Notre Dame Scores Surprise Coup with Top Oregon Transfer—What It Means for the Season

Did Notre Dame just pull a Houdini act on the College Football Playoff snub drama? While many fans were still shaking their heads at being overlooked, the Fighting Irish quietly doubled down on the path to redemption for 2026—both on and off the gridiron. You’ve got Marcus Freeman locking in his loyalty to Notre Dame, turning his back on the NFL siren song, and now they’ve swiped a top-tier defensive tackle from Oregon’s vault. Tionne Gray, a four-star beast with chops to back up the hype, is primed to bolster that stout Irish defense. It’s like assembling a puzzle mid-game: a slow start in the transfer portal tested their patience, but hey, a marathon beats a sprint, right? With key additions from across the country and some strategic wrangling, Notre Dame’s quietly cooking up a roster hungry to make playoff noise. What’s next for the Irish? Keep your eyes glued—this story is just getting interesting. LEARN MORE

Notre Dame was considered by some as the biggest snub when deciding the at-large teams for the College Football Playoffs. As the Irish turn their focus to 2026 and making it back to the playoffs, they have gotten some good off-the-field news as of late. On Wednesday, Marcus Freeman confirmed his commitment to Notre Dame, spurning the NFL. Now, the Irish got another commitment on Thursday in the College Football Transfer Portal.

Oregon transfer defensive tackle Tionne Gray has committed to Notre Dame, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3Sports.

Gray was a four-star recruit out of high school and rated as one of the top defensive tackles of the class. In 2024, his true freshman season, heappeared in four games, coming away with one tackle before taking his redshirt season. He appeared in 13 games with the Ducks in 2025, racking up 18 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and a blocked field goal attempt against James Madison in the playoffs.

Gray was the sixth-ranked defensive lineman in the transfer portal, and third among non-edge rushers, according to 247Sports.

Freeman recognized the slow start for Notre Dame in the portal on Wednesday as well.

“I’m an aggressive person. I want to go 1,000 miles per hour,” Freeman said during his press conference, per Mike Singer of 247Sports.

Regardless, he was reminded by Notre Dame GM Mike Martin that it is a marathon, not a sprint, when it comes to the portal.

“We had to have patience,” Freeman concluded.

The patience is paying off. They recently landed two other defensive linemen, Francis Brewu from Pitt, and Keon Keeley from Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Jayden Sanders is coming from Michigan, and DJ McKinney from Colorado, in the secondary. Further, they brought in Ohio State receiver Quincy Porter.

Notre Dame has done a solid job replacing graduating players and those heading to the NFL Draft. The Irish are currently set to kick off their season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on September 6, but four games are still without dates on the schedule, including a trip to BYU.

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