Notre Dame Capitalizes on Ohio State Coaching Shake-Up to Boost Offense

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Notre Dame's 2026 transfer portal class is its departure from previous trends.

Notre Dame hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver since Chase Claypool broke the mark by 37 yards in 2019, and before that, Will Fuller in 2015. It hasn't recruited the position at an especially high level, either, whether that be high school or the transfer portal. Ben Skowronek in the 2021 seventh round is the last Notre Dame wide receiver picked in the NFL Draft.

So, what better way to fix that than by bringing in two transfers from arguably the top university for wide receivers in recent years? That was coach Marcus Freeman's approach this offseason, landing Ohio State transfer wide receivers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham.

"I think both of those guys are guys that we recruited heavily out of high school. We knew a lot about them," Freeman said on Jan. 14. "Obviously Tae Tae [Johnson] is close with Mylan [from Fort Wayne]. And Quincy was a guy that we recruited extremely hard and have a connection at Bergen Catholic with obviously Steve Angeli being from there and other guys we recruited from there. So we knew a lot about them in the high school recruiting process, who they were, they type of players they are and I'm glad we were able to get them."

Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham transfer to Notre Dame

Brian Hartline Ohio State — Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline speaks during the Cotton Bowl Media Day at AT&T Stadium in Dallas prior to the College Football Playoff matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 29, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State has been a factory for NFL wide receivers, producing Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, K.J. Hill, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Michael Thomas and Braxton Miller –– all since 2016.

Ohio State had at least two more NFL wide receivers on his 2025 roster, including Biletnikoff Award finalist Jeremiah Smith and ESPN's No. 1 ranked receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft class, Carnell Tate. Those two, along with many others listed, were coached by Brian Hartline, who became Ohio State's wide receivers coach in 2018 and added offensive coordinator to his title from 2022-25.

So when Hartline left Ohio State after the 2025 season to take the South Florida head coaching job, it opened the door for other schools to poach the Buckeyes' top receivers. That's where Notre Dame swooped in, landing Porter and Graham.

As a 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman in 2025, Porter caught just four passes for 59 yards. But he has the pedigree of a future star receiver, as he was a five-star recruit ranked No. 31 overall and No. 4 among wide receivers in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports, out of Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J.

Graham's production was limited in 2025, too, as he had to wait his turn behind Smith and Tate. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore finished the year with six catches for 95 yards. But when he committed to Ohio State, he was a five-star recruit ranked No. 59 overall and No. 12 among wide receivers out of New Haven High School in Indiana.

They're key additions from a pure talent standpoint, but also because of Notre Dame's roster outlook. Its 2025 leading receiver, Jordan Faison, is back, and it'll be a boost to get Jaden Greathouse back from an injury-plagued season. But the Irish also lost second-leading wide receiver Malachi Fields and Will Pauling, who finished fourth in receiving yards.

That should allow Porter and Graham to step into significant roles alongside Faison and Greathouse to form what could be Notre Dame's best receiving corps in recent years.

From a rankings standpoint, Freeman has recruited the position better than his predecessor Brian Kelly, landing six top-40 receivers in the last six high school classes, including Tobias Merriweather (No. 14, 2022), Braylon James (No. 20, 2023), Cam Williams (No. 16, 2024), Elijah Burress (No. 28, 2025), Devi Fitzgerald (No. 28, 2026) and Kaydon Finley (No. 36, 2026). But most of those names have yet to make an impact.

Freeman has supplemented the position with useful transfers like Pauling, Fields, Jayden Harrison, Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell the previous two offseasons, but they were only short-term fixes. Notre Dame is getting the best of both worlds with Porter and Graham, who were highly rated recruits out of high school and come to South Bend with three years of eligibility.

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