Irish Invite Six to NFL Combine Spotlight
Six Notre Dame standouts earned invitations to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price anchored an Irish rushing attack that averaged 203.4 yards per game, combining for 2,046 yards and 29 touchdowns. Love also clinched the Doak Walker Award and sits among ESPN’s top overall prospects, while Price earned recognition as the No. 2 back by several analysts. On the perimeter, wide receiver Malachi Fields hauled in 36 passes for 630 yards and five scores, and tight end Eli Raridon contributed 32 catches for 482 yards. Offensive linemen Billy Schrauth (left guard) and Aamil Wagner (right tackle) rounded out the invited group, showcasing Notre Dame’s front five prowess. Pro Football Focus and NFL mock drafters project Love going in the top 10, with Fields and Schrauth likely to hear their names in the early rounds.
Notre Dame must be shaking with pride—nothing says “we’re ready for the NFL” like six players descending on Lucas Oil Stadium to bench‐press each other for glory. It’s as if the school mailed invitations with “YOU’RE COOL” stickers and hoped for the best. Meanwhile, NFL scouts will pretend they’re unbiased experts, but we all know it’s really just an excuse to scout South Bend’s tailgates. Strap in, Irish Nation: your heroes are about to turn 40-yard dash times into ticket sales for decades of “How I Bench-Pressed at the Combine” podcasts.
Irish Snap Up Buckeye Receivers After Staff Shuffle
When Ohio State’s offensive coordinator Brian Hartline departed for a head–coach role at South Florida, Notre Dame seized the moment to recruit two Buckeye wideouts: Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. Both were former five–star recruits—Porter was a top-31 prospect nationally, Graham ranked No. 59 overall—and each brings three years of eligibility. Porter, a 6-foot-4 freshman in 2025, posted 59 yards on four catches; Graham, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, managed 95 yards on six receptions. Their addition addresses Notre Dame’s long‐standing need for an explosive passing game, joining returning veteran Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse to form what could be the Irish’s most dynamic receiving corps in years.
In true collegiate coup d’état fashion, Notre Dame executives dusted off their Ohio State bingo cards and circled Porter and Graham the moment Hartline packed his office chair. It’s the kind of high-stakes poaching that makes you wonder if college football secretly runs on Monopoly rules: land on “Coordinator Leaves,” collect two five-star wideouts. Fans can’t wait to see the chapel bells ring as the new Buckeye alumni adjust to the emerald grass of South Bend, all while Ohio State wonders if it should have held tenure hearings for Hartline instead of offering a free parking pass.
Keeley’s Homecoming: From Tide to Touchdown Mold
Keon Keeley, once Alabama’s No. 2 recruit and top edge rusher of 2023, re-committed to Notre Dame via the 2026 transfer portal. Originally pledged to the Irish in June 2021, Keeley flipped to Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide in 2022, tallying 19 tackles in limited action over two seasons. His late–season breakout—combining seven tackles and 1.5 sacks in key matchups versus Georgia and Oklahoma—rekindled Irish interest. Ranked No. 9 among defensive line transfers by 247Sports, Keeley joins South Bend alongside fellow portal additions Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, filling holes left by graduations and prior transfers.
Notre Dame fans have waited so long for Keeley’s return they considered carving his name into the Golden Dome. Meanwhile, coach Marcus Freeman likely sent smoke signals to Berkeley Prep and back again just to remind Keeley he exists. Now that he’s finally landing, the Irish defense can rejoice—after all, nothing says “we planned this all along” like a three-year game of college football ping-pong. Here’s hoping his Tide hiatus proves to be an elaborate plot twist and not just a cameo appearance in Nick Saban’s documentary on benchwarming.
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