Top 3 Notre Dame players who entered transfer portal ahead of College Football Playoff first-round game ft. Jaden Mickey
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, despite the transfer portal, have been busy preparing for their first-round College Football Playoff battle with the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Irish had an 11-1 season, recovering from a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. With a spot in the12-team playoff, Notre Dame hasn't had many players opt for the transfer portal. Still, the Irish haven't been unaffected.
The portal is having a record season, with more players than ever opting to avail themselves of transfer options. Even teams in the College Football Playoff are having some unwanted portal intrusions, as the beginning of the upcoming semester will predate the end of the playoff. Here's Notre Dame's top three players currently in the portal.
Notre Dame Portal Entrants: Top 3 Fighting Irish players already in the portal
3. Aiden Gobaira, Edge
Gobaira was a four-star recruit from Virginia in the 2022 recruiting class. His time at Notre Dame is probably unremarkable for the extent to which injuries derailed Gobaira's hopes of seeing playing time. He did not see significant action in 2022, which was not exceptionally unusual, as he was a freshman and could use the year as a redshirt season.
In 2023, Gobaira sustained a torn ACL injury in fall camp that set him back and kept him away from playing that year. Ultimately, Notre Dame opted to place Gobaira on medical scholarship and he entered the transfer portal in October, as he'll look for another school to finish his career.
2. Jaden Mickey, CB
Mickey has seen significant action with the Fighting Irish, but fits into another class of transfers, those who decided to opt out early on the season. A 2022 recruit, Mickey was a four-star prospect from California. He played in 11 games as a true freshman, making a start against USC and finishing the year with nine tackles.
In 2023, Mickey played in all 13 games and started two games. He had 11 tackles and scored a 43-yard pick-six touchdown against Pittsburgh. But in 2024, Mickey played in the season's first four games, making just three tackles and breaking up a pass. At that point, he decided to not play in any further games, retain his redshirt, and opt for the portal.
1. Tyson Ford, DT
A four-star recruit out of St. Louis, Ford went the same route as Gobaira. He played briefly in 2022 and 2023, seeing action in just two games each year. Early in 2024, he was placed on medical scholarship and accordingly, entered the transfer portal by mid-season.
Ford has found his new home at California, where he'll have three remaining seasons of eligibility. Like the other Notre Dame portal entrants, all of his decisions were made months ago, so there's no last-minute shock to the Fighting Irish.
What do you think of Notre Dame's portal entrants? Share your thoughts below in the comments section!