definitely positives and negatives to it. One of the biggest issues that people have with it is the timing of the first window. It is open in early December so players can pick a new school and start the next semester there when January rolls around. However, it does create issues as we have seen players this past season on College Football Playoff teams have to miss out on the opportunity to participate in the CFP because of their transfer.
On the flip side, the transfer portal gives teams a chance to completely rebuild their squad in just one offseason. New head coaches can come in and bring in a lot of experienced players from the jump, and it can make for a quick turnaround. Any team has hope in the offseason because of the transfer portal.
The transfer portal opened up for the first time this season on December 9th and it stayed open until December 28th. This window is the main window where a lot of the action takes place, but the transfer portal is open during the spring as well.
From April 16th until April 25th, the transfer portal will be open. That way, players can go through spring ball and have a better idea of what their upcoming season will look like. If they aren’t satisfied, they can leave. We even sometimes see players that transferred in the first window transfer again in the second window, sometimes back to their original school.
The transfer portal is a crucial part of the offseason, and we will be hearing a lot about it from now until the end of the spring.
