Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2026 29 at nickel, too, but only in practices. He never got his shot there in a game. He played plenty on special teams, but to play on defense he clearly realized it's going to need to be in a different jersey. Not yet touched on: kicker Mar- cello Diomede, defensive tackle Armel Mukam, walk-on wide receivers Leo Scheidler and Alex Whitman, and ris- ing wide receiver KK Smith. Mukam and Smith could have been breakout play- ers in 2026. They were both at Notre Dame for three seasons, with a whole lot building toward the fourth, but in this era it's hard to fault players who stayed in one spot for multiple seasons for wanting to finish their careers at a place they feel they're ensured more playing time. Or more money. Or both. THE NFL DRAFT-BOUND PLAYERS Speaking of more money. Jeremiyah Love sure is set to make a lot of it as a po- tential first-round NFL Draft pick. He de- clared for the draft not long after finish- ing third in 2025 Heisman Trophy voting. And not long after that, backfield mate Jadarian Price decided to also forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the draft as well. He's not a first-round prospect like Love, but he's got a good chance to hear his named called sometime on Day 2. Aamil Wagner spent every Notre Dame game of the last two seasons blocking for Love and Price. Billy Schrauth spent the better part of them blocking for the pair, too. They both decided that after two years spent as starters in South Bend, they didn't need a third to prove their profes- sional worth. Wagner and Schrauth put their names in the ring as draft prospects. As of Jan. 5, those were the only four Notre Dame players with draft decisions who chose to move on. It's not like the Irish have a whole lot of others, but one of the big dominoes in that category fell Jan. 2. Team captain Drayk Bowen, a two- year starter like Wagner and Schrauth, announced he's giving his senior season a shot. He'll be a two-time Irish captain like fellow linebacker JD Bertrand before him, and he'll end up finishing his col- lege career in exactly four years. For three of those, he'll have been a heart-and- soul piece of the Notre Dame defense. Adon Shuler has been a starter at safety for as long as Bowen has been one at line- backer. He's also a heart-and-soul type of player. He hadn't said anything about his future as of Jan. 5, and neither had line- backer Jaylen Sneed. The silence could very well hint at both of them running it back with Bowen one last time in 2026. THE PROSPECTIVE NOTRE DAME-BOUND PLAYERS As far as filling roster voids left by departing players goes, Notre Dame was both proactive and not-so-urgent about it when the portal opened Jan. 2. Seems like an oxymoron, but it's the truth. While reports of Irish interest in play- ers in the portal quickly came the day the portal opened for business, it was also simultaneously reported Notre Dame wasn't going to get them on campus until the following Monday. In the meantime, key targets Notre Dame had eyes on — like wide receiver Nick Marsh and defensive back Jontez Williams — made visits and committed elsewhere. Marsh is going to Indiana. Williams is on his way to South- ern Cal. Those aren't exactly schools Notre Dame wants to see players the Irish wanted on their roster run off to. Still, Notre Dame put itself firmly in the mix for the following players as of the fourth day of the portal being open; Utah defensive end John Henry Daley, Wake Forest defensive tackle Mateen Ibirogba, Tulsa tight end Brody Foley, Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, Michigan State defensive end Jalen Thompson and Mercer quarter- back Braden Atkinson. The com- mon thread: defensive linemen and pass catchers. And one passer. The purpose of that? Ideally having one more quarterback on the roster who has experience at the college level. Atkinson lit it up in his freshman season at Mercer with 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns in 11 games. Obviously, the Irish probably won't land all of their targets. But they've had success in getting what they need out of the portal in recent offseasons, and they're not going to stop going after guys until that is once again the case. ✦ Former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is making the leap to the NFL and is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Comings And Goings As of Jan. 5 TRANSFERS IN None TRANSFERS OUT Name, Pos. Cl./Elig.* New School Taebron Bennie-Powell, S R-So./3 — JaDon Blair, S R-Fr./4 — Joshua Burnham, DE R-Sr./1 Indiana Marcello Diomede, K Sr./2 — Karson Hobbs, CB Jr./2 — Kenny Minchey, QB R-Jr./2 Kentucky Ben Minich, S R-Jr./2 — Armel Mukam, DT R-Jr./2 — Gi'Bran Payne, RB R-Sr./1 Cincinnati Anthony Rezac QB Jr./3 South Dakota State Leo Scheidler, WR R-Sr./1 — KK Smith, WR R-Jr./2 — Cree Thomas, CB R-Fr./4 — Chance Tucker, CB R-Sr./1 — Alex Whitman, WR Sr./2 — * 2026 class year and remaining eligibility DECLARED EARLY FOR NFL DRAFT Name, Pos. Cl./Elig.^ Jeremiyah Love, RB Jr./1 Jadarian Price, RB R-Jr./1 Billy Schrauth, OG R-Jr./1 Aamil Wagner, OT R-Jr./1 ^ 2025 class year and remaining eligibility