Notre Dame Fighting Irish news: The portal gives and takes

Notre Dame football landed a big transfer commitment from kicker Spencer Shrader but also lost Cane Berrong to the portal. The Irish will need to make a few more splashes in the portal if they want to be actual playoff competitors again next season.

Cane Berrong, a sophomore from Hartwell, Georgia, entered the transfer portal early this week and is searching for a new home. With Michael Mayer heading to the NFL and Berrong hitting the transfer portal, the Irish will need some younger guys to step up. Mitchell Evans will have the most experience in the group, and both Kevin Bauman and Eli Raridon will be coming back from serious injuries.

Berrong hasn’t been able to stay healthy either, dealing with multiple injuries in his time with the Notre Dame football program. Coming out of high school, Cane was rated as the 10th overall tight-end recruit according to 247Sports. He should have no problem finding a solid school looking for a top tight-end transfer.

Spencer Shrader’s commitment to the program was big for the Irish. In my transfer wish list article, I said a few weeks back that I believed Notre Dame would explore kicking options. Sure enough, they land a good one out of USF. While he’s 28 of 41 overall, in the last two seasons in South Florida, Shrader went 20 of 26. He also had to deal with his fair share of team issues in holding the ball to get off a solid kick.

Shrader will be a great addition to the team and adds to Brian Mason’s up-and-coming special teams unit. With former Arkansas State transfer, Blake Grupe gone after this year, adding competition is essential for the team. The Notre Dame football program is in a great position; a couple more transfers, and they’ll be set for next year.