Newsstand: Notre Dame places two in ESPN list of top 100 transfers
Notre Dame placed two portal additions on ESPN’s list of the top 100 transfers in college football: former Virginia wide receiver Malachi Fields and former Alabama nickel back Devonta Smith.
Fields came in at No. 42, while Smith just cracked the list at No. 95. Two Notre Dame transfer exits, offensive linemen Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler, also made the list at Nos. 92 and 93, respectively.
Fields brings back-to-back 800-yard seasons to the Irish.
“Fields has an NFL blend of size, athleticism and ball skills. He also has very good production,” ESPN writer Billy Tucker wrote. “The former high school quarterback has great awareness skills on the football field. He’s a polished, savvy route runner who knows how to attack leverage and work for positioning.
“His pure separation burst is good but not great. He wins one-on-one matchups more with his physical strength and positioning than his speed. Fields makes the difficult grabs look easy and dominates the 50-50 ball.”
Smith was a season-long starter at Alabama, and the Irish are excited about what he can bring to the table in the slot.
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“The Fighting Irish have had excellent luck when it comes to recruiting veteran nickel corners out of the portal with Thomas Harper and Jordan Clark,” ESPN college football writer Max Olson wrote. “They’re counting on Smith to continue that tradition.”
For the full ESPN list, click here.
Notre Dame Tweets of the day
Rough news for the Notre Dame swimming program:
No Liam Entenmann, no problem for the Irish in Round 1.
Meaningful baseball in Mid-May for the Irish:
Quote of the day
“Moore is a stud. He didn’t back down from any challenges last year and emerged as one of the position’s best players despite being a freshman — a noticeable trend on this list.
“Playing a high percentage of man coverage (61%), he was 1/23 high volume corners last year to allow a sub-5.2 yards/target and 0.75 yards/coverage snap. Plus, the stingy 6-foot-2 Golden Domer sports the 3rd-best PFF coverage grade (86.5) among returners ahead of this fall.”
— On3 national college football analyst Clark Brooks on Leonard Moore
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Scoop: The latest intel on Notre Dame football 2026 tight end recruiting
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