Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 APRIL/MAY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE M icah Shrewsberry once compared building a program to baking a cake. The analogy goes something like this: If you're hungry and you take the cake out of the oven too early, it won't taste very good. But if you wait until it's done, you might create something beautiful. He used it to justify his patience with Notre Dame's roster after two losing seasons, believing that eventually, de- veloping high school talent would win out. Instead, after a third losing season, the cake removed itself from the oven. It then hit the self-destruct button and splattered into a million pieces. Markus Burton: Gone. Jalen Haralson: Gone. Cole Certa: Gone. Notre Dame's projected 2026 roster only includes three scholarship players who are not a member of his or strength coach Jon Sanderson's households: sophomore forward Brady Koehler, senior guard Lo- gan Imes and redshirt freshman center Tommy Ahneman. No foundation was established over the past three years, and the majority of the time and energy spent developing players will benefit someone else. Everything burned to the ground when three of the four players Notre Dame had to keep entered the trans- fer portal. And to be clear, this is not something the Irish saw coming — at least not until they informed the team of their intention to leave in recent weeks. "We've got a bunch of guys that do believe in what we're doing and want to still be here," Shrewsberry said March 6. "There's going to be a core group of guys that are ready to help us make the next step next year." There will not be. Koehler is the only one of Notre Dame's core four who will return, which should be considered a victory in a vacuum. But even if he has the breakout season many in South Bend expect, becoming a two-way force at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a dangerous three-point shot, what do you think will happen when better- endowed schools come calling at this time next year? Any sort of "we're building some- thing" facade is over. Any kind of "we're doing it the old-fashioned way" nos- talgia needs to end. Notre Dame's plan to build a winning roster through high school recruiting and retention — led by Shrewsberry and endorsed by athletics director Pete Bevacqua — has failed. It's time for everyone involved, from Shrewsberry to the Notre Dame ath- letics department and beyond, to face reality and reevaluate their approach to men's basketball. WHERE DO THE IRISH GO FROM HERE? Traditionally, BGI would put out a list of transfer needs on its website at the beginning of portal season. It's difficult to do that this year. Why? Because the Irish need every- thing. Notre Dame has six open roster spots to fill, presuming no one else leaves. Some might argue it makes sense not to fill all of those spots with transfer addi- tions, instead consolidating what little resources the Irish have into three or four higher-quality players. Regardless, there's not an archetype in the basketball world that shouldn't be getting a long, hard look at an upgrade. Notre Dame has two players it should feel confident in as starters: a high- volume three-point shooter in Braeden Shrewsberry and a lengthy three-and- D wing in Koehler. But there's more than enough room for two of each on the court at the same time, if the right player wants in. Notre Dame Set To Rebuild, And Not By Choice MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Micah Shrewsberry's plan to build a winning roster with high school recruiting and retention has failed, with Notre Dame's three best players entering the transfer portal. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER