Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543321
14 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA I t didn't happen overnight but it didn't need to. What Notre Dame needed were a few players at very specific positions from the transfer portal to supplement the 2026 roster. That's exactly what the Fighting Irish came away with. And then some. Defensive tackle? Double check — Pitt's Francis Brewu and Oregon's Tionne Gray. Wide receiver? Double check — Ohio State's Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter. Cornerback? Dou- ble check — Colorado's DJ McKinney and Michigan's Jayden Sanders. Kicker? Check — Purdue's Spencer Porath. Defensive end became a sore spot depth-wise when Joshua Burnham and Preston Zinter entered the portal. No matter. The Irish picked up a bonus addition in the form of former Notre Dame commit Keon Keeley, who spent the first three years of his college career at Alabama but can spend the final two in South Bend. The Irish woke up on the 11th day of the two-week transfer portal window without a single commit. By the end of that second week, they had eight. Some programs ended up with well over two dozen, but Notre Dame was always on a different mission. A different path. RUNNING THE RACE Notre Dame seals deal on transfer portal class made up of eight much- needed players at positions that demanded offseason depth additions Former five-star recruit and Irish commit (before he flipped to Alabama) Keon Keeley recorded 16 stops with 3 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in 13 games last season. PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA ATHLETICS