2026 ND Portal Targets

[Rocketman84]

I didn’t say Fields wasn’t a nice player. Lax is saying Strongs is significantly worse and Fields is going R2. I disagree with that.

What game was Fields doubled at a notable clip?

Is Fields a better player? Yes
Is Fields a better prospect? Yes
Is Fields SIGNIFICANTLY better than Strong? No

 

[Sea Turtle]

I’m guessing IU wanted him to commit on the spot. When he said he had visits, they suggested he call the other schools and see if they would match. If not he can save everyone’s time and sign.

Given the excitement of the day, he probably doesn’t stop to really realize that this strategy would be off putting to the other schools and they would basically tell him no thanks.

They are telling kids to commit or they are moving on and that they have the Peach Bowl to prepare for.

Seriously.

 

[Irishdawg]

They are telling kids to commit or they are moving on and that they have the Peach Bowl to prepare for.

Seriously.

Smart!!

 

[irishfan]

Hope we can get him on campus before he commits to IU

Ironically he spent 3 seasons at IU before Tulsa

 

[Crazy Balki]

I think Fields is a better prospect than Strong.

I also think Fields is a better prospect than Marsh.

 

[NDWarrior]

Foley had the touchdowns. Receptions and yards weren’t that different though. I’ve never watch Tulsa or Foley, so idk how he was used in the offense.

I saw some film of him; he was used a number of times as a runner, esp. in the red zone.

 

[FWIrish4]

They are telling kids to commit or they are moving on and that they have the Peach Bowl to prepare for.

Seriously.

Okay and?

IU desperately needs talent from the portal to fill its roster. They aren’t moving on from Marsh if he takes 2 days to visit ND.

One would think you could counter that to a kid with, “If you’re really as good as they say you are, you have a spot at any of these schools.”

I tend to believe the story floated earlier from some inside scoops, Marsh probably had a good idea he was already going there + had some work to do for ND.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Foley had the touchdowns. Receptions and yards weren’t that different though. I’ve never watch Tulsa or Foley, so idk how he was used in the offense.

He was used very well. Lots of RPOs, Wheel routes, iso balls, etc. Dude can really play.

 

[Rocketman84]

I think Fields is a better prospect than Strong.

I also think Fields is a better prospect than Marsh.

Def better prospect than Strong especially since Strong won't run well but Marsh is a lot higher on boards than Fields. Fields is projected late 3rd-4th and Marsh is viewed as a late 1st/2nd Rd pick.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Def better prospect than Strong especially since Strong won't run well but Marsh is a lot higher on boards than Fields. Fields is projected late 3rd-4th and Marsh is viewed as a late 1st/2nd Rd pick.

Nah. Marsh has not looked anything close to a 1st rounder. Could he turn into one? I think he has the potential.

But I'm getting really sick and tired of people suddenly thinking Marsh is this second coming of Julio Jones, when the film does not wash.

Meanwhile, Strong looks very much like a quality player and on Marsh's level, but so many basically treat it as if there's a chasm-wide gap like it's comparing Jerry Rice to Matt Salerno.

 

[IrishLax]

I mean, is it actually not what's needed. Hasn't it been said before that Denbrock's offense doesn't really use the boundary receiver as much? IIRC, one of the pods was talking about the good boundary guys he had at LSU that didn't really produce much.

Maybe a guy that's good at contested catches is what we need. Not someone that will be a focal point of the offense, but someone Carr can throw the ball up to if his early reads aren't open and can have confidence in coming down with it.

Nope. We need actual elite skill position players to capitalize on the best passer we have had since at least Jimmy Clausen. The idea that you can win a championship with a bunch of JAGs is delusional cope.

 

[Rocketman84]

Nah. Marsh has not looked anything close to a 1st rounder. Could he turn into one? I think he has the potential.

But I'm getting really sick and tired of people suddenly thinking Marsh is this second coming of Julio Jones, when the film does not wash.

Meanwhile, Strong looks very much like a quality player and on Marsh's level, but so many basically treat it as if there's a chasm-wide gap like it's comparing Jerry Rice to Matt Salerno.

Well that's the Draft projections and he's projected to test well at the combine/Pro Day so at worst he's a late 2nd Rd guy.

Who compared Marsh to Julio Jones?? That's a bit off but he's a lot closer to Julio athletically compared to Strong who is a big/strong guy with pedestrian speed.

 

[IrishLax]

Well that's the Draft projections and he's projected to test well at the combine/Pro Day so at worst he's a late 2nd Rd guy.

Who compared Marsh to Julio Jones?? That's a bit off but he's a lot closer to Julio athletically compared to Strong who is a big/strong guy with pedestrian speed.

Marsh moves like a guy who could be versatile WR and heavy contributor in the NFL.

Strong I just don't see it. Not overly explosive, stiff hips, doesn't seem to display great top end spend. People keep citing that he has good hands. Look, there is certainly room for someone with those skills but I just don't really see a big "value add" over what we should already have on the roster... big asterisk is that he's a proven commodity.

