2026 ND Portal Targets

[IrishSpartan]

How do you figure the second statement based on the first?

sorry bad wording. Just seems that there is nothing in regards to information and a lot of fans are scared of this. ND has just been quiet, and while I belong to IB(need to cancel) and II(only upside is Paramount+) I have seen nothing. II usually has the info due to Brice but it seems like Matt Freeman is the only one getting anything. And the note about playoff is just a guess on my part we have seen nothing in regards to whos in the portal besides PSU DL and Lockett and that would leave who is not in yet.

 

[KPENN]

I’m skeptical of G6 guys

 

[CanadalovesND]

The money on Foley would be better spent on locking down 2 DTs that you feel are capable of playing good football.

 

[IrishSpartan]

I’m skeptical of G6 guys

I believe QB,RB,WR/TE,DB are okay if they have the bodies but line is just too different. The only ones who truly make an impact from G6 and FCS/lower leagues are the award winners.

 

[arndtjc]

Crazy Balki said:
I think it's less because they don't want it and more that it's hard to find.

There's only so many 340+ dudes who can also move extremely well except when heading to the buffet line.
FIFY

Driskell??

 

[IRISHbluehen]

sorry bad wording. Just seems that there is nothing in regards to information and a lot of fans are scared of this. ND has just been quiet, and while I belong to IB(need to cancel) and II(only upside is Paramount+) I have seen nothing. II usually has the info due to Brice but it seems like Matt Freeman is the only one getting anything. And the note about playoff is just a guess on my part we have seen nothing in regards to whos in the portal besides PSU DL and Lockett and that would leave who is not in yet.

I think a big part of it is that the beat is purposely being left out of the loop for the most part because things move so much faster in the portal. Prices get driven up and ultimatums presented when competition comes more into focus. Not saying the teams dont know as the agents will certainly tell them but having it publicly reported certainly can't help either

I think we'll have a good idea of what it looks like by Wednesday.

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Micah Gilbert and Cam Williams better be ready to produce in the fall.

 

[WildMan1]

I’m honestly surprised with the lack of “ND opting out of the portal” jokes on Twitter

 

[Irishnuke]

I like Foley but do I think he's a better athlete than Flanigan, Flanagan, or Premer? No. The odds of one of them breaking out is pretty damn high.

Relying on a guy with 5 career catches that previously tore his achilles and missed an entire season, a guy that redshirted, and an incoming freshman is definitely an interesting choice. Personally I'd take two years of Foley over all of them except Premer. Hopefully one of the 3 breaks out next season.

I do think spending on DTs is more important though.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Wow... Brody Foley is a guy that I'm actually surprised they passed on. With the injury history of ND's experienced TEs, I thought he would have been a nice add. Excellent player, IMO.

1). Either he wanted more money than ND was prepared to offer a tight end...

OR

2). ND's just decided to re-allocate the TE money they had budgeted to invest their entire Portal budget on a boundary WR, a rotational WR, a backup QB, a kicker and 3-4 DL between the DT and DE positions.

I'll remain patient to see how things go. Maybe they pull a rabbit out if their ass and land...

DT: Mateen Igbirogba
DT: Xavier Gilliam
DE: John Henry Daley
DE: Jalen Thompson
WR: Ian Strong
WR: Xavier Townsend
QB: Brady Atkinson
K: TBD

Who knows at this point!?

 

[Crazy Balki]

Driskell??

Depends. Does this buffet line have free refills on Mountain Dew?

 

[IrishInOntario]

Prices in the Portal must be getting really high relative to the funds ND has available for their Portal needs. Sounds like they're basically consolidating money to ensure that they get their key guys at positions of need right now. Not sure how many "luxury" players they'll be able to afford this cycle.

 

[calvegas04]

Prices in the Portal must be getting really high relative to the funds ND has available for their Portal needs. Sounds like they're basically consolidating money to ensure that they get their key guys at positions of need right now. Not sure how many "luxury" players they'll be able to afford this cycle.

ND broke?

 

[ND88]

Prices in the Portal must be getting really high relative to the funds ND has available for their Portal needs. Sounds like they're basically consolidating money to ensure that they get their key guys at positions of need right now. Not sure how many "luxury" players they'll be able to afford this cycle.

If this is the case, isn't this an absurdity at this point? Money should not be an issue. Or is that just a naive perspective still?

 

[stlnd01]

The money on Foley would be better spent on locking down 2 DTs that you feel are capable of playing good football.

I tend to agree - every other position, except maybe kicker, there are guys in-house you can plausibly go with - but at this point they really have to lock down those DTs.

 

[sfk324]

Mike Frank = Putuporshutup?

He's nowhere near that. I think Mike likes to play devil's advocate. They have an hour-plus show to fill, that gets hard to do when everything is "yeah, I agree."

