Notre Dame basketball loses top transfer target to ACC rival in offseason setback

The Notre Dame basketball team had a very disappointing 2024-25 season and the offseason isn’t getting off to a great start either. The Fighting Iirsh thought they might be on the cusp of landing one of the best players in the transfer portal to aid their rebuild.

As it turns out, Micah Shrewsberry and company lost out on Nick Davidson to a familiar foe, though for the most part, the Clemson Tigers are considered a bigger foe when it comes to football than basketball.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Notre Dame basketball team found out that Davidson had committed to their ACC rival. It marks both the first big hit when it comes to trying to regroup through the portal and already leaves the Fighting Irish wondering where Plan B can come from.

Notre Dame basketball suffers big loss in Nick Davidson

Davidson was a star for the Nevada Woilpack who the Notre Dame Fighting Irish almost certainly saw as a replacement on the roster for Tae Davis who surprisingly entered the portal on the day that is was first possible to do so. 

This past season, he averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He’s also someone who has a feel for finding the open man as he averaged 2.8 assists per contest.

If there is something that can blunt the loss of Nick Davidson to the Clemson Tigers, it’s that he only has one more year of eligibility so he isn’t a long term loss. Still, not landing him means that Notre Dame is left looking around for other big men who might be able to both fit their academic requirements and what the Irish are looking for on the court.

On its face, it certainly feels like another setback for a Notre Dame basketball team that has suffered far more setbacks than step forwards since Micah Shrewsberry arrived. The team needs a big win and those are obviously much harder to come by in the offseason.