2026 ND Portal Targets

[GATTACA!]

And what if another school has $1.5 million dollar cheque in hand?

Here’s $1.6 million dollars. You will be a starter. Deal?

 

[Dale]

And what if another school has $1.5 million dollar cheque in hand?

Then match it. Double it.

You are literally going into a season GUARANTEED to do nothing in December/January without at least 1 starting caliber portal DT.

 

[CanadalovesND]

Then match it. Double it.

You are literally going into a season GUARANTEED to do nothing in December/January without at least 1 starting caliber portal DT.

At a certain point there is a limit how far ND is willing to match. Which we've seen with Marsh.

But, to your point... even if the player may not be worth, let's say $2 mil, but that's what you need to do to ensure you have a starting caliber player, you get it done. The need far outweighs the money.

 

[irish2104]

I have ZERO confidence we are going to get an DT like absolutely zero just going to hope rest of D is elite enough to make up for it or kids on roster will step up

 

[StPaul_Irish]

 

[slick7410]

Then match it. Double it.

You are literally going into a season GUARANTEED to do nothing in December/January without at least 1 starting caliber portal DT.

That's what I was thinking - but in trying to give this staff some credit that they know what they're doing against the run....

Interesting fact I didn't know. This was the best run defense at Notre Dame since 2004 - without the best d-line talent by far and no one that left is elite. +could return 3/4 starters on the line, 6/7 in a base defense.

 

[NDMatt91]

IF money is an issue, I wonder if they'll get 3-4 mediocre Defensive Tackles on the cheap and pray that 1-2 of them are average in 2026. Sort of like a Defensive Tackle room by committee.

 

[CanadalovesND]

That's what I was thinking - but in trying to give this staff some credit that they know what they're doing against the run....

Interesting fact I didn't know. This was the best run defense at Notre Dame since 2004 - without the best d-line talent by far and no one that left is elite. +could return 3/4 starters on the line, 6/7 in a base defense.

That's nice and all, but the 2026 DT room is not the 2025DT room. At least not right now.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Hopefully not just using this as an opportunity to get more out of Meatchicken. Hope it’s a real possibility here. Regardless, Fuck Michigan.

Honestly if anyone wants to use us to bid up Meatchicken I don’t hate it.

 

[Huntr]

IF money is an issue, I wonder if they'll get 3-4 mediocre Defensive Tackles on the cheap and pray that 1-2 of them are average in 2026. Sort of like a Defensive Tackle room by committee.

 

[NDMatt91]

View attachment 3062144

Agreed, but unless they have 2 quality Defensive Tackles locked up behind the scenes, which I very much doubt, I really don't know what they're going to do.

 

[RudyVerse]

That's nice and all, but the 2026 DT room is not the 2025DT room. At least not right now.

Yeah, our top 5 DTs are gone as it stands now. Rubio, Hinish, Dawson, Onye, Mukham.

Interior is absolutely gutted.

 

[slick7410]

That's nice and all, but the 2026 DT room is not the 2025DT room. At least not right now.

I get that, maybe I'm just in denial and disappointed that none of 10+ guys they will have on the roster that can play inside (outside of Onye's miracle) can play to the level of the 3-star back-up from Penn State.

 

[Irishnuke]

 

[CanadalovesND]

I get that, maybe I'm just in denial and disappointed that none of 10+ guys they will have on the roster that can play inside (outside of Onye's miracle) can play to the level of the 3-star back-up from Penn State.

ND has a lot of inside guys, bodies aren't the issue. I'm sure they may have an Xavier Gilliam type but they don't know for sure because no one has been asked to play 400+ snaps yet.

 

[PolishDomer]

ND staff approach to portal DTs

 

[vicknd1982]

Here’s $1.6 million dollars. You will be a starter. Deal?

Exactly, dont matter where there from.. money talks bs walks

ND has a lot of inside guys, bodies aren't the issue. I'm sure they may have an Xavier Gilliam type but they don't know for sure because no one has been asked to play 400+ snaps yet.

 

[NDMatt91]

John Brice had a conversation with an agent who is dumbfounded by ND's approach to the portal so far. He essentially told Brice that between what they have returning and the schedule they have, 2026 is set up for ND to run all the way to the CFP. They only have a few question marks (DT, K, WR) and they haven't been playing since early December, so why is ND not ahead of the curve and shopping a la carte and getting what they need at those positions? There are zero tampering repercussions right now in CFB. It's not shady anymore and there are legal ways to do it, and ND has showed this cycle that they haven't adapted to that.

 

[Rudy89]

Is panicking justified now?

 

[irish2104]

Yeah this has been an complete and total cluster so far

 

[WildMan1]

The fact that we haven’t had a single commitment yet is staggering.

 

[NDShark]

Santa didn't come early this portal

 

[irish2104]

At least portal.. thats it everything else has been top notch... imagine if we had like 6-8 high end players tranferring out instead of 1 borderline player

 

[tirishman505]

At a certain point there is a limit how far ND is willing to match. Which we've seen with Marsh.

But, to your point... even if the player may not be worth, let's say $2 mil, but that's what you need to do to ensure you have a starting caliber player, you get it done. The need far outweighs the money.

yeah, it puts the entire budget at risk. if you ask the money people if they're cool spending $50 mil to make the playoffs vs $53 mil to contend for the title, you'll find that you have an extra $3mil.

And from purely a game theory aspect, ND is playing iterative games with all the other major football programs every year. If it is cemented that ND won't ever be wild when it wants something, the Tennessees of the world will know that its easy to find ND's ceiling and all they need to do to win is come over the top at the last minute. None of these decisions are done in a vacuum. Can't get a Moneyball rep.

 

[CanadalovesND]

Brewu is on campus at ND right now (allegedly, but haven't seen a confirmation)

Brewu was also expected to visit OSU as soon as he entered the portal. It was all but announced that he was considering visiting.

I get that he's from the Buckeye State, from Columbus, but Francis... OSU didn't believe in you as a player coming out of high school. A certain DL coach did, and that dude is now at ND, a team where you can probably be a starter right away.

Look at me, writing as if Brewu reads this board.

 

[peadeam]

John Brice had a conversation with an agent who is dumbfounded by ND's approach to the portal so far. He essentially told Brice that between what they have returning and the schedule they have, 2026 is set up for ND to run all the way to the CFP. They only have a few question marks (DT, K, WR) and they haven't been playing since early December, so why is ND not ahead of the curve and shopping a la carte and getting what they need at those positions? There are zero tampering repercussions right now in CFB. It's not shady anymore and there are legal ways to do it, and ND has showed this cycle that they haven't adapted to that.

Agents that are driving up the price? Yeah, fuck them I don’t care what they think

 

[NDMatt91]

At least portal.. thats it everything else has been top notch... imagine if we had like 6-8 high end players tranferring out instead of 1 borderline player

What's scary is if employ this same strategy next year. With all of the impact players they're losing, they're going to have to go big-game hunting and land some impact players from the portal.

 

[peadeam]

At a certain point there is a limit how far ND is willing to match. Which we've seen with Marsh.

But, to your point... even if the player may not be worth, let's say $2 mil, but that's what you need to do to ensure you have a starting caliber player, you get it done. The need far outweighs the money.

It’s just not that simple. There are serious ramifications from overpaying

 

[CanadalovesND]

It’s just not that simple. There are serious ramifications from overpaying

I'd like for you to expand on this.

 

[NDMatt91]

It’s just not that simple. There are serious ramifications from overpaying

Then just overpay for 1 year rentals. Their money is off the books in January (hopefully).