Outgoing Player Transfers (2023-24)

[TexasDomer 1,290]

So we’re not going to cancel next season and tell the world that playing is too hard?

[Baldy 1,250]

1 hour ago, tneun89 said:

The amount of transfers out of ND is not abnormal compared to other schools; however, the losses to one position group (WR) seem abnormal. If you look at them, I believe only one of them (and it's the biggest one, Rico) was mostly due to Stuckey's firing. I think the writing was on the wall for Tyree and Merriweather. I had high hopes for Braylon James because he seems like an athletic freak, but it's been reported that he was very far behind everyone else in his class and that likely played a role in his departure.

I think everyone needs to take a breath and not freak out. This is not some indictment on Freeman (or Parker). Most schools will lose around 15-20 transfers, even the Alabama's, Georgia's, Ohio State's. It feels like a kick in the teeth right now because we're losing players and not gaining any. But ND is going to be major players in the portal. They've already showed their willingness to be aggressive in the portal and pony up serious NIL money. Last year, ND got Hartman because they were willing to pay him $1 million. That is not nothing. They also got difference makers in JJB and Thomas Harper, as well as another guy who a ton of schools wanted, Antonio Carter (who may or may not pan out at ND).

ND will be in on some very big names this cycle. They already have Riley Leonard at QB. Regardless of your take, he is one of the Top 3 QBs in the portal. There is no Justin Fields out there. ND got one of the best QBs available, and ND is ponying up serious money to get him. ND will likely get 2 very established WRs, along with 1-2 established DLs. This is the new normal for ND. They are recruiting HS kids at a high level, but to close the gap with the elite teams, ND needs to be very active in the portal. ND is getting grown men, and ND knows what they're getting. They are not gambling on some 18 year old, hoping he will match expectations. This is why I'm happy with ND's use of NIL - pay the established players. It worked well in 2023, and it should work well in 2024.

Everyone just needs to be a little patient. It sucks now, but once these transfers start rolling in, nobody will be complaining about the end of college football as we know it. This is the new normal. Get used to it.

Also, ND is not and should not sit out the bowl game. The 15 allotted bowl practices are essential for developing the younger players. ND will be short on depth at WR, but they have enough to compete against a team like LSU. The sky is not falling.

As always, very well said tneun. I 100% agree with everything you have said here!

 

49 minutes ago, PJacksonsDred15 said:

I can't grasp the people calling this catastrophic or a disaster. The WR's this year were the worst I can ever remember, and maybe some spring cleaning is necessary. Catostrophic or Disaster would be our 4 top corners or offensive lineman transferring out....not our WR group. 

It definitely hurts us for the bowl game...but I guarantee you we will be able to replace Rico's 27 catches and 1 touchdown next year with someone else. Same goes for whatever Merriweather did. Tyree was a team guy for all these years and deserved a shot to go somewhere else where he can be more featured. We will get other players and I suspect they will be better next year.

 

 

I did say it was a disaster, but I guess it’s the optics of it all since it’s happening so quickly. But you’re right about everything here, because the guys that are leaving didn’t produce enough to think the team is falling apart.

I will say this though, with all of these transfers, this adversity will be a true test for the staff and the remaining players to see what they’re made of overall!

Go Irish!!!

[GRIMREAPER1270 82]

1 hour ago, Baldy said:

Agreed! You do not decline a bowl game due to players entering the transfer portal. It would show they’re scared/worried, and that’s not what I want to see from Notre Dame football!

It would look so, so, so weak!

You know what is going to look so so weak? Our passing game. But hey you know better than me. 

[Baldy 1,250]

Just now, GRIMREAPER1270 said:

You know what is going to look so so weak? Our passing game. But hey you know better than me. 

[Frankus 197]

39 minutes ago, tneun89 said:

I think ND had one of the Top 3 running backs in the country in Audric Estime and a very inexperienced, somewhat untalented WR corps, leading to a run-heavy offense. ND will always be more of a run-oriented team because of their ability to recruit OL, TE, and RB. But the coaches have to play with the hand they're dealt. ND had to have a running-based offense in 2022 because of Buchner and Pyne. I think they had to have a running-based offense this season, even with Hartman, because of Estime and the lack of WR talent.

Maybe all four WRs who are leaving will catch more balls. I certainly hope Tyree does because he proved himself to be a weapon in his first year at WR. But I would place a friendly wager that Rico does not exceed his reception or yardage total from this season with his new team. He was certainly a positive, but he was featured because he had to be, not because he was overly talented. I think James is very far away from seeing the field based on reports, at least at the P5 level. For Merriweather, if he had 200 yards or 1,000 yards, I would not be surprised. He is an enigma to me. 

If ND can land 2 high quality, experienced WRs to go along with Leonard, I think the offense will be more pass happy than the past two seasons, especially with Estime off to the NFL. But ND will always be a run-oriented team.

