It's starting to feel like Notre Dame is having a rather epically bad time in the transfer portal. The Fighting Irish have lost out on several of their top targets. That included striking out on both Xavier Gilliam and John Henry Daley on Thursday.
Gilliam and Daley were two of the Irish's top targets on the defensive line. So far, they've lost out on all three DL targets. The situation is even more frustrating, considering that there may not be a position that is a bigger need than the defensive front.
Gilliam, out of Penn State, was likely Notre Dame's top target overall. While he only racked up 16 tackles and half a sack, he's got a ton of potential and was considered a starter for the Nittany Lions had he stayed. Instead, he departed for Tennessee.
Notre Dame misses on defensive linemen Xavier Gilliam and John Henry Daley
The loss of Daley stings less because the former Utah nose tackle is following his old coach. The lineman is joining Kyle Whittingham at Michigan and should help the Wolverines rebuild quickly after an offseason that was a complete and total nightmare for the old Irish rivals.
Daley has two seasons of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher stacked 11.5 sacks during the 2025 campaign, tied for the sixth most in the country this season. He was added to ND's board late and that also seems to take the sting out of losing him.
He did come to visit South Bend, but in the end Notre Dame couldn't convince him to stay out of the Big Ten.
The real question now is when will Notre Dame finally reel in a transfer portal commitment? Is it a situation where once the dam breaks, there will be a flood? Or are Marcus Freeman and company expecting a very light portal class?