Where Notre Dame’s other transfer portal options have chosen as next destinations

Notre Dame’s journey to its current five-man transfer portal class involved pursuing more than five players. Double that and then some, actually.

Quarterback Sam Hartman (Wake Forest), wide receiver Kaleb Smith (Virginia Tech), defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (Ohio State), defensive back Thomas Harper (Oklahoma State) and kicker Spencer Shrader (South Florida) were the result of a month-plus spent recruiting transfers. They were far from the only targets, though.

Here’s a look at other notable ones and where they ended up.

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Wide receiver Dante Cephas

Notre Dame offered Kent State grad transfer Dante Cephas Dec. 5, the day he entered the portal. He was the Irish’s first offer at a position of high importance in this transfer cycle. He was one of the most heavily pursued receivers in the portal after posting 130 catches for 1,984 yards and 12 touchdowns the last two season.

The Irish could not secure a visit, though. Cephas went on trips to Penn State, Pitt and UCLA before choosing the Nittany Lions Jan. 15.

Wide receiver Keagan Johnson

Like Cephas, the Irish extended an offer to Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson on the first day of the portal window. At one point, a visit to Notre Dame felt likely. But Johnson never made that trip and committed to Kansas State Dec. 11.

Johnson had 20 catches for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns in two years at Iowa. Injuries limited him to two games and a pair of receptions in 2022. Notre Dame was in touch with him as a high school prospect out of Bellevue (Neb.) West.

Wide receiver Andrel Anthony Jr.

Andrel Anthony Jr. announced Jan. 4 he was leaving Michigan after two seasons with the program (19 catches, 329 yards, 4 touchdowns). Notre Dame was among the flood of schools to offer him within two days of going in the portal. It was not the Irish’s first time recruiting him. They offered him out of East Lansing (Mich.) High School and made his top four.

His recruitment lasted all of six days. He committed to Oklahoma Jan. 10 and did not visit Notre Dame.

Wide receiver C.J. Williams

Notre Dame held C.J. Williams’ commitment for about four months as a high school recruit out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. It seemed they might secure him one year later as a transfer. Williams, who left USC after one season (4 catches, 34 yards in 10 games), was expected to visit in mid-January. Those plans never materialized, and one day before he would have arrived, he committed to Wisconsin. He visited Wisconsin and West Virginia earlier in January.

Defensive end Byron Vaughns

Utah State transfer Byron Vaughns picked up a Notre Dame offer Jan. 1 and came on a visit Jan. 6-8. A commitment did not follow it, and on Jan. 12, he announced his recruitment was still open. The Irish’s pursuit of him all but ended when Jean-Baptiste committed Jan. 13. Vaughns, a sixth-year player, had 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2022. He spent his first three seasons at Texas.

Vaughns has not announced his next destination.

Defensive tackle Braden Fiske

Notre Dame’s first known transfer target this cycle was Western Michigan interior lineman Braden Fiske, who entered the portal Nov. 28 (grad transfers can go in at any time). Fiske visited campus and added an offer Dec. 2. The Irish joined Florida State and USC as his finalists, and he chose the Seminoles Dec. 26.

Fiske will be a sixth-year senior in 2023. He was a three-year starter at Western Michigan and had 58 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6 sacks in 2022.

Defensive end Anthony Lucas

A top Notre Dame target out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral in the 2022 recruiting class, Anthony Lucas hit the portal after one year at Texas A&M. The Irish expressed interest in him as a transfer, but did not get any more traction than that this time around.

Lucas did not take a visit to Notre Dame as a transfer and committed to USC Jan. 11. He made 10 tackles in seven games as a freshman for the Aggies.

Safety Jalen Catalon

Former Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon was a visit possibility for earlier in January, but he did not make the trip. Notre Dame ended up with a safety transfer in Harper, seemingly satisfying its need there.

Catalon was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2020, totaling 99 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and 4 passes broken up. He played just seven games from 2021-22 due to injuries. He committed to Texas Jan. 10 as a grad transfer.