Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Misses on Priority Transfer Target Nick Marsh

Star wide receiver Nick Marsh is on his way to Indiana
Nick Shepkowski|
Michigan State's Nick Marsh smiles while warming up before the game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State's Nick Marsh smiles while warming up before the game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

One of Notre Dame's biggest targets in the transfer portal has picked his future home, and it will be in the state of Indiana, but won't be in South Bend.

Former Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh, perhaps the best wide receiver to enter the transfer portal this off-season, has committed to play for Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers.

Notre Dame was looking for Marsh to essentially take on the Malachi Fields role, as Fields is off to the NFL draft after putting up 55 receptions for more than 800 yards and five touchdowns this past fall.

There are a couple of ways to look at this from a Notre Dame perspective, so let's go ahead and do exactly that.

Is Indiana Suddenly a 'Cold War' Rival of Notre Dame?

Indiana turned into an overnight success under head coach Curt Cignetti. In two seasons under his direction, Indiana has gone a combined 25-2 and are one win away from playing for a national championship. It's a turnaround that nobody could have seen coming like this, not even the most diehard Hoosier fans.

The two teams met last year in the College Football Playoff, a game Notre Dame won 27-17 after dominating even more than the score showed the majority of the night. Indiana coming back even better in 2025 speaks to Cignetti as a coach, their scouting in the transfer portal, and to the athletic department as a whole being fully invested in football.

It's easy to go the rival route with Indiana if you're Notre Dame, simply because of the location of both universities. However, I stop short of calling any real kind of rival because as unseen as the Hoosiers rise has been, it's almost like it is just replacing other programs Notre Dame would compete for recruits and transfers with, without playing regularly whatsoever.

If anything, the Hoosiers being a force is even better for Notre Dame because it puts pressure on Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish to be the best program in the state, something that certainly won't come easy as long as Cignetti is in Bloomington.

What Does Notre Dame Do at Wide Receiver Now?

With Marsh off to Indiana, where will Notre Dame go regarding wide receiver?

One name to keep an eye on is former Rutgers wide receiver Ian Strong.

Strong checks in at 6-3, 210 pounds, and caught more than 110 passes for the Scarlet Knights over the last three seasons. His height makes him viable to replace Fields, although his overall talent doesn't put him in the same territory as Marsh.

Strong is scheduled to visit both Notre Dame and California this week before making his decision.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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