2026 ND Portal Targets

[irish4ever]

Depends on the severity and length and timing of absence. If he’s out for a game or 2 early on in the season that could be the difference between a win or a loss. ND has little to no room for error w this schedule. I think we can all agree they aren’t playing for a Natty if the chosen one is hurt long term down the stretch whether it’s Hebert or Atkinson under center.

If he's out 2 games and we lose both, the Irish are totally out of the CFP and that's a proven fact. Just check with the prick CFP Committee members!

 

[Kingbish01]

Brenan Vernon and Cam Williams need to come to fruition… Boom or Bust upcoming season for those two.

I think if Cam was gonna pop, he would have by now. NO true ELITE 5 star WR should take this long to be impactful. I expected it on day one like J. Smith, Ryan Williams or Xavier Worthy....But instead we are left to hope he figures it out after all this time and turns into a stud. It's not like he's been sitting behind a bunch of superstars..... I'd say smart money is to label him a bust, and call it a day.

 

[Rocketman84]

Brenan Vernon and Cam Williams need to come to fruition… Boom or Bust upcoming season for those two.

Vernon no shot but Williams can play and I feel as if he was almost anywhere else he would be playing a lot more unfortunately. Seems our top rated WRs recently just waste away for years behind less talented players.

 

[NDMatt91]

I think if Cam was gonna pop, he would have by now. NO true ELITE 5 star WR should take this long to be impactful. I expected it on day one like J. Smith, Ryan Williams or Xavier Worthy....But instead we are left to hope he figures it out after all this time and turns into a stud. It's not like he's been sitting behind a bunch of superstars..... I'd say smart money is to label him a bust, and call it a day.

I've said this before about Cam, but it's possible that he was over-rated by the recruiting services. If you looked at just his offer list you'd think he was a typical 3* recruit.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Prister said he reminded him of Drew Pyne.

Which told me that he’s missing the point. Brice countered w/ the obvious….it’s a BACKUP QB! You’re trying to find a kid who has zero expectation of being the starter unless the starter gets injured. They need a guy with live game action reps. Hopefully, it’s just for instances where Carr’s helmet pops off or he gets dinged up. But if he gets an injury that leads to missing games, you may be begging for Drew Pyne vs throwing in a freshman w/ zero reps under his belt. ND has been fortunate w/ Hartman, Leonard & Carr last season but they have to plan in the event their luck runs out.

 

[arrowryan]

I would really like to know what Notre Dame was doing for the past month+? Besides crying to the media about the CFP snub, it doesn’t seem like they’ve been doing a whole lot. Letting an elite HC and borderline elite QB go to waste would be a very Notre Dame thing to do.

This is embarrassing for all parties involved. Unless they get the DT situation fixed, they have a snowball’s chance in hell at making the CFP next year. Opponents won’t have to even think about throwing the ball, when they can just run it up Notre Dame’s ass all the game.

 

[RudyVerse]

I'll care about backup QB once we have two starting DLs. A backup QB isn't winning a title at ND and I care little the difference between going 8-4 and 10-2 if CJ were to go down. If CJ's down we aren't winning. So it's all DTs to me.

 

[DomeFieldAdvantage]

I think if Cam was gonna pop, he would have by now. NO true ELITE 5 star WR should take this long to be impactful. I expected it on day one like J. Smith, Ryan Williams or Xavier Worthy....But instead we are left to hope he figures it out after all this time and turns into a stud. It's not like he's been sitting behind a bunch of superstars..... I'd say smart money is to label him a bust, and call it a day.

There is some hope. Eric Hansen had an article about how a bunch of the roster has a diagnostic assessment to see how they learn and process information. Williams was one of the guys who was different than most of the rest. It seems like they might give him some different and more individualized coaching going forward. I'm not saying its a guarantee, but that is one reason we could have seen stagnation so far and a jump from here going forward.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Which told me that he’s missing the point. Brice countered w/ the obvious….it’s a BACKUP QB! You’re trying to find a kid who has zero expectation of being the starter unless the starter gets injured. They need a guy with live game action reps. Hopefully, it’s just for instances where Carr’s helmet pops off or he gets dinged up. But if he gets an injury that leads to missing games, you may be begging for Drew Pyne vs throwing in a freshman w/ zero reps under his belt. ND has been fortunate w/ Hartman, Leonard & Carr last season but they have to plan in the event their luck runs out.

