Notre Dame football WR leaving after CFP loss to Ohio State
Notre Dame football is getting hit in the transfer portal a few days after losing to Ohio State in the National Championship game. Marcus Freeman’s team is finishing up an exceptional season in South Bend that included wins in the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish will now head into an offseason where they will lose and return several players from this year’s roster.
One of those losses will be quarterback Riley Leonard, who has exhausted his eligibility. And On3Sports’ Pete Nakos revealed who else the Fighting Irish will be losing. According to the College Sports Business and Transfer Portal Reporter, senior wideout Jayden Thomas is entering the transfer portal. The 22-year-old is drawing interest from several SEC schools and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Notre Dame football is not far off from breaking its title drought
Losing Jayden Thomas is a blow to what was a thin receiving core for Marcus Freeman’s team this past season. Thomas recorded 64 catches for 838 yards and seven touchdowns during his time in South Bend.
The two players who will be leading the Fighting Irish offense next year are sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and wideout Jaden Greathouse. Love was a force the entire year, leading the team in rushing with 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. Greathouse was perhaps the breakout star of the College Football Playoff, posting his first two over 100 receiving-yard games in the Orange Bowl and the National Championship.
However, before moving on to the next season, it’s important to reflect on what this team has accomplished over the last few months. Throughout the years, Notre Dame has consistently been doubted about its ability to compete with the elite of college football. The Fighting Irish did come up short in the sport’s most important game. But that result doesn’t take away the fact that Marcus Freeman’s squad silenced a lot of those doubters. This year’s roster was the first Notre Dame team since 1994 to win a New Year’s Six-caliber bowl.
In this case, Marcus Freeman’s squad did that twice during a three-game winning streak over top-ten opponents. In addition, the Fighting Irish launched a furious comeback in the National Championship game to get to within one score with four minutes left.
Unfortunately, Ohio State got a critical first down on third-and-long to seal the game. But this 34-23 defeat wasn’t the loss in the 2013 title game against Alabama. That Fighting Irish team looked like it wasn’t even close to the pinnacle of college football in that clash. But now, Notre Dame football is very close to winning its first national title since 1988
Marcus Freeman is right. The outlook for his program is very high. According to ESPN’s Way-Too-Early rankings, the Fighting Irish should return to the College Football Playoff. There’s just one more step to take, and Notre Dame football is the closest it’s been to taking it this century.
