3 Players Notre Dame football could still target in the Transfer Portal
3 Players Notre Dame football could still target in the Transfer Portal
Taj Harris
- Wide Receiver, Syracuse
During Dino Babers’ time at Syracuse, there have been a lot more downs than ups. That’s a shame too because when his offense clicks, it’s one of the most exciting in terms of its design. The problem is that Syracuse itself is a beast of a school to get talent to.
They have a terrible location, both in terms of a lack of local talent and a region that isn’t desirable to move to for young players. On top of that, no ACC program invests less into the team than Syracuse does. So, finding a quarterback to run the system hasn’t been easy.
Taj Harris, a wide receiver, has been an extreme bright spot since he got to campus in 2018. He has good size and his natural athleticism has always been on display, getting quality playing time as a true freshman in 2018. On Harris’ career, he’s played in 35 games, and he has 151 catches, 2,028 yards, and 10 touchdowns.
A graduate transfer now, Harris has two years worth of eligibility left. That’s because everyone got a free year in 2020, due to the pandemic. Then, Harris only played three games in 2021, due to a nagging injury. For those who don’t know or may have forgotten, the redshirt rules now allow you to play up to four games before burning a redshirt.
So, Harris was able to save a year. That makes him an incredibly experienced player who has developed into a top talent, with two years available once he transfers in.
For Notre Dame football, he could be incredibly important. If the offense is going to open up the passing game more, they’ll need tons of help. It’s not that the wide receivers Notre Dame has right now are bad. They’re good. They’re not great, though.
On top of that, the Irish tried to play the Fiesta Bowl with three scholarship wide receivers. There just isn’t any depth the way elite teams should have depth at the skills positions.
It was a failure of Brian Kelly’s to fill these spots. Now, it’s Marcus Freeman’s job to fix that mess. This is exactly where the transfer portal can help. A talented, experienced, player who can play for two years if he wants to would be a huge help.