And, even though ND was ranked #100 in pass attempts, they were ranked #50 in passing yards per game. Also, Hartman ranked #18 in passing TDs and #17 in passing efficiency. So, it's a little disingenuous to bemoan the lack of passing attempts when the QB was in the Top 20 in TDs and efficiency. I agree that the passing game could have been featured more, but I think the personnel on the 2023 dictated the offense, as it should have.

I agree that we didn’t have a great receiving corps and had Audric, but as I wrote in another thread, no matter how great a running back you have, if there are unblocked linebackers or linemen due to number disparity’s, you’re going to get stopped by the better teams. There were many times where a quick slant would have been a better option, and I think Tyree was way underutilized, but ND stubbornly ran into walls of defenders. 
 

I would be pleasantly surprised if we get better receivers through the portal, but as I also wrote previously, great grad year receivers are rare. Skowrenek was a good get. We’ll see.
 

Tyree was a big loss as he was the only guy with true game breaking speed. Lou Holtz would have found a way to get him many more touches and I hope for his sake he finds a program that utilizes his talent. Not many guys can break kickoff, punt returns, rushes and catches for long TD’s. 

[tneun89 979]

13 minutes ago, Frankus said:

I agree that we didn’t have a great receiving corps and had Audric, but as I wrote in another thread, no matter how great a running back you have, if there are unblocked linebackers or linemen due to number disparity’s, you’re going to get stopped by the better teams. There were many times where a quick slant would have been a better option, and I think Tyree was way underutilized, but ND stubbornly ran into walls of defenders. 
 

I would be pleasantly surprised if we get better receivers through the portal, but as I also wrote previously, great grad year receivers are rare. Skowrenek was a good get. We’ll see.
 

Tyree was a big loss as he was the only guy with true game breaking speed. Lou Holtz would have found a way to get him many more touches and I hope for his sake he finds a program that utilizes his talent. Not many guys can break kickoff, punt returns, rushes and catches for long TD’s. 

Totally agree that ND lacked creativity in getting the ball out in space against loaded boxes. Lots of perplexing offensive series throughout the year.

I'm hopeful/cautiously optimistic about the WRs in the portal that ND can/will go after. It's crazy how much has changed just in the three years since Skowronek. There are a ton of guys in the portal, and WR is the most represented position. ND seems like a player for Kris Mitchell, who was very productive at FIU, and Beaux Collins, who was highly rated coming out of Bosco but didn't do a ton at Clemson (still had good numbers, though). I'm hoping Duke's two leading WRs from last year have eligibility left and want another year with Leonard. They would be massive upgrades for the WR room.

[Joey D.... 32]

My outlook….

[Wharton70 89]

3 hours ago, Big23Head said:

100% the issue is depth at WR now both for the bowl and for next season. Relying solely on the portal every year to have experienced WR is a crazy gamble right now but ND is going to be in that position it appears. 
 

FWIW, a quick and strong coaching hire could see a WR return. Speculating not a fact I know. The portal will be incredibly rapid though so it needs to be yesterday. 

 

Is Colzie out also?

No shortage of reps 🙂

Tight ends - Davis Sherwood Eli Raridon and Cooper Flanagan

[Wharton70 89]

3 hours ago, GRIMREAPER1270 said:

I know Notre Dame will never do this but I think they should not go to a bowl game. Put out a statement that due to the transfer portal we cannot field a competitive team. Honestly we will go into the bowl game with just two Wr's? How can you compete? Maybe it sends a message to the NCAA. We face an LSU we will get smoked! By the way I do not see it as the sky is a falling scenario. We have three stud Wr's coming in next year to add with Greathouse. Then will will get another two to three Wr's via the portal. We will survive. However in a bowl game we will get crushed. 

If L$U is the opponent, and #5 - their QB - opts out (a good chance) that would level the playing field - a less exciting game maybe, but potentially a statement game for MF to out coach purple face, Just a thought.

[FaithInIrish Forever 4,720]

 

[NDhoosier 1,232]

4 hours ago, Wharton70 said:

Is Colzie out also?

No shortage of reps 🙂

Tight ends - Davis Sherwood Eli Raridon and Cooper Flanagan

I think Colzie is still injured and not available for the game.

[Baldy 1,250]

56 minutes ago, NDhoosier said:

I think Colzie is still injured and not available for the game.

[Soko 128]

It is odd to see so many people leave at one position group but honestly they were not good. They could not separate and how was that going to get any better.

Go find 3 receivers from CMU or the likes who can run and have caught balls in college. Anyone would be an instant upgrade.

[IrishGuy 178]

3 minutes ago, Soko said:

It is odd to see so many people leave at one position group but honestly they were not good. They could not separate and how was that going to get any better.

Go find 3 receivers from CMU or the likes who can run and have caught balls in college. Anyone would be an instant upgrade.

You are not wrong. I think it will be fairly easy to replace the actual production out of this unit and fully expected the incoming freshman to quickly jump most on the depth chart. We are getting hung up on names and recruiting ratings not on what was shown on gameday.

