Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Hits Home Run In Addressing Portal Needs

After a slow start, Notre Dame dominates portal period
John Kennedy|
Sep 27, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman leads the team in celebration after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman leads the team in celebration after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame is set up to make a CFP run in 2026. Aside from a very manageable schedule, the Irish also feature a very talented, athletic roster, a returning starting quarterback for the first time in many years, along with a returning defensive coordinator who now has his feet under him after a rough start to his first campaign.

While there are a lot of things working in Notre Dame's favor come the 2026 season, there are some areas of the team that need to be bolstered in terms of depth and star potential that would really go a long way to making 2026 not just a good season, but an elite one.

Let's examine how Notre Dame has filled these needs through the transfer portal in an impressive way.

Notre Dame needed defensive line help

One area that was on everyone's list when it comes to portal needs was the defensive line group. To resolve this need, the Irish landed three players, each with unique skill sets, body builds, and upsides. Keon Keeley is a name all Irish fans recognize from his year committed to Notre Dame before his late flip. He now comes to South Bend via Alabama and provides huge athletic upside coming off the edge.

Francis Brewu comes to Notre Dame via Pittsburgh, much to Pat Narduzzi's dismay, and provides a big enough body to play inside but with good mobility. Then comes Oregon's Tionne Gray, a defensive tackle who checks in at 6-6 330 pounds, and is ready to clog up running lanes and cause play disruption regularly.

What I like about this group is how different each player is. Each will play a specific role and will blend nicely with the players Notre Dame already has on the roster. New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge now has a lot to work with in his room, and the results should be fun to watch. Notre Dame did a fantastic job addressing this need.

Notre Dame needed wide receiver help

It was widely reported, entering this portal period, that Notre Dame was looking for more than one wide receiver to bring to South Bend if it was feasible to do so. In response to this need, Marcus Freeman and company could not have done any better, landing 5-star talents Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham from Ohio State, the best school in the country when it comes to receiver recruitment and development.

When it comes to Notre Dame's biggest needs for the 2026 roster, the Irish hit a home run with the group of players acquired. Not only can they contribute and add quality depth, but this group all has multiple years of eligibility left, an added bonus for Freeman and company.

This was an A+ portal period for Notre Dame, let's hope the on-field 2026 results match it.

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John Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY

Founder and content creator of the Always Irish LLC Notre Dame Football social media, podcast, and radio show brand since 2016 covering all things Irish football daily from the fan's perspective. Previously Notre Dame Football staff writer for USA TODAY Fighting Irish Wire before joining Notre Dame On SI. Known as the “voice of the Irish fan.”

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