I think when you look at Marsh, Harris, etc. you're talking about potential difference makers. These aren't Jeremiah Love top 1st round pick level guys, let's not get it twisted, but there comes a point where the value over replacement isn't noticeable. This isn't like Defensive Tackle where you NEED capable bodies, we have tons of bodies.

 

[sfk324]

It’s 2026.

If you have a wart on your face you get it removed.

With the portal, you can have warts removed and fixed. For some reason, whatever pictures gray has of freeman, ND isn’t removing its wart.

Just wanted to thank the mods for removing the wart.

 

[IrishLax]

Last thing I'll say -- they appear to have totally misread the signals they were getting from some of these guys and need to completely review their process for 2027 and forward. This isn't some protracted process, it's strike-while-the-iron-is-hot musical chairs. The way Indiana approached the portal versus how ND did is jarring. As long as they figure it out at DT and kicker then we can turn down the panic meter but to be crystal clear -- if they whiff at those two positions then the 2026 season is probably cooked. All other positions it's "nice to have" not "need to have."

 

[Te'o4Heisman]

Yeah. IMO, Fields is like a 2nd-3rd round pick. Strong looks like a late rounder, UDFA type. Just my amateur opinion watching Strong's highlights.

Realistically if you watch the play Fields made with about 4:00 left in the 1st half against Boise, or a couple of the deep sideline back shoulder catches he made this year, I don’t see that kind if potential from either Strong or Marsh. I dont know where he ends up getting drafted, but he was not targeted enough this year. He had so many 1v1 situations inside the 30 where he was not even part of the play.

 

[NDdomer2]

People act like ND got to choose if they were first visit or not.

The kids set their schedules and I would imagine visit their #1 choice first the majority of the time. If they get an offer they like what's left to do?

I would have thought HS recruiting would have been more of a learning curve for Martin than portal as this is essentially FA for NFL.

You win some you lose some.

 

[smw6230]

The way Indiana approached the portal versus how ND did is jarring.

Aside from having guys on campus on the first day, what was so "jarringly" different about how Indiana approached the portal than ND?

ND has yet to lose out on a single portal visitor to campus.

This is really all about one player. Nick Marsh. ND wanted him and ND fans convinced themselves that he was THEIRS to lose. Fact of the matter is he never was theirs to lose. IU was his first visit and only visit. The fact that ND was already setting up other WR visits before Marsh set foot on IU's campus tells me that they knew he was going to IU.

Finally ND's chief need this portal cycle wasn't a boundary WR. Its interior linemen. Landing those guys is far more important for next year's team than adding a boundary WR who had exactly 26 more yards receiving, and 11 more receptions, than Jordan Faison did last year. Faison actually averaged 2 yards more a reception than Marsh.

Its not like ND lost out on Randy Moss. But people act like Marsh was the difference making the playoffs and winning the NC. Run that by the MSU board and see what they tell you about him.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Yeah, again I'm not seeing the glaring gap between Marsh and Strong.

And for the record, Strong was projected as being a potential 2nd-3rd round pick in this upcoming draft had he declared.

That's not to say I think he is a 2nd rounder talent right now, but he has that potential, the same way Marsh does.

Strong being labeled as "stiff" is absurd. The film shows he is anything but stiff. Dude is very fluid for his size. He's not going to blow people away with his speed, but he has a very good boundary receiver skill set.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Nah. Marsh has not looked anything close to a 1st rounder. Could he turn into one? I think he has the potential.

But I'm getting really sick and tired of people suddenly thinking Marsh is this second coming of Julio Jones, when the film does not wash.

Meanwhile, Strong looks very much like a quality player and on Marsh's level, but so many basically treat it as if there's a chasm-wide gap like it's comparing Jerry Rice to Matt Salerno.

Strong is essentially Miles Boykin if Miles ran like Jayvon McKinley. That's a compliment. Miles went for 803 yards on 55 catches his senior year and added 8 TDs. Better season than we just saw out of the boundary WR at ND in 2025.

In 2025 Strong had 8 catches for 151 yards and 18.9 yards per catch vs Iowa and 7 catches for 124 yards and 17.7 yards per catch vs Washington.

Strong put up 95 catches, 1400+ yards and 10 TDs over the last 2 seasons, averaging 14.7 YPC, playing in arguably the sport's best conference, catching balls from friggen Athan Kaliakmanis.

I'm more than willing to give the guy a chance with CJ Carr.

 

[Dale]

I still don’t get why we didn’t host visitors this weekend either but Indiana is also the exception, not the rule of the weekend amongst CFP contenders. Lot of the big schools did basically nothing so far. I don’t have the answer as to why ND and others chose that but we are mainly looking out the window SpongeBob style at IU, not the whole country rn.

Land a DT by Tuesday and some will be forgiven.

 

[Guyjin37]

I still don’t get why we didn’t host visitors this weekend either but Indiana is also the exception, not the rule of the weekend amongst CFP contenders. Lot of the big schools did basically nothing so far. I don’t have the answer as to why ND and others chose that but we are mainly looking out the window SpongeBob style at IU, not the whole country rn.