To be fair, Pyne was a backup QB too.
I know what Prister is saying, strictly from film. But I know what Brice is saying and it makes sense to me.

 

[Me2SouthBend]

If he's out 2 games and we lose both, the Irish are totally out of the CFP and that's a proven fact. Just check with the prick CFP Committee members!

I agree 100%. But having a backup w some experience could be the difference between winning and losing those games.

 

[Rocketman84]

Which told me that he’s missing the point. Brice countered w/ the obvious….it’s a BACKUP QB! You’re trying to find a kid who has zero expectation of being the starter unless the starter gets injured. They need a guy with live game action reps. Hopefully, it’s just for instances where Carr’s helmet pops off or he gets dinged up. But if he gets an injury that leads to missing games, you may be begging for Drew Pyne vs throwing in a freshman w/ zero reps under his belt. ND has been fortunate w/ Hartman, Leonard & Carr last season but they have to plan in the event their luck runs out.

Given those options of Pyne right NOW vs a FR I'd take the FR. Pyne was below average at ND and has gotten considerably worse as a player and turnover prone, at least the FR has upside and can grow from his mistakes which seems like something Pyne has been unable to do.

 

[irishff1014]

Brenan Vernon and Cam Williams need to come to fruition… Boom or Bust upcoming season for those two.

Wasn’t there a report that Vernon was playing offensive line for the scout team?

 

[Rocketman84]

To be fair, Pyne was a backup QB too.
I know what Prister is saying, strictly from film. But I know what Brice is saying and it makes sense to me.

Pyne should've never saw the field at a place like ND. He's a 3rd string QB here and a backup elsewhere.

 

[RudyVerse]

Wasn’t there a report that Vernon was playing offensive line for the scout team?

According to Jamie at ISD, Vernon is closer to teaching flute classes at ND than playing real minutes on the football team.

 

[2013Irish]

According to Jamie at ISD, Vernon is closer to teaching flute classes at ND than playing real minutes on the football team.

He, Derrik Allen, and Deuce Knight are prime examples of why getting excited for junior commits is somewhat silly.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

I think if Cam was gonna pop, he would have by now. NO true ELITE 5 star WR should take this long to be impactful. I expected it on day one like J. Smith, Ryan Williams or Xavier Worthy....But instead we are left to hope he figures it out after all this time and turns into a stud. It's not like he's been sitting behind a bunch of superstars..... I'd say smart money is to label him a bust, and call it a day.

Eville burner confirmed

 

[RudyVerse]

I think the biggest indictment on Cam Williams is that no one (ISD or II) talks about him when they talk 2026 WRs. He's mentioned after the incoming Freshman, Salidate, etc.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

Re: Cam Williams, from what I remember, Merc basically described the situation as a player with incredible talent and intangibles who had absolutely terrible coaching in HS. And even with basic stuff — like how to run routes. The staff knew that he would need some coaching up and that his time would eventually come — ideally this upcoming year (Merc did say he wouldn’t be ready this past year going into the season).

Surprised that something like this would take 2 full years, so I’m now bearish on Cam as well, but technically this is still going according to plan (at least with what the staff envisioned)? Or maybe that’s cope.

 

[SoIll]

 

[CanadalovesND]

I put this in the General Portal Thread but meant to add it in here.

From an IB insider

The App State Kicker, De Freitas, visited. He also hasn’t announced he would be returning to App State. So its unlikely he’s the kicker that TP or Loy alluded to.

 

[PolishDomer]

I put this in the General Portal Thread but meant to add it in here.

