Will Notre Dame Lose a Running Back to the Portal This Week?

The transfer portal is open and the Irish are loaded at running back. Who leaves?

Apr 12, 2025; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) hands off to running back Gi'Bran Payne (3) during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has been a running back factory in recent years, landing quality back after quality back and then graduating those stars into the NFL like clockwork. Kyren Williams and Audric Estime have been recent examples of Fighting Irish stars to make an impact at the NFL level, with current tailback Jeremiyah Love likely set to be the best of the bunch.

As it stands, the aforementioned Love will be the lead running back again in 2025, with the No.2 role being filled by Jadarian Price, who in his own right could probably start at 95% of other college football programs.

Given this impressive depth, there is only so many carries to go around for the remaining four scholarship running backs. Gi'Bran Payne, Aneyas Williams, Kedren Young and Nolan James Jr. are all fighting for any and every opportunity to carry the ball.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Realistically, Notre Dame can and should only roster five running backs. That provides enough depth in-case of injury, but also allows enough room for all of the backs to carry the ball some throughout the season.

Six is one too many, and unfortunately, that likely means one running back will be hitting the portal in this window.

With Gi'Bran Payne missing all of last season after a torn ACL in the 2024 Blue-Gold game, true freshman Aneyas Williams filled into the RB3 role and performed better than anyone could realistically have expected.

Williams is a budding star and provides a different look than the home run hitters of Love and Price.

Notre Dame showed that every back on the roster can be a weapon in the passing game. Loved seeing a 230 Kedren Young getting out on this wheel route for a big play

It was set up well by the rub that made Faraimo end up trailing pic.twitter.com/Xas2e8LQtG

— Jamie Uyeyama (@jamieuyeyama) April 15, 2025

This leaves redshirt freshman Kedren Young and junior to duke it out for the RB4 role, with true freshman Nolan James Jr. likely redshirting.

Taking all feelings out of it, Young clearly has the much higher upside, is healthier, and has
significantly more eligibility than Payne.

It is possible that Notre Dame and new running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider can figure out how to manage six backs, however it is much more likely that we see one of them leave, with Young or Payne being the most logical to do so.