Notre Dame has 3 of top 100 college football transfers entering 2026 season

The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr wrote an article ranking the top 100 college football transfer portal players this upcoming season. Notre Dame saw three players on this list, including the 29th-ranked player with defensive lineman Francis Brewu. Below is what Khan wrote about Brewu:

“Brewu, a member of Bruce Feldman’s 2025 Freaks list, has elite strength: He can squat 685 pounds and bench press 475. It shows up on the field with his power, quickness and violent hands that affect opposing quarterbacks.”

Brewu has spent two years with the Pittsburgh Panthers before deciding to transfer to South Bend this offseason. In 25 games, he recorded 51 combined tackles (20 solo, 31 assisted) with 10.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Brewu has two years of eligibility remaining, so he can continue to improve his skills with Notre Dame. He has the ability to be a force for the Fighting Irish and get to the quarterback.

Notre Dame adds talent at the cornerback position as well

The Fighting Irish made sure to add in order to have one of the top secondaries in the country. They landed the 62nd-ranked transfer portal player in cornerback DJ McKinney from the Colorado Buffaloes. Khan highlighted why he is extremely talented, but elected to return to college football for 2026.

“McKinney’s height (6-2), length, athleticism, an docverage skills drew the attention of NFL scouts, and he was considered a potential early-round 2026 NFL Draft prospect entering the 2025 season. He missed the final three games of the season due to an injury and opted to return and transfer to Notre Dame, where he joins a talented secondary that already has a future first-round pick in Leonard Moore at the other corner.”

This will be McKinney’s third team since beginning his college football career. He spent two years with the Oklahoma State Cowboys before transferring to Colorado for two years. Overall, he has played 40 games and recorded four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 19 pass deflections. With McKinney and Leonard, it will be hard for opposing wide receivers to create much separation.

Another defensive lineman is heading to South Bend

Notre Dame has done an outstanding job at attacking the transfer portal. They added an additional defensive lineman, that made the list in Tionne Gray. He ranked 79th on The Athletic’s list, and below is what Khan said about him:

“Gray played a rotational role last season (275 snaps) but showed a lot of promise given his massive size (6-6, 330) and strength. He has no problem occupying multiple offensive linemen and holding the point of attack in the interior defensive line.”

Gray spent two years with the Oregon Ducks and really saw action in 2025. He played in 17 total games and the redshirt sophomore recorded 19 total tackles (six solo, 13 assisted) with a pair of tackles for loss. Gray has showcased the ability to be a force and is a massive human on the defensive line. He can pair with Brewu at times, but this is a player with three years of eligibility remaining.

Overall, Notre Dame did a phenomenal job in adding talent to the defense through the transfer portal. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff utilizes them and if it is enough to bring the program back into the College Football Playoff.