Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 11 UNDER THE DOME Niele Ivey's roster management situation this offseason is officially a little easier than it looked like it would be. She told a small group of reporters at Notre Dame's end of the season banquet April 30 that junior guard KK Bransford is exiting the transfer portal and returning to the Fighting Irish roster in 2024-25. Bransford confirmed the news with a social media post a few days later. "I want to thank my teammates and the coaches — both at Notre Dame and in the college basketball world — who helped me navigate the transfer portal process," Bransford said in her post. "I'm very grateful for those that showed an interest in me both on and off the court. "After speaking with family, friends and coaches, I have decided that Notre Dame is still the place for me. I can't wait to get back to work with this team." Bransford announced her entrance into the portal April 7. She was one of two Notre Dame players to go into the portal that week. Graduate student center Natalija Mar- shall joined her a few days later. Notre Dame is now projected to have 10 scholarship players for the upcoming season. The number dipped into single digits with the transfer portal defections of Bransford and Marshall. It could still go under 10 once again, though, if former walk-on Sarah Cernugel does not return. Ivey said Cernugel's status was undecided at that time. Retaining Bransford, who has averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 66 appearances (19 starts), is a positive step toward crafting a complete roster. But Ivey still needs to go into the portal to find depth, particularly in the post. The only forwards/centers on the roster are graduate students Maddy Westbeld and Kylee Watson and incoming freshman Kate Koval. Westbeld plays the four. Watson and Koval play the five. Watson will not be healthy to start the season. Ivey said she could return sometime in the middle of the year, but the Irish training staff is going to take it easy in bringing her back from a torn ACL that was suffered in the ACC Tournament semifinal game in early March. That leaves Koval as the only center to start the season after Marshall decided to finish her college career somewhere else. It's less of a numbers thing for Ivey, she said, and more of a needs-based transfer portal search. She's scanning it to find players at positions Notre Dame is thin at. As it stands, that's forward and center. Notre Dame is getting a big boost at guard with Bransford's decision to stay. Bransford was at the banquet April 23 on crutches and in a walking boot, though. A Notre Dame spokesperson said she's recovering from a wear-and-tear injury that started to nag her more and more as the season went on. It's an injury believed to not be too serious, one that should heal in time for her to be a participant in practices this summer. — Tyler Horka TWO IRISH FOOTBALL PLAYERS ENTER NCAA TRANSFER PORTAL Notre Dame is in the market for a punter, and the Fighting Irish took another hit in cor- nerback depth as a result of defections in the spring transfer portal window. Rising junior punter Bryce McFerson entered the portal April 16. Rising sophomore cornerback Micah Bell went in with him a week later April 23. McFerson was Notre Dame's No. 1 punter for the entirety of the 2023 season. He booted 38 kicks with an average of 45.1 yards per punt. He pinned the opponent inside its own 20-yard line on five of those attempts. McFerson did not meet the threshold of 3.6 punts per game, so he was not eligible to see his name among the best in the country. But if he did, McFerson's average of 45.1 yards per punt would have ranked 18th in the FBS. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said the Irish will look externally to find a replacement for McFerson. The lone punter listed on the roster is walk-on Chris Salerno. Graduate student specialist Eric Goins, whom Notre Dame lists as a kicker, handled punting duties during his final season at The Citadel in 2015. Goins' 43 punts that season averaged 40.3 yards, and 13 of them pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line. He began his college career in 2012. Goins joined the Notre Dame football program this offseason after serving seven years as an active duty officer in the United States Army. Bell only played in three games as a true freshman last year. The No. 32 cornerback in the class of 2023 according to the On3 In- dustry Ranking was not in line to increase his playing time too much in Year 2. — Tyler Horka KK Bransford Exits Transfer Portal, Will Return To Notre Dame Bransford, a junior guard, entered the transfer portal in early April but decided two weeks later to remain at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Junior Bryce McFerson, Notre Dame's start- ing punter in 2023, entered the transfer portal toward the end of the spring. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER