Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531388
18 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA AND JACK SOBLE S anta came early for Notre Dame. Two days before Christmas, the Fighting Irish landed former Virginia wide receiver Mala- chi Fields from the transfer portal. On Christmas Eve, Wisconsin's Will Paul- ing committed to the Irish for their sec- ond wide receiver portal pull in as many days. Then on Christmas, it was former Arkansas tight end Ty Ty Washington. A trifecta of pass catchers. All right, all right, all right. Former Alabama defensive back DeVonta Smith got Notre Dame's trans- fer portal party started, though, when he committed on Dec. 16 to spend the end of his career in South Bend. With those four additions, Notre Dame actually had more players taken in via the portal than exiting out through it since the start of fall camp. Defensive linemen Aiden Gobaira and Tyson Ford and cornerback Jaden Mickey were the only defections in that time period. Ford and Mickey committed to Cal. Gobaira will play next at James Madison. Here's a deeper dive on all four of the transfer portal commitments Notre Dame received as of early January. NEW NICKEL STARTER? DeVonta Smith played the "Husky" position with the Crimson Tide, which translates to the nickel back position with the Irish. Smith, who's entering his fifth season having played all of the previous four at Alabama, started all 12 games for the Crimson Tide in 2024, his first year as a full-time defensive contributor. He played 323 of his 421 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. Smith finished the season with 30 tackles, a forced fumble and 5 passes defended. He excels in coverage, having allowed 19 receptions on 29 targets this past season for 123 yards (4.2 yards per at- tempt) and no touchdowns. Quarter- backs targeting Smith produced a passer rating of 74.4. Smith was a heavy con- tributor on special teams as a freshman in 2021 and a sophomore in 2022 at Ala- bama before missing most of his junior season in 2023 due to injury. "His story, I think, is very well known around the team with some of those injuries that he's had," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during 2024 fall camp. "And it's just fun being around guys who have continued to stay the course like he has." The Cincinnati native and high school teammate of Notre Dame junior running back Gi'Bran Payne is the No. 21 corner- back and No. 179 overall player in the transfer portal, according to the On3 In- dustry Ranking. Out of high school, Smith was a four-star prospect, as well as On3's No. 133 overall prospect in the country. Smith will be Notre Dame's third graduate transfer nickel back in as many years, following Thomas Harper in 2023 and Jordan Clark in 2024. Harper went undrafted this past April but found a home on the Las Vegas Raiders' active roster. Clark has been one of the best Irish defenders this year and should get his shot in the NFL, too. WIDE RECEIVER NO. 1? Malachi Fields caught 55 passes for 808 yards and 5 touchdowns this past season, following a 58-catch, 811-yard, 5-touchdown campaign in 2023. He hauled in 4 receptions for 81 yards in Virginia's 35-14 loss to Notre Dame Nov. 16, which was the second-most- productive day any wide receiver had against the 2024 Irish secondary (USC's Makai Lemon had 9 catches for 133 yards). Fields also posted 100-yard games against Louisville, Wake Forest and R i c h m o n d t h i s p a s t s ea s o n . H i s 11-catch, 148-yard performance against the Demon Deacons propelled the Cav- aliers to a 31-30 win. "I think he got a little bit over- shadowed last year because of Malik [Washington]'s production, but he still was one of the better guys in the ACC," Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said after the Wake Forest game. "The chal- lenge this offseason was for him to … make his stake at the best in the league, and he's played unbelievable the last two weeks, and made some huge plays." The Fighting Irish might have their new starting nickel for the 2025 season in former Alabama defensive back DeVonta Smith. PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA ATHLETICS GOOD CATCHES Notre Dame pulled four players from the transfer portal in December, including three receiving options