Notre Dame's defense takes a massive hit with latest transfer portal announcement

Notre Dame has been lucky not to be hit as hard as some teams when it comes to the transfer portal, but the latest announcement is a pretty tough one to hear. With one year of eligibility left, defensive end Joshua Burnham is choosing to spend it with another program.

Burnham announced his intent to enter the transfer portal earlier this week, and this is certainly a hit to the Notre Dame defense. Burnham became a reliable player on the defensive line, a line that is already losing Donovan Hinish due to retirement.

While Burnham's stats may not have exploded off the page, his experience is something that will be tough to replace.

Notre Dame could struggle with depth in the 2026 football season

Luckily, the transfer portal has not been too horrible for the Irish, but with numerous players heading to the NFL and a few heading to the portal, this team could look vastly different in 2026. Not only is Notre Dame now losing Burnham, but they are also losing defensive back Karson Hobbs.

While some of these names may not seem huge in the grand scheme of it, Notre Dame's depth is certainly taking a hit. There is always hope that head coach Marcus Freeman can make a splash in the portal and bring in some big names, but that is a big wild card.

The Irish also have 27 new players coming in from the 2026 recruiting class, but some of those guys certainly won't be ready to go by Week 1 of their first college football season. The depth that both Hobbs and Burnham gave was great, and while both are probably looking for more playing time, they could have still found it in South Bend.

Ultimately, the portal will officially open on January 2, and hopefully, Freeman has a plan on how to rebuild this roster.