 

[Crazy Balki]

Prices in the Portal must be getting really high relative to the funds ND has available for their Portal needs. Sounds like they're basically consolidating money to ensure that they get their key guys at positions of need right now. Not sure how many "luxury" players they'll be able to afford this cycle.

That's possible, but here's the thing. ND only has so many slots that are tagged for "luxury" players.

Essentially, 2 DTs are a need. 1 boundary receiver is a need. 1 kicker is a need. Maybe 1 rotational DE is a need.

They have 2 DTs in right now with Ibirogba and Gilliam, they also have Jalen Thompson and John Henry Daley in as ends, and Ian Strong in as a boundary receiver. Not sure what's going to happen with kicker.

However, when it comes to nickel, the guy has to be good enough to compete with what they already have. If he isn't competing with Dallas Golden, then what's the point? You also have a ton of talent in your defensive backfield with the best DB class in the country on it's way soon with a couple guys who could very easily play nickel early like O'Brien.

 

[IrishInOntario]

If this is the case, isn't this an absurdity at this point? Money should not be an issue. Or is that just a naive perspective still?

There are a couple things I think might be going on...

1). ND's Rev Share is pretty much set because there isn't much wiggle room there.

2). I highly suspect that ND has access to more NIL money than they are willing to spend. What I mean by that is that ND is a very lockeroom driven, close knit program. I doubt they're just going to start paying mercenaries huge sums of money that dwarf the top players within their program, throwing off the team component and overall vibe of their lockeroom, that they so heavily rely on. They'll do it in individual cases to fill a need, but they won't do it in "luxury" areas.

3). Like it, or not, ND didn't get as wealthy as they are without making prudent financial choices. They're simply not a school that is going to buy a championship. They'll spend enough to stay competitive, but I don't see a reality in which they'll break the bank simply to win a title.

I think it was John Brice that reported that last year when Ohio State won the Natty, their athletic department posted $-30 Million in revenue. They were wayyyyyy in the red. A huge component of that was how much they had to pay the football team. I just don't see ND going down that path.

JMO.

 

[WildMan1]

There are a couple things I think might be going on...

1). ND's Rev Share is pretty much set because there isn't much wiggle room there.

2). I highly suspect that ND has access to more NIL money than they are willing to spend. What I mean by that is that ND is a very lockeroom driven, close knit program. I doubt they're just going to start paying mercenaries huge sums of money that dwarf the top players within their program, throwing off the team component and overall vide of their lockeroom, that they so heavily rely on. They'll do it in individual cases to fill a need, but they won't do it in "luxury" areas.

3). Like it, or not, ND didn't get as wealthy as they are without making prudent financial choices. They're simply not a school that is going to buy a championship. They'll spend enough to stay competition, but I don't see a reality in which they'll break the bank simoly to win a title.

I think it was John Brice thaylt reported that last year when Ohio State won the Natty, their athletic department posted $-30 Million in revenue. They were wayyyyyy in the red. A huge component of that was how much they had to pay the football team. I just don't see ND going down that path.

JMO.

I fully expect them to have to do this on the interior defensive line.

 

[JerseyIrishMan]

There are a couple things I think might be going on...

1). ND's Rev Share is pretty much set because there isn't much wiggle room there.

2). I highly suspect that ND has access to more NIL money than they are willing to spend. What I mean by that is that ND is a very lockeroom driven, close knit program. I doubt they're just going to start paying mercenaries huge sums of money that dwarf the top players within their program, throwing off the team component and overall vide of their lockeroom, that they so heavily rely on. They'll do it in individual cases to fill a need, but they won't do it in "luxury" areas.

3). Like it, or not, ND didn't get as wealthy as they are without making prudent financial choices. They're simply not a school that is going to buy a championship. They'll spend enough to stay competition, but I don't see a reality in which they'll break the bank simoly to win a title.

I think it was John Brice thaylt reported that last year when Ohio State won the Natty, their athletic department posted $-30 Million in revenue. They were wayyyyyy in the red. A huge component of that was how much they had to pay the football team. I just don't see ND going down that path.

JMO.

Nice post.

RE: The bold, good news is, no amount of money can buy a championship. TAMU and OSU proved that.

You need to spend up to a certain threshold to be competitive. The rest is on development, coaching, and execution.

Only thing I'd push back on slightly is that you'd hope MFMF and Pete / the rest of the AD have cultivated relationships with donors well enough that you can get a check written when it's warranted. We definitely need to cut some checks for DTs (among a few other slots). Quality DTs are not an easy land in the portal at all, so gotta pay up for that. Important to be prudent (as you said) not overly frugal IMO.

 

[ND88]

There are a couple things I think might be going on...

