2026 ND Portal Targets

[IrishInOntario]

Should we love it? After what happened this year, is now the time to be cheap? Is that how OSU reacted after 2023-24?

I thought they sarcasm was pretty obvious...

 

[IrishInOntario]

Only known target left at DT is Kevin Gilliam.

Singer has said that there are a few other visits that are not being reported.

Maybe Alex VanSumeren.

Yeah, the lack of news on VanSumeren has been interesting. I wonder if ND is involved. He's solid. Unspectacular, but steady. Like I said before, 3x Academic All Big 10 and will leave MSU with his degreem. Certainly fits from that perspective.

 

[Punky]

Yeah, the lack of news on VanSumeren has been interesting. I wonder if ND is involved. He's solid. Unspectacular, but steady. Like I said before, 3x Academic All Big 10. Certainly fits from that perspective.

They got some good snaps out of "Crimson Chris" Smith a couple years ago. Nothing wrong with a smart guy.

 

[IrishInOntario]

They got some good snaps out of "Crimson Chris" Smith a couple years ago. Nothing wrong with a smart guy.

Not at all. Good, solid, rotational guy. *Probably* not good enough to win a championship with if he's a front line guy, but arguably an upgrade over someone like Donovan Hinish (no offense intended).

 

[RipWheeler]

So, semi off topic, is bed wetting officially sanctioned at this point?

Fuck it, at this point I’m investing heavily into Huggies and Pampers stock!

 

[CanadalovesND]

Yeah, the lack of news on VanSumeren has been interesting. I wonder if ND is involved. He's solid. Unspectacular, but steady. Like I said before, 3x Academic All Big 10 and will leave MSU with his degreem. Certainly fits from that perspective.

From MSU on3 board, when he did announce his transfer, one of their insiders said that there was a sizeable offer from a Big Ten team. As well as one other school (didn’t say Big Ten)

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

 

[GATTACA!]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

 

[irishff1014]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

Our biggest need is a kicker and we have no idea where we stand with that.

Our special teams coach can design fake punts but can’t develop a kicker.

 

[WildMan1]

This is the nightmare scenario.. DT is not some eh we’ll figure it out situation lol

We’re talking about MAYBE Onye.. then Hughes, Burgess. Mullins, Sevillano, Dixon with Hola & Golden coming in.

Soak the sheets boys.. better get at least 20lbs on Burgess & Bryce real quick.

We desperately needed to land Mateen & we’re getting outbid by the oil money.. facckk

 

[IrishTusker]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

Certainly doesn't seem like the program/staff know what's going on.

 

[StPaul_Irish]

Unless someone we dont know goes in I dont hate Reed Harris.

Also, couldn't we flip someone?

 

[NDMatt91]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

Maybe they'll put all of money they'll save into the 2027 class and see if they can double the number of 5-star recruits they got in the 2026 class.

 

[Dale]

Prister just said the process isn’t working, like the NIU game lmao

His sheets are wetter than anyone has been on IE all day

 

[IrishInOntario]

Prister just said the portal process for ND is collapsing
Lol

We'll see if Prister winds up being a sensationalist, or if his proclamation becomes reality.

If the Portal process does fall apart and ND has to settle on a bunch of guys that don't add any tangible skill to the roster, I hope Marcus Freeman will have the stones to "challenge everything" and fire the team he put in charge of recruiting the Portal and allocating the funds. This close to a championship there can be no room on the staff for incompetence.

 

[DCK_1981]

I think this is what happens when you bring an NFL guy in as GM . He’s done well to this point in recruiting but he’s never dealt with portal season and here we are, just like a couple summers ago holding the bag.

 

[Irish4life]

Something fishy is going on here guys

 

[IrishInOntario]

Prister just said the process isn’t working, like the NIU game lmao

His sheets are wetter than anyone has been on IE all day

Even the ND media is starting to crack lol!

 

[WildMan1]

This was Mike Martin last month basically admitting they can’t compete at the top level but are close & think they offer other things as well….

Nahhh that won’t do Mike! They want the bag.

“We understand that we may never be the highest-paying team or the highest bidder, but it is important to us to be competitive. I mentioned this before. I think we offer so many other things that we don't necessarily have to have the same budget, but we can't be too far off either.