[Baldy 1,250]

On 12/2/2023 at 6:00 AM, IrishGuy said:

You are not wrong. I think it will be fairly easy to replace the actual production out of this unit and fully expected the incoming freshman to quickly jump most on the depth chart. We are getting hung up on names and recruiting ratings not on what was shown on gameday.

I agree as well, because the actual production for those four transferring WRs in 2023 was not very good.

Merriweather had 284 yards and two TDs, Flores had 392 yards and one TD, Tyree had 484 yards and three TDs, and James had 12 yards and zero TDs.

1,172 yards and six TDs for 4 players in an entire season. 😒 If that total was for one, or even two players, than I would say we should be worried.

I’m not, and the reason is we have some big time recruits coming in; Logan Saldate, Cam Williams, and Micah Gilbert.

KK Smith could be very good too, and ND still has Greathouse, Faison, Colzie, and Thomas.

I also wonder if Salerno would be able to redshirt this season since he was injured for pretty much all of it and come back to provide some depth and experience? I guess that is if he even wants to, but ND could really benefit from it if he did!

[mcgov12 1,237]

On 12/2/2023 at 9:36 AM, Baldy said:

I agree as well, because the actual production for those four transferring WRs in 2023 was not very good.

Merriweather had 284 yards and two TDs, Flores had 392 yards and one TD, Tyree had 484 yards and three TDs, and James had 12 yards and zero TDs.

1,172 yards and six TDs for 4 players in an entire season. 😒 If that total was for one, or even two players, than I would say we should be worried.

I’m not, and the reason is we have some big time recruits coming in; Logan Saldate, Cam Williams, and Micah Gilbert.

KK Smith could be very good too, and ND still has Greathouse, Faison, Colzie, and Thomas.

I also wonder if Salerno would be able to redshirt this season since he was injured for pretty much all of it and come back to provide some depth and experience? I guess that is if he even wants to, but ND could really benefit from it if he did!

That’s some damn good perspective on what ND needs to replace 

[Baldy 1,250]

2 minutes ago, mcgov12 said:

That’s some damn good perspective on what ND needs to replace 

Agreed!

I also found this article that talks about it in great detail from the Irish Tribune.

📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.theirishtribune.com/post/the-wide-receiver-room-fallout-where-do-the-irish-go-from-here?fbclid=IwAR1U3H3jDABhqE-x5GOYuwrBlN5X9G0roba1qx-GOReZcIkgXnE1J_s36Gg_aem_ATceXKi6zxm7Uk0E0jKqQXXvB5SXNcT9qxRnQTQn0lqqfzAPwkJeJ1bbSJpGQ--iRy0

[Baldy 1,250]

 

[4thand1 272]

Chicken or the egg.  Yes, the WR production wasn't good for those that are transferring.  Is that on them or the offense?  Why would a WR want to play in this offense?  Mich is the elite example of the offense that Freeman seemingly prefers. Let's see if that allows Mich to win in the playoff.  To me a top team will load the box and prevent the running game from dominating.  

For ND, I would preach balance. Spread the wealth.  

I will put it this way, in any championship type season, there will be games that you are down with less than 2 minutes to go.  You will need a very good passing game to win those games.  I realize ND marched down the field in a situation like that against Duke but I still see the passing game needing more ability and production.

[BTC4 82]

3 hours ago, Baldy said:

I agree as well, because the actual production for those four transferring WRs in 2023 was not very good.

Merriweather had 284 yards and two TDs, Flores had 392 yards and one TD, Tyree had 484 yards and three TDs, and James had 12 yards and zero TDs.

1,172 yards and five TDs for 4 players in an entire season. 😒 If that total was for one, or even two players, than I would say we should be worried.

I’m not, and the reason is we have some big time recruits coming in; Logan Saldate, Cam Williams, and Micah Gilbert.

KK Smith could be very good too, and ND still has Greathouse, Faison, Colzie, and Thomas.

I also wonder if Salerno would be able to redshirt this season since he was injured for pretty much all of it and come back to provide some depth and experience? I guess that is if he even wants to, but ND could really benefit from it if he did!

At the end of the day losing any of these players, although significant in terms of depth, doesn’t feel the same as losing a Chase Claypool or Will Fuller type player. Doesn’t mean one of them won’t develop into that type of player, but in the state of college football right now going through the development process is not seen in a good light. I think the late bloomers like Miles Boykin at Notre Dame will be fewer and further between especially at the skill positions.

I also think Tyree is in a much different positions than the other 3. He has a degree and played two positions without really excelling for a significant period of time. Almost like an eclipse for Notre Dame in terms of a couple of great moments and totally forgotten in others. Very mind boggling career considering his lofty recruiting status coming in. ND never found the best way to use him. He has to be one of the rare players in ND history that has a kick return, punt return, a rushing, and a receiving td. Always thought he had way more to offer. Really hope wherever he ends up it works out and he has a successful year!