1). ND's Rev Share is pretty much set because there isn't much wiggle room there.

2). I highly suspect that ND has access to more NIL money than they are willing to spend. What I mean by that is that ND is a very lockeroom driven, close knit program. I doubt they're just going to start paying mercenaries huge sums of money that dwarf the top players within their program, throwing off the team component and overall vide of their lockeroom, that they so heavily rely on. They'll do it in individual cases to fill a need, but they won't do it in "luxury" areas.

3). Like it, or not, ND didn't get as wealthy as they are without making prudent financial choices. They're simply not a school that is going to buy a championship. They'll spend enough to stay competition, but I don't see a reality in which they'll break the bank simoly to win a title.

I think it was John Brice thaylt reported that last year when Ohio State won the Natty, their athletic department posted $-30 Million in revenue. They were wayyyyyy in the red. A huge component of that was how much they had to pay the football team. I just don't see ND going down that path.

JMO.

Makes a lot of sense. Your second point has some demonstrable evidence based on Freeman's leadership style. Do you think when Marsh allegedly called schools to get a price match, ND had the money and then some, but went with their in-house priorities? Also, do you think the big donor unicorn component is overrated in the arena of ND's portal process?

 

[IrishInOntario]

That's possible, but here's the thing. ND only has so many slots that are tagged for "luxury" players.

Essentially, 2 DTs are a need. 1 boundary receiver is a need. 1 kicker is a need. Maybe 1 rotational DE is a need.

They have 2 DTs in right now with Ibirogba and Gilliam, they also have Jalen Thompson and John Henry Daley in as ends, and Ian Strong in as a boundary receiver. Not sure what's going to happen with kicker.

However, when it comes to nickel, the guy has to be good enough to compete with what they already have. If he isn't competing with Dallas Golden, then what's the point? You also have a ton of talent in your defensive backfield with the best DB class in the country on it's way soon with a couple guys who could very easily play nickel early like O'Brien.

I think the balance ND is going to have to increasingly consider the value of an 18 year old freshman, unless he's an extremely talented 5 star type, vs a 22 year old, fully developed player, even if you might only have that kid for 1 year.

While I think ND will remain fundamentally committed to building the foundation of their roster through high school recruiting and multi-year internal development, they might consider moving from a model in which they take 6-8 quality Portal kids in a cycle, to something more in the 10-12 range. Of course it will be cycle / need dependent, but largely I'm talking in general statements.

 

[stpeteirish]

Prices in the Portal must be getting really high relative to the funds ND has available for their Portal needs. Sounds like they're basically consolidating money to ensure that they get their key guys at positions of need right now. Not sure how many "luxury" players they'll be able to afford this cycle.

The QB from Mercer seems like a luxury to me

 

[IrishInOntario]

I fully expect them to have to do this on the interior defensive line.

I do too. Interior DL cost a fortune in the Portal. I think they'll be willing to do it when it comes to remaining competitive at a position of need. I just don't think they'll do it very often for "luxury" situations.

 

[IrishInOntario]

The QB from Mercer seems like a luxury to me

They want a backup with experience. They think they can compete for a title this year, but if something happened to Carr, they'd be turning what they anticipate will be a QB driven offense over to a player without a single college snap (2 of whom are true freshmen).

The kid from Mercer has a year of college experience with the bullets flying.

I think he's an insurance policy for Carr's health, not a luxury.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

I appreciate the discourse above. Valid points to keep in mind about culture, overpaying, keeping a balanced budget, etc. Buuuut, other teams absolutely have and will continue to buy championships. It was under the table before, now its mostly above board. I hope Freeman and Co can do it the "right way" but history points towards the biggest spenders winning championships, not all the time, but definitely at higher rates. Oregon may just continue that pattern this year.

 

[stpeteirish]

So UCF over those five scrub programs LOL

 

[IrishinSyria]

If this is the case, isn't this an absurdity at this point? Money should not be an issue. Or is that just a naive perspective still?

Mediocre qbs are pulling in $5 mil. Money is an issue no matter who you are.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I think the balance ND is going to have to increasingly consider the value of an 18 year old freshman, unless he's an extremely talented 5 star type, vs a 22 year old, fully developed player, even if you might only have that kid for 1 year.

While I think ND will remain fundamentally committed to building the foundation of their roster through high school recruiting and multi-year internal development, they might consider moving from a model in which they take 6-8 quality Portal kids in a cycle, to something more in the 10-12 range. Of course it will be cycle / need dependent, but largely I'm talking in general statements.

100% has to be a factor, especially if larger and larger chunks of those high school candidates end up developing at ND and playing somewhere else.

 

[MrNimbus]

This all feels like any of the professional sports free agency period. And I absolutely hate it. Recruiting was bad enough. The transfer portal is disgusting though.