Key Notre Dame offseason addition named to Preseason All-Transfer Portal Team

According to On3 transfer portal reporter Pete Nakos, Notre Dame landed one of the top available wide receivers this offseason.

On Wednesday, Nakos named Virginia transfer Malachi Fields to his 2025 Preseason All-Transfer Portal Team. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound wideout was one of 22 players selected.

“Fields is a physical wide receiver who was a major portal pickup for Notre Dame this winter,” Nakos wrote, also noting Fields’ ability to win contested catches. “The Virginia transfer will provide a big target for CJ Carr to throw to this fall.”

Fields’ inclusion comes as little surprise given his transfer portal rankings. On3 rated him the No. 29 overall player and No. 5 wide receiver available. In its overall college football rankings, On3 listed him as the No. 176 player and No. 19 wide receiver.

Fields was one of two wide receivers to transfer to Notre Dame in 2025, joining former Cincinnati and Wisconsin receiver Will Pauling. On3 ranked Pauling as the No. 70 wideout in the portal. On Monday, the Irish named Pauling one of six captains for the 2025 season. Fields and Pauling were both captains at their previous stops.

In June, Fields officially arrived in South Bend with a reputation as one of the ACC’s top receivers. Last season, he started all 12 games, recording 55 catches for 808 yards and 5 touchdowns to earn All-ACC third-team honors.

Notre Dame already familiar with Fields’ impact

Notre Dame saw his ability firsthand last November at Notre Dame Stadium, when Fields caught 4 passes for 81 yards and proved a challenge for defensive backs coach Mike Mickens to prepare for.

“He’s a big, physical receiver that can run,” Mickens said this offseason. “When you face a big, physical receiver that can run, he can cause some problems, you know what I mean?”

In 2023, Fields posted career highs with 58 receptions for 811 yards and 5 touchdowns, good for all-conference honorable mention. Over his first two years at Virginia, he totaled 16 catches for 230 yards and 1 touchdown.

A product of Charlottesville (Va.) Monticello, Fields was a three-star “athlete” in the 2021 recruiting class, ranking as the No. 21 prospect in Virginia and the No. 892 player nationally. He attended the same high school as current Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown.

His only other scholarship offers out of high school came from Liberty, William & Mary and VMI. After this season, Fields’ fifth in college, he will be out of eligibility.