From an IB insider

The App State Kicker, De Freitas, visited. He also hasn’t announced he would be returning to App State. So its unlikely he’s the kicker that TP or Loy alluded to.

Maybe the Tokyo Toe dude?

 

[Kingbish01]

Eville burner confirmed

Damn, he's been around for over 15 years?

 

[NDFan8349]

Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen in the portal.

 

[notredomer23]

Prister is dramatic and bedwetting a bit but damn if he can't get me fired up with his writing still

When the Walls Come Tumbling Down

Since the CFP’s decision to exclude Notre Dame, little has gone right. A disjointed December in which distractions from diatribes about business partnerships, Marcus Freeman’s contract/future, and an ill-fated opening to the transfer portal has put the Irish in scramble mode.

247sports.com

Freeman's representation, and to at least some extent, Freeman himself, spent the majority of December weighing the options of the NFL. General manager Mike Martin – the "replacement" for Blanchard who was first offered the job at Notre Dame before he stayed in Lubbock – was tasked with his first major portal test.

By late Monday, Jan. 5, Martin, Freeman, and the entire Notre Dame recruiting operation had shown itself ill-prepared for the transfer portal onslaught, despite all those additional days to prepare while an Indiana should have been preoccupied with marching its way through the playoffs. Instead, the Hoosiers made a splash out of the transfer portal gate, including a high-priced quarterback to go with Marsh.

It capped a disjointed month by the Notre Dame athletic department that took a strong turn to the negative when the College Football Playoff committee stuck it to the Irish. What was going to be strong support of Freeman for his team's exclusion after winning 10 straight games and looking very much like a team that could make a legitimate run to win the national title quickly turned into a Notre Dame pity-party gone bad.

Notre Dame found itself caught in a rock fight swinging pillows in defense.

The Irish will field another quality football team this fall. But now Notre Dame must take an even more critical evaluation of how it intends to deal with the spending gorge that is devouring the competitive nature of the game. It has eaten them up in the last 72 hours as the transfer portal window rapidly closes on Notre Dame's talent-supplementing aspirations.

 

[RudyVerse]

PSU DT has arrived on campus now, per ISD.

Everyone act normal.

 

[2013Irish]

This is insane. Ibirogba wasn't Walter Nolen and Ian Strong was not Cam Coleman. These portal rankings whip fans into a frenzy over guys who didn't even make all conference. If they land Reed Harris and two DTs, Prister will be eating serious crow.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

PSU DT has arrived on campus now, per ISD.

Everyone act normal.

I’m on campus. I’ll go find him and see if he wants to be friends.

 

[IrishinSyria]

At some point, the guys on the roster have to understand the game too. We have a glaring hole at DT that needs filled. Supply and demand, market rates etc dictate the players filling those holes will likely be overpaid relative to the current roster going rates. It is what it is. ND athletes I'm sure are smart enough to understand this.

Sure but they’re also probably smart enough to realize that if they’re on ND’s two deep there’s probably a program somewhere in the country that’s equally desperate to plug a hole they could fill…

 

[NDPhilly]

Re: Cam Williams, from what I remember, Merc basically described the situation as a player with incredible talent and intangibles who had absolutely terrible coaching in HS. And even with basic stuff — like how to run routes. The staff knew that he would need some coaching up and that his time would eventually come — ideally this upcoming year (Merc did say he wouldn’t be ready this past year going into the season).

Surprised that something like this would take 2 full years, so I’m now bearish on Cam as well, but technically this is still going according to plan (at least with what the staff envisioned)? Or maybe that’s cope.

I’ve heard Cam do player interviews. He’s far from an idiot. Significantly dumber guys then him didn’t need 2 years to learn a route tree.

 

[tirishman505]

This is insane. Ibirogba wasn't Walter Nolen and Ian Strong was not Cam Coleman. These portal rankings whip fans into a frenzy over guys who didn't even make all conference. If they land Reed Harris and two DTs, Prister will be eating serious crow.

I mean, we wouldn’t be in a frenzy if we hadn’t whiffed in recruiting several years running.