Transfer out: Where did the nine players who left Notre Dame land?

Notre Dame entered portal season in a unique position.

The Irish kept everyone on their 2024-25 roster throughout the College Football Playoff; they were the only CFP team to do so. By the time their season concluded, most spots around the country had been filled.

At least in part as a result, Notre Dame did not experience as many transfer losses as it usually would. More players will likely leave during the spring window, but only six Irish entered the portal after the season. Three more had already left in September and October. All nine have since found new schools.

Here’s a detailed look at where those nine players ended up.

IOL Ty Chan: UConn

Seasons at Notre Dame: 3
Transfer date: Jan. 23
Commitment: Jan. 27

A Massachussets native, Chan transferred back to the northeast and joined the Huskies. He never found his footing at Notre Dame and did not appear on the depth chart in three seasons, despite giving both tackle and guard a shot.

He’ll have a much better chance to play at UConn, the nation’s only FBS independent aside from Notre Dame. Head coach Jim Mora Jr. has quietly turned the Huskies around, producing the program’s first winning season in Storrs, Conn. since 2010.

WR Deion Colzie: Miami University

Seasons at Notre Dame: 4
Transfer date: Jan. 22
Commitment: Jan. 29

Injuries plagued Colzie throughout his four years in South Bend, and he fell out of the regular rotation by his senior season. He did find a niche as a run blocker in Notre Dame’s “this is a quarterback run” personnel package in the second half of 2024 and the CFP, but with a degree in hand, he opted to join the RedHawks for his final year of eligibility.

Miami has an impressive 20-8 record over the past two years under former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin. Colzie should be a valuable asset at the Group of Five level.

IOL Pat Coogan: Indiana

Seasons at Notre Dame: 4
Transfer date: Jan. 23
Commitment: Jan. 31

By the time Coogan left the Irish, every other high-profile transfer had already found a home. That meant for eight days, he was arguably the most coveted player in the portal. Offensive linemen are notoriously difficult to find on the transfer market, let alone offensive linemen with 20-plus games of starting experience at Notre Dame.

After considering Ole Miss and Michigan, Coogan chose Indiana. The Hoosiers went 11-1 last season and made the playoff in their first year under head coach Curt Cignetti, and Coogan will be a large part of IU’s efforts to maintain its national prominence.

DL Tyson Ford: California

Seasons at Notre Dame: 2
Transfer date: Oct. 1 (placed on medical scholarship in June)
Commitment: Dec. 13

Ford couldn’t make inroads in a crowded defensive line room, and he struggled to find a position. Notre Dame tried him at both defensive tackle and defensive end, but he didn’t make the depth chart at either spot.

The former top-100 recruit will try to make something of his college football career at Cal, who went 6-7 in its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

DE Aiden Gobaira: James Madison

Seasons at Notre Dame: 2
Transfer date: Oct. 22 (placed on medical scholarship in June)
Commitment: Jan. 4

Gobaira was placed on medical scholarship at the same time as Ford. He was another high-profile recruit in the class of 2022, but he only played one snap as a freshman and missed his sophomore season with a torn ACL.

He’ll have a better chance to earn playing time at James Madison, who went 9-4 in its third year at the FBS level. The Dukes have become one of the stronger Group of Five programs in the country.

CB Jaden Mickey: Boise State

Seasons at Notre Dame: 2.25
Transfer date: Oct. 1 (opted to redshirt and leave the program Sept. 23)
Commitment: Feb. 20

The strongest Group of Five program, however, is undoubtedly Boise State. The Broncos will move to the new Pac-12 in 2026, but for now, they’ll gun for a second-straight College Football Playoff appearance out of the Mountain West. They added Mickey, who originally committed to Cal but backed off his pledge in December.

Mickey lost the starting field cornerback job to Christian Gray in fall camp, and he decided to redshirt and enter the transfer portal after the fourth game of the 2024 season. His absence hurt Notre Dame’s depth, but it also opened the door for Leonard Moore‘s FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year campaign.

IOL Sam Pendleton: Tennessee

Seasons at Notre Dame: 2
Transfer date: Jan. 22
Commitment: Jan. 24

Pendleton started the first seven games of his sophomore season after he won the left guard competition in fall camp. He went back to the bench midseason, though. In an offensive line room packed to the brim with young talent, he saw the writing on the wall.

Pendleton entered the transfer portal with a “no contact” tag, which means he knew where he was going before he left Notre Dame. That place, it turned out, was Tennessee. The Volunteers were a College Football Playoff team in 2024 and should open the 2025 season in the top 10.

IOL Rocco Spindler: Nebraska

Seasons at Notre Dame: 4
Transfer date: Jan. 23
Commitment: Feb. 2

Spindler replaced Pendleton and played the best football of his career after being reinserted into the starting lineup in Week 3. But he, too, saw the writing on the wall. His job would not have been guaranteed in his final year of eligibility, so he left for a safer path to playing time.

Like Coogan, Spindler was among the hottest commodities in the transfer portal when he went in. After visits to Pitt, Virginia and Indiana (and a brief flirtation with Michigan), Spindler chose Nebraska and will likely start for a team that hopes to make major headway in the Big Ten.

WR Jayden Thomas: Virginia

Seasons at Notre Dame: 4
Transfer date: Jan. 22
Commitment: Jan. 27

Thomas played a valuable role in the CFP. He caught a touchdown pass against Indiana, took a jet sweep for a chunk play against Penn State and served as a valuable blocker along the way. But like Coogan and Spindler, Thomas wouldn’t have started on the 2025 Irish and went somewhere he’d have a better chance to do so.

Thomas visited Auburn, but he ultimately chose Virginia. He’ll try to help the Cavaliers produce their first winning season since 2019.