In the era of the Transfer Portal, there are several different approaches that a school can take. Notre Dame is taking a more deliberate approach, where the Irish aren't just throwing a bag at whoever they want. That approach could work out fine in the long run. Still, after defensive lineman Horace Lockett pulled out of the portal and returned to UCF, some are wondering if Marcus Freeman and company's calculations aren't paying off.
Lockett plays a position that everyone around the Irish agrees they need to improve through the portal. Earlier this weekend, he'd planned a visit to ND and other schools, but on Monday, he decided he'd stay with Scott Frost's squad.
Unofficially, the battle for Lockett is the third official transfer portal loss for Notre Dame. On Sunday, they suffered a couple of losses in wide receiver Nick Marsh and defensive back Jontez Williams.
UCF DL Horace Lockett has decided to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to UCF, his rep @AliBarnes_DSG tells @On3sports. https://t.co/wMrfFrcNOy https://t.co/qEH7zCaqxM
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 5, 2026
Another whiff in the Transfer Portal has Notre Dame football fans itchy
Monday was less of a high-profile loss, considering that all the schools that were hoping to lure Horace Lockett in technically lost; it's still something that has Notre Dame fans plenty nervous about the bigger mission.
Some of the reaction from fans is born from the Irish having quite a bit of success for their top targets in the portal over the last few years. While the portal has only been open since Friday, plenty of big names have already come off the board.
It's getting harder and harder for Irish fans to sit back and wait. It also gets harder the longer Notre Dame waits to score its first Transfer Portal commitment. Should that one come, it will likely calm nerves, depending on where it comes from.
Some of the elevated tension is clearly because, unlike previous years, there is only one portal window. When the Transfer Portal became a reality, Notre Dame and other teams knew that if they didn't score the players they wanted in the winter window, they could pull someone out in the spring.
Notre Dame is playing a long game when it comes to who it's pursuing at this point. But until they get a big commitment at a position of need, losing out on guys like Horace Lockett will make fans very nervous.