SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The college football transfer portal is now open, and Notre Dame is looking to improve its roster while withstanding losses.

The new 15-day winter transfer portal opened on Friday, Jan. 2, and runs through Friday, Jan. 16. The spring window for transfers has been eliminated.

Here’s a brief look at who’s coming to South Bend and who’s on their way out. This story will be updated as arrivals and departures are announced.

ARRIVALS

Tionne Gray - Defensive Lineman - Oregon

Oregon defensive lineman Tionne Gray committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 15.

According to the South Bend Tribune, Gray is a former four-star recruit who stands 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds.

The redshirt sophomore from St. Louis played 232 total snaps (15.5 average) across 13 games for the Ducks, including all three CFP games. He recorded 18 tackles and a had blocked field goal.

Gray has three years of eligibility remaining.

Spencer Porath - Kicker - Purdue

Purdue kicker Spencer Porath committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 13.

The Brownsburg, Ind., native made 15 of 17 field goal attempts as a sophomore in 2025, including 6 of 8 from 40-plus yards, and has never missed an extra point attempt in his college career.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Mylan Graham - Wide Receiver - Ohio State

Ohio State wide receiver Mylan Graham committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 13, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.

The Fort Wayne native caught six passes for 93 yards in 2025 after playing behind some of the top receivers in the country at OSU.

The redshirt sophomore has three years of remaining eligibility.

Francis Brewu - Defensive Lineman - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh defensive lineman Francis Brewu committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 13.

Brewu started in all 13 of Pitt’s games this past season as a sophomore. The Westerville, Ohio, native received an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection after recording 36 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.

Brewu has two years of eligibility remaining.

Jayden Sanders - Cornerback - Michigan

Michigan cornerback Jayden Sanders committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 12.

In his true freshman season with the Wolverines, the Kilgore, Texas, native played in all 13 games and recorded 23 tackles and one pass breakup.

Sanders has three years of eligibility remaining.

Keon Keeley - Defensive Lineman - Alabama

Alabama edge rusher Keon Keeley committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 12.

If Keeley’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he was once committed to the Fighting Irish before changing his mind and signing with the Crimson Tide.

The redshirt sophomore from Tampa, Fla., played in 19 games at Alabama in a backup role. He had 19 total tackles and three sacks during his Crimson Tide career.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Quincy Porter - Wide Receiver - Ohio State

Ohio State true freshman wide receiver Quincy Porter committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 12.

The New Milford, N.J., native was a five-star prospect coming out of high school.

In his one season with the Buckeyes, he played in four games and caught four passes for 59 yards.

Porter has four years of eligibility remaining.

DJ McKinney - Cornerback - Colorado

Notre Dame’s first transfer portal addition of the offseason was made official the morning of Jan. 12 when Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on social media.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Colleyville, Texas, spent his first two seasons of college football at Oklahoma State before transferring to Colorado in 2024.

In his two-year stint with the Buffaloes, McKinney tallied 97 tackles, four interceptions and 14 pass breakups.

He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2024. According to the South Bend Tribune, an unspecified injury cost him the final three games of the 2025 season.

McKinney has one year of eligibility remaining.

WITHDREW FROM PORTAL

Armel Mukam - Defensive Lineman

Armel Mukam withdrew his name from the portal and is staying with the Fighting Irish, according to On3’s Blue & Gold team.

The redshirt sophomore from Canada played in all 12 games for the Irish this past season. He has 11 career tackles and one forced fumble.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.

DEPARTURES

Scrap Richardson - Wide Receiver

Scrap Richardson committed to Auburn on Jan. 16.

The freshman from Greenville, Ga., did not see any game action in 2025, but he caught two passes for 22 yards and a touchdown in the 2025 Blue-Gold Game.

Richardson has four years of remaining eligibility.

Anthony Sacca - Linebacker

Anthony Sacca is transferring to UCLA.

The freshman from Delran, N.J., did not see any game action in 2025.

He has four seasons of eligibility after using his redshirt.

Bodie Kahoun - Linebacker

Bodie Kahoun is transferring to Boston College, the program announced on social media.

The South Bend Tribune says the redshirt freshman from Roanoke, Va., saw 44 plays of action across nine games in 2025, with all but two of them on special teams.

He recorded one solo tackle and one assisted tackle over the course of his two-year Irish career.

Kahoun will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Preston Zinter - Linebacker

Preston Zinter is transferring to Rice, the team announced on social media.

According to the South Bend Tribune. the redshirt sophomore from North Andover, Mass., led Notre Dame in special teams snaps (211) by a wide margin in 2025.

However, he played just 75 defensive snaps over three seasons in South Bend. He finishes his Irish career with nine tackles.

He will have two years of remaining eligibility when he joins the Owls as a tight end.

KK Smith - Wide Receiver

KK Smith is transferring to Michigan State, according to Pete Nakos of O3 Sports.

The redshirt sophomore from Frisco, Texas, had eight catches this past season for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

He finishes his two-year Irish career with 11 receptions for 161 yards.

