Notre Dame Lands Star Defensive Tackle In The Transfer Portal

After not landing a player in the transfer portal for nearly 10 full days, Notre Dame made it five commitments in just over 24 hours as Pitt transfer, defensive tackle Francis Brewu made his pledge to the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his recruiting staff love to stack up commitments one after another, and they have just done that again here with Brewu.

Going into the portal window, it was no secret that Notre Dame absolutely had to land a formidable defensive tackle, preferably two, and a boundary wide receiver to replace Malachi Fields who is off to the NFL.

Despite dozens of rumors and a few missed targets, the staff has managed to land former five-star receiver and Ohio State player Quincy Porter, along with one of the top defensive lineman in the portal window in Brewu.

BREAKING: Pitt standout transfer DL Francis Brewu has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells @On3

The 6’1 280 DL totaled 36 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 2 Sacks in 2025

Was named a Freshman All-American last year and is one of the Top DL in the portal https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/GYDuzoiFKS
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 13, 2026

Brewu wreaked havoc this past season, including against Notre Dame, as a constant force in the backfield. He will slot in nicely for the Fighting Irish, who desperately needed his talent and depth - the coaching staff hit the target with him.

Notre Dame has the returning talent to win a national championship, led by Heisman front-runner CJ Carr, and the only real glaring hole was at defensive tackle. If new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge can get the most out of Brewu, a player he recruited to Pitt, watch out.

In two seasons at Pitt, Brewu tallied 42 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. The Columbus native wasn't a highly-recruited player out of high school, but his development at Pitt was fast and productive. Now all of that should pay off as part of the rotation in the Irish interior.

Notre Dame and Ohio State were considered to be the strongest contenders for Brewu's pledge, and it came down to a dogfight to earn his commitment.

Despite growing up right next to Ohio State's campus, Notre Dame was able to parlay Brewu's relationship with Partridge into a possible starting spot at defensive tackle and a hefty NIL deal to get him to come to South Bend.

The Fighting Irish put themselves in a spot where they had to land Brewu, especially considering how they whiffed on Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam and were not able to bring in the Alabama transfer duo of James Smith and Qua Russaw.

Consider this a massive win for Notre Dame, with more transfers to come soon.