Marcus Freeman: No more NFL departures, portal entries expected before Notre Dame plays in Gator Bowl
Marcus Freeman deemed the previous week as the time for sorting out the Gator Bowl roster. The earlier he knew who and what Notre Dame would have available, the better.
He expected some transfer portal plunges, though maybe not quarterback Drew Pyne being among them. He had to have figured Michael Mayer and defensive end Isaiah Foskey would skip the bowl and declare for the NFL Draft, and both did.
Now the weeks designated for transition and one-on-one conversations about the future are over, and bowl practices are in full swing. Freeman believes anyone that plans on missing the bowl has already left.
“I can’t predict the future, but I don’t anticipate anyone else not playing in the bowl game or going into the portal right now,” Freeman said.
If so, that means he’s counting grad student left guard Jarrett Patterson and senior safety Brandon Joseph as Gator Bowl participants and part of the game plan when the No. 19 Irish (8-4) play No. 19 South Carolina (8-4, 4-4 SEC). Those two starters have NFL decisions to make themselves.
Patterson returned for a fifth year with the intention of it being his last. Joseph hoped for a short stay when he transferred from Northwestern in January 2022. They were significant parts of the offense and defense, respectively. Patterson is a two-time captain and a 45-game starter who has allowed 0 sacks in his career. Joseph has started 10 games.
Both were part of Senior Day festivities Nov. 19, a sign they could be leaning towards departing. But if that’s their plan, it seems they will play one more game in a Notre Dame uniform before turning pro.
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Known absences for the bowl include Mayer and Foskey, two projected early round picks. Each is in the top 30 of Pro Football Focus’ top 100 prospects for the 2023 draft. Pyne, a 10-game starter this year, announced Dec. 2 he would enter the transfer portal and officially did Dec. 5. Two deep reserves, senior defensive end Osita Ekwonu and freshman cornerback Jayden Bellamy, entered the portal that day too.
Elsewhere, senior cornerback Cam Hart will miss the game due to a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.
As it stands, though, that’s it before the bowl. Freeman feels he has the clarity he desired as Notre Dame gets more rigorous in its South Carolina preparation and as December practices turn from development-centric to game planning.
“Two weeks ago, after the USC game, we had those conversations and gave the time to reflect and make decisions,” Freeman said. “We told them by this past week, we wanted to make sure our guys had made decisions on opting out or going into the transfer portal.”
The days following the Gator Bowl will likely bring more roster attrition, whether that’s NFL declarations or portal entries from players who saw the bowl game as a way to help their stock on the transfer market.