Smith will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Cree Thomas - Cornerback

Cree Thomas committed to Colorado on Jan. 7, according to On3 Sports.

The freshman cornerback from Phoenix played in three games this past season, recording one tackle and a pass deflection in the Senior Day blowout win over Syracuse.

According to the South Bend Tribune, Thomas played just 30 defensive snaps and saw just two plays on special teams.

He will have four years of eligibility remaining when he joins the Buffaloes.

Alex Whitman - Wide Receiver

Alex Whitman is entering the portal as a graduate transfer, according to Matt Freeman from Irish Sports Daily.

Whitman has not recorded any stats in an Irish uniform.

The Highstown, N.J., native made his collegiate debut in the Senior Day blowout win against Syracuse.

Leo Scheidler - Wide Receiver

Leo Scheidler is entering the portal as a graduate transfer, according to Matt Freeman from Irish Sports Daily.

The Lake Forest, Ill., native played in seven games this past season and had two receptions for 12 yards in the Senior Day blowout win against Syracuse.

Scheidler also appeared in nine games in 2024, including the Sugar Bowl matchup against Georgia where he made a key block on special teams during Jayden Harrison’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown to open third quarter.

Joshua Burnham - Defensive Lineman

Joshua Burnham announced his commitment to Indiana on social media on Jan. 4.

The Traverse City, Mich., native tallied 65 career tackles, 17 tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery during his Irish career.

In this year’s regular season finale against Stanford, the redshirt junior threw an 84-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt, making him the first Notre Dame defensive lineman to throw a touchdown since at least 1955.

Burnham will have one year of eligibility remaining when he joins the Hoosiers.

Karson Hobbs - Cornerback

Karson Hobbs is transferring to Florida State. The news was confirmed by Hobbs himself on social media after it was first reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The Cincinnati native played in seven games this past season, totaling five tackles and one interception.

He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Marcello Diomede - Kicker

Marcello Diomede announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on social media on Dec. 26.

The Glen Ellyn, Ill., native finishes his Notre Dame career 4-of-5 on extra point attempts and 0-of-1 on field goal attempts.

His last kick in an Irish uniform was a missed extra point against Boston College on Nov. 1.

Diomede will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Ben Minich - Safety

Ben Minich is transferring to Miami (OH).

According to the South Bend Tribune, Minich appeared in three games in 2023 while retaining his redshirt. He was mostly a special teams player the last two seasons, appearing in 14 games in 2024 and all 12 in 2025.

The West Chester, Ohio, native registered 10 career tackles (six solo, four assisted) during his time in South Bend.

He has two seasons of remaining eligibility.

JaDon Blair - Safety

JaDon Blair has committed to Missouri, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

In his one season at Notre Dame, Blair appeared in just one game, recording his first career assisted tackle during the 70-7 Senior Day blowout win over Syracuse.

The Winston-Salem, N.C. native will have four seasons of remaining eligibility.

Gi’Bran Payne - Running Back

Gi’Bran Payne has committed to his hometown Cincinnati Bearcats.

The Cincinnati native’s most productive season with the Irish was in 2023 when he rushed for 168 yards and two scores while adding nine catches for 58 yards and two more scores.

After missing all of 2024 with a torn right ACL he suffered in the Blue-Gold Game, the South Bend Tribune says Payne appeared in all 12 games this season, but mainly on the kick return unit.

Payne has one more season of remaining eligibility, but he could petition for a second due to his 2024 injury.

Taebron Bennie-Powell - Safety

Taebron Bennie-Powell is transferring to Boise State, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.

According to the South Bend Tribune, the Cincinnati native was unable to carve out a role in his two seasons with the Irish.

He missed the 2024 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. In 2025, he played just 14 snaps, all against Syracuse in the 70-7 Senior Day blowout.

Bennie-Powell has three seasons of remaining eligibility.

Chance Tucker - Cornerback

According to On3 College Football Insider Pete Nakos, backup cornerback Chance Tucker will enter the transfer portal.

The Encino, Calif., native saw action in nine games during his junior year in 2023, but he missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL and played in four games this past season before suffering a broken left tibia.

Tucker has one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

Anthony Rezac - Quarterback

Anthony Rezac wasted no time when the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2, announcing his commitment via social media to South Dakota State on the same day.

The Omaha, Neb., native didn’t see any playing time in his two seasons with the Irish.

He has three years of eligibility remaining.

South Dakota State is an FCS power that won back-to-back national titles in 2022 and 2023. The Jackrabbits went 9-5 this past season and lost in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Kenny Minchey – Quarterback

One day after committing to Nebraska, Kenny Minchey has reportedly flipped his commitment to Kentucky.

According to multiple reports, Minchey signed with Kentucky on Jan. 5 despite first committing to Nebraska on Jan. 4.

After battling CJ Carr for the starting job in fall camp and coming up short, the Hendersonville, Tenn., native appeared in six games for the Irish this season. According to the South Bend Tribune, he went 20-of-26 passing (76.9%) for 196 yards and ran seven times for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The redshirt sophomore will have two remaining seasons of eligibility when he joins the Wildcats.

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