If it wasn't bad enough that Notre Dame basketball's best players all left en masse once the Transfer Portal opened last Tuesday, their landing spots could have all of the talented players on rival teams. Cole Certa becomes the first official former player for Micah Shrewsberry, who will face off against the Fighting Irish next season.
On Sunday afternoon, reports surfaced that Certa picked the Clemson Tigers for his next school. Joining an ACC team is going to sting a bit more for Shrewsberry and company as the guard, who had a breakout 2025-26, will be knocking down threes for a team hoping to keep the Irish down.
Certa made 31 appearances and 16 starts for Notre Dame this past season. He averaged a career high 12.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He shot 37.4% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc.
Cole Certa commits to Clemson after leaving Notre Dame basketball in the portal
Certa will help fill the holes left by outgoing Clemson transfers Jake Wahlin and Efrem Johnson. In a
"rich get richer" situation, Clemson posted a 24-11 overall record this past season and a 12-6 mark in conference play.
Certa joins Clemson's backcourt that features Ace Buckner, Zac Foster, and signees Harris Reynolds and Amare James. It's not clear if he'll be slotted into the Tigers' starting lineup or will be a super sub and sixth man for the NCAA Tournament team.
With Certa finding his next school, the next dominoes to fall will be Jalen Haralson, (who is looking at Tennessee, North Carolina and Ohio State) and Markus Burton who is expected to announce his commitment to Indiana any day now.
While Notre Dame is working to replace its star players, it hasn't secured a Transfer Portal commitment yet.