One of the oddities of the transfer portal these days is that guys can unofficially join the Notre Dame football team months before they officially join the program.
Some transfers aren’t eligible to join their new team until the summer, just before fall camp. There are several such players that will be coming to South Bend once the school year is out. Once they do, there are a couple of players that stand out from the group who will almost certainly make a massive impact on Marcus Freeman’s squad.
3 most impactful summer additions expected for Notre Dame
Ty Washingon - TE
Notre Dame football loves to consider itself Tight End U and part of the reason it’s got that designation is that they continue to find and develop great players at the position.
Ty Washington could be one of those guys who, thanks to playing in South Bend, goes from being a depth piece, to someone who could be a real impactful player for Marcus Freeman’s squad.
Add in the fact that several Notre Dame tight ends are recovering from various injuries or are fighting their way up the depth chart, Washington has an opening. Things didn’t work out well at Arkansas, but considering that Freeman has talked about “fit,” it would seem as though Washington has shown the coaches he knows what’s up and how to be a big help.
Malachi Fields - WR
This one is a bit of a no-brainer. The Irish weren’t as active in the transfer portal as they were a year ago but they did go out and get one big-bodied receiver in former Virginia star Malachi Fields.
The 6-foot-4, 220 pound receiver had two straight seasons of more than 50 catches and 800 yards. He also had exactly 5 touchdown catches each of the last few years. He’s expected to step into the same kind of role that Beaux Collins did a year ago and it’s possible that the offense will be more focused on the passing game.
Dallas Golden - CB
It’s not very often that a freshman that can’t join the team until the summer has a real impact the following fall. However Dallas Golden has enough talent and the Notre Dame football team has enough experience with freshmen DBs that there is a very good chance that Golden could be one late arriving first year player who could make a big impact on the defense, even if he’s not a starter on Day 1.