Land a DT by Tuesday and some will be forgiven.

Yeah just reading the tea leaves it seems like we were banking on a. getting the last visit and b. having all the portal recruits on campus at the same time. That might work well for high school recruits but it looks like this year it was a bad investment on the portal guys. Gotta be quick on our feet, and as hard-working as the staff is, I'm sure they will adjust. To what extent, I guess we'll have to see.

 

[Irish8248]

,

Realistically if you watch the play Fields made with about 4:00 left in the 1st half against Boise, or a couple of the deep sideline back shoulder catches he made this year, I don’t see that kind if potential from either Strong or Marsh. I dont know where he ends up getting drafted, but he was not targeted enough this year. He had so many 1v1 situations inside the 30 where he was not even part of the play.

So it would reason that a top 5 in the COUNTRY Wr at contested catches like Strong is, at worse, a wash compared to Fields? It sounds like we're looking for the perfect boundary receiver and its just not available... Speed to separate, size and power to contest, and a gamer to demand 80+ receptions. I don't think you're going to find all those in one player in a portal. Therefore youre more likely to have guys in tiers and bunches .

The level of receiver in the portal is a sight upgrade at best and that's because our position group has been sub par. We need consistent QB play and development to intrigue receivers. We finally have that we just have to wait for everyone to believe in it.

 

[IrishInOntario]

I still don’t get why we didn’t host visitors this weekend either but Indiana is also the exception, not the rule of the weekend amongst CFP contenders. Lot of the big schools did basically nothing so far. I don’t have the answer as to why ND and others chose that but we are mainly looking out the window SpongeBob style at IU, not the whole country rn.

Land a DT by Tuesday and some will be forgiven.

Keep in mind that most of the guys Indiana landed this weekend were not super highly coveted by the top schools. Marsh aside, most of the guys are mid tier prospects. I do like the DE from K State, but he's not a guy that the big schools were really after.

For a lot of these guys, Indiana was going to be the biggest offer, with the most playing time and money they were going to get.

It's not like they signed Jeremiah Smith, Boubacar Traore, Leonard Moore, Aiveon Terrell, Chaz Coleman and Isaac Brown.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Yeah just reading the tea leaves it seems like we were banking on a. getting the last visit and b. having all the portal recruits on campus at the same time. That might work well for high school recruits but it looks like this year it was a bad investment on the portal guys. Gotta be quick on our feet, and as hard-working as the staff is, I'm sure they will adjust. To what extent, I guess we'll have to see.

Again, I don't think this is how the strategy works. As others have mentioned, teams don't have the ability to say "You will visit on X day", the player sets the schedule. If ND wanted to get Williams and Marsh on campus early and that would lock things up, I have little doubt they would.

I would imagine the choice for Marsh and Williams to visit their respective schools this weekend was primarily their call, not ND's.

 

[NDPhilly]

Has literally anyone else besides Indiana received 5+ commits? No. All this over a mid round possession Receiver. Crazy.

Btw the only elite WR in the final 4 is Malachi Toney, whose the opposite of a big body boundary receiver.

 

[IrishLax]

Aside from having guys on campus on the first day, what was so "jarringly" different about how Indiana approached the portal than ND?

ND has yet to lose out on a single portal visitor to campus.

yeah that's exactly the issue dude

Indiana got 13 guys on campus this weekend and closed a number of key pieces. USC doesn't even have a DC and they locked down the kid from Iowa State with a contract.

ND did not back channel correctly to get first crack at guys and get them committed. They thought they had a kicker locked up... nope. They were on Marsh from day 1... nope. The early returns are not good, they miscalculated what it was going to take to close the deal on some guys they had at the top of their list. Reminds me a bit of Brian Kelly 2010/2011 recruiting naïveté.

 

[Rocketman84]

Marsh moves like a guy who could be versatile WR and heavy contributor in the NFL.

Strong I just don't see it. Not overly explosive, stiff hips, doesn't seem to display great top end spend. People keep citing that he has good hands. Look, there is certainly room for someone with those skills but I just don't really see a big "value add" over what we should already have on the roster... big asterisk is that he's a proven commodity.

I think when you look at Marsh, Harris, etc. you're talking about potential difference makers. These aren't Jeremiah Love top 1st round pick level guys, let's not get it twisted, but there comes a point where the value over replacement isn't noticeable. This isn't like Defensive Tackle where you NEED capable bodies, we have tons of bodies.

💯 Agreed

 

[NDPhilly]

The ISU kid was never coming here to play nickel.

 

[IrishLax]

Also, WR is just not that relevant relative to DT. There are only like ~10 quality DTs in the portal and we need two. If you get those guys and whiff on WR, fine. If you get WRs but whiff on DT, not fine.

My concern with Marsh and the kicker is really about process. We seem to have been used as a stalking horse for both. Like they got bids from ND, said all the right things about being interested, and then poof. The kicker in particular seems to have just been using ND to get a raise and stay put. We can't have the same thing repeat itself with the other guys who might be truly critical components.