Notre Dame avoids late roster scramble as former defender enters portal

Former Notre Dame defender Junior Tuihalamaka won't be coming back to South Bend after all.

The ex-Fighting Irish player won another season of eligibility thanks to a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) he and several other players got from a judge who overstepped his bounds in Tennessee. That same judge caused absolute chaos by allowing every player covered in the filing to enter the transfer portal. That included several players who had already signed with NFL teams. 

Under a Colorado class-wide TRO, players like Tuihalamaka knew they were getting another year of eligibility. However, the judge in that case specifically said she didn't want a new transfer portal window. In other words, if guys like Tuihalamaka wanted to play another year in college, they had to go back to Notre Dame. 

With this new TRO, the former Irish player can go play anywhere he wants, as long as a school is willing to take him. That relieves some pressure on Marcus Freeman and Co., who might not have wanted to try to make a roster spot available just weeks before the season is set to start. 

It also appears that Freeman might have already told the defender that the Irish didn't have a place for him. Blue & Gold's Mike Singer reported that Tuihalamaka had explored a return to Notre Dame, but he has evidently decided to explore other options.

Tuihalamaka is the only now-former member of the Fighting Irish affected by lawsuits challenging five-for-five’s application to the 2022 class. Every other player who joined Notre Dame at that time either redshirted, transferred out, or is currently in the NFL. In some respects, Tuihlamaka is doing things the right way, as he never signed with or tried out for a pro team after going undrafted in April’s NFL Draft.

Even back then, there was at least some talk that the NCAA might change the 5-for-5 rule, and players like the Notre Dame veteran thought they might get a grandfather-clause-type waiver. There's also been pressure on the NCAA, since these TROs began being issued, to grant a blanket waiver; however, the organization has stood firm.

Of course, things could still change for Notre Dame and their former player. While he's entered the Transfer Portal, there's always a chance that Junior Tuihalamaka could work out a way to finish his college career in South Bend if both sides decide it will work out after all.

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