OL Dillan Gibbons To Transfer Out Of Notre Dame

Notre Dame veteran offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons has entered the transfer portal and is leaving the Fighting Irish program.

In Notre Dame's 42-26 October victory over Florida State, left tackle Liam Eichenberg got knocked out for a period with an eye injury. Gibbons stepped into the lineup and performed well. He got his first career start in Notre Dame's 45-21 regular season ending win over Syracuse, and again he performed admirably.

Gibbons entered the spring as one of just three players with a start under his belt, and he began the spring as the first-team left guard. Early on the staff began moving him back-and-forth from guard to center, and by the end of spring he was spending more time at center. With Zeke Correll now locked in as the starter, the role for Gibbons went from competing for a starting spot at guard to battling to be a backup at center.

Holding onto the starting role was always going to be a challenge for Gibbons due to the presence of up-and-coming junior Andrew Kristofic and talented true freshman Rocco Spindler. About midway through the spring Spindler stepped into the first-team role at left guard, and he enters the offseason as the leader in the clubhouse to win a starting job, leaving Gibbons relegated to a backup role.

Gibbons will look to find a program where he'll have a chance to start. Due to the Covid-19 eligibility decisions, Gibbons technically could get a sixth-season of eligibility.

The loss of Gibbons saps the offensive line of one of its most experienced player, but barring no other departures the unit still has a lot of depth and talent as it heads into a very important offseason.

Gibbons becomes the ninth Notre Dame player to leave the program since the end of the 2020 season, and the second since the end of the spring.

RB Jafar Armstrong (Illinois)
WR Kendall Abdur-Rahman (Western Kentucky)
WR Micah Jones (Illinois State)
WR Jordan Johnson
OL Colin Grunhard (Kansas)
DE Ovie Oghoufo (Texas)
LB Jack Lamb (Colorado)
CB Isaiah Rutherford (Arizona)

A 10th player - running back Jahmir Smith - left the program during the season. He announced his transfer to Appalachian State in February.

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