“If we want to continue to be competitive on the field, we're going to have to continue to sort of push the number, but I'll say that I think right now we are positioned well for that.”

 

[Dale]

Something fishy is going on here guys

Either:

A) Beat is in the dark, things are going on at a least serviceable pace. We just don’t really know plus didn’t make USC “resign” announcements

B) Freeman ceded control to Martin who has never done this and he’s getting worked/lowballing guys

C) Freeman to the Ravens

 

[NDWarrior]

Certainly doesn't seem like the program/staff know what's going on.

It's just frustrating with having a full time football talent staff comprised of several key roles: Jourdan Blake, Director of Player Personnel, focusing on talent acquisition and development and Mike Martin functions as the General Manager. What have they been doing?

 

[NDPhilly]

Something fishy is going on here guys

I don’t think there’s anything fishy other than TT and Indiana live and die by the portal, have a shit ton to spend, and are willing to overpay especially since their recruiting classes are mediocre.

 

[Irish4life]

Either:

A) Beat is in the dark, things are going on at a least serviceable pace. We just don’t really know plus didn’t make USC “resign” announcements

B) Freeman ceded control to Martin who has never done this and he’s getting worked/lowballing guys

C) Freeman to the Ravens

None are crazy IMO

 

[tirishman505]

I think my #1 “Challenge Everything” wish list item is to get a competent comms dept/strategy. It’s obvious that Freeman wants no leaks, but that’s to his, and the program’s, detriment. This is evident in everything from the SC back and forth (you can tell Bowden actively courts the media), to the ACC/playoff snub and now to this. Hell it might even explain why our beat has been so down on ND lately. As a fan, it’s tiring.

 

[NDPhilly]

Also worth noting the only quality player we lost to the portal was Burnham who left bc he wanted to start.

The money is going somewhere, and it’s clearly being spent on roster retention.

 

[mrmcgrail]

The beat has no idea what's going on they might as well be on this board. The wake forest dt not coming sucks but he has been linked to tech now for days we and we will be able to outbid them. Hopefully a lot more is happening behind the scenes but I don't think the beat has a clue who's going on

 

[RipWheeler]

This is the closest we have been to a natty in years and ND continues to not be serious about sealing the deal. Truly frustrating.

Just pissed the whole bed. Wife gave me a bottle, put me in the pack and play and told me to shut up.

 

[IrishInOntario]

This was Mike Martin last month basically admitting they can’t compete at the top level but are close & think they offer other things as well….

Nahhh that won’t do Mike! They want the bag.

“We understand that we may never be the highest-paying team or the highest bidder, but it is important to us to be competitive. I mentioned this before. I think we offer so many other things that we don't necessarily have to have the same budget, but we can't be too far off either.

“If we want to continue to be competitive on the field, we're going to have to continue to sort of push the number, but I'll say that I think right now we are positioned well for that.”

This is kind of what I was referencing earlier. ND is going to look around and say at the Portal landscape and see how much guys will cost. If the guy they want costs X, but there is another guy that will give them 80% of the production, for 50% of the cost, they'll take the lesser of two players.

It's just the way ND seems to do things. They would seemingly rather be competitive and consistently get richer, then take the risk of going for broke and having it not work out. They DO NOT like getting into bidding wars either. I genuinely just think they don't believe in doing it.

I'll be curious if they draw a line in the sand for a couple guys here and pay what they have to to ensure they have adequate talent at all of their starting positions, or if they'll simply try to backdoor "moneyball" their way into underrated Portal hits.

 

[JD Irish]

This was Mike Martin last month basically admitting they can’t compete at the top level but are close & think they offer other things as well….

Nahhh that won’t do Mike! They want the bag.

“We understand that we may never be the highest-paying team or the highest bidder, but it is important to us to be competitive. I mentioned this before. I think we offer so many other things that we don't necessarily have to have the same budget, but we can't be too far off either.

“If we want to continue to be competitive on the field, we're going to have to continue to sort of push the number, but I'll say that I think right now we are positioned well for that.”

This is just truly bizarre. Why not just try to be the highest bidder?

 

[US_Highway14]

This is just truly bizarre. Why not just try to be the highest bidder?

I can't say I disagree with you, especially since I know for sure alumni donors would be more than happy to dump as much money as possible if it meant being the highest bidder in the transfer portal.