Notre Dame transfer portal: 5 key players Marcus Freeman should have secured in winter window

Marcus Freeman will look to lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to another appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. On Jan. 20, the team lost 34-23 to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the national title. The Notre Dame coach hopes to avenge that loss with a new roster for the 2025 season.

Notre Dame has lost several key players, including quarterback Riley Leonard, to the 2025 NFL draft. Leonard finished his college career by completing 651 passes for 7,311 yards and 45 touchdowns.

He played a vital role in the team's success in reaching the championship game. Despite the loss, he performed well, with 22-of-31 completed passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 17 carries for 40 yards and one touchdown.

Freeman will also be without Jack Kiser next season. In his senior year, the linebacker led Notre Dame in tackles (90) and forced two fumbles. He concluded his college career with 276 total tackles (166 solo), six sacks, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions. Kiser's departure from the team is a noteworthy loss for the Fighting Irish defense.

The program recruited several players through the transfer portal last season. One possible addition to the team is wide receiver Malachi Fields. Before transferring out, he led the Virginia Cavaliers in receiving yards with 55 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns. As of now, he hasn't signed with Notre Dame.

Freeman also missed other key acquisitions from the transfer portal who could have improved their chances of reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship game next year.

Here are five players Notre Dame missed out on from the transfer portal.

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Notre Dame transfer portal: Five players Marcus Freeman should have secured

#5 Luke Hasz, tight end

One player Notre Dame could've signed from the transfer portal is tight end Luke Hasz, who left the Arkansas Razorbacks after two years. Last season, Hasz was the team's fourth-best receiver, with 26 receptions for 324 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore.

His best performance was in Arkansas' dominant 58-25 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 26. Hasz ended the matchup with four receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

Hasz has signed with the Ole Miss Rebels for the 2025 season. Freeman could've benefited from having him on the Fighting Irish roster, as tight end Mitchell Evans finished his senior year with the team.

The coach has Cooper Flanagan, who's returning to replace Evans. However, Hasz has more playing experience and might've been a better option to take over the primary tight end role.

#4 Dane Key, wide receiver

Another key player the program missed out on is wide receiver Dane Key, who left the Kentucky Wildcats after three seasons. Last year, he finished with 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns. He was Kentucky's best receiver and among the top wide receivers in the transfer portal.

Key's best performance last season was in the Wildcats' 20-17 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels on Sep. 28. He ended the game with eight receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown. Key has moved on from Kentucky to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the upcoming season.

Had Freeman signed him, it would've been a great acquisition for Notre Dame's roster. The Fighting Irish lost Beaux Collins, who finished his senior year with the program's second-most receptions yards (490) last season. Notre Dame may regret not signing Key if Fields withdraws his commitment to them.

#3 Brad Spence, linebacker

One of the defensive players available in the transfer portal was former Arkansas linebacker Brad Spence. He ended last season with 54 total tackles (27 solo) and 4.5 sacks. His best showing was in the win against Mississippi State, where he had 11 total tackles (four solo) and 0.5 sacks. Spence has joined the Texas Longhorns for the 2025 season.

Notre Dame has linebacker Drayk Bowen to take over more playing time since Kiser's departure. Bowen had 78 total tackles (40 solo), one sack and three forced fumbles. Although he played better than Spence last season, Freeman could've used another linebacker capable of being effective on defense.

#2 Jackson Arnold, quarterback

Notre Dame has quarterback Steve Angeli, who will replace Leonard as a starter next season. Angeli played a backup role in his junior year, completing 24 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He has experience playing behind Leonard to try to lead the team to another championship game.

Nevertheless, Freeman missed out on signing quarterback Jackson Arnold from the transfer portal, who signed with the Auburn Tigers. Arnold was a starter in nine games for the Oklahoma Sooners in his sophomore year last season. He completed 154 passes for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns.

If Freeman had acquired him, it would've given him a chance to have Arnold as the new starter if Angeli showed in the offseason that he wasn't the right option to lead them.

#1 Marques Watson-Trent, linebacker

Marques Watson-Trent would've been a great replacement to take the linebacker position from Kiser.

He entered the transfer portal to join Nebraska for his final year of eligibility in college football. Watson-Trent enters the 2025 season with 358 total tackles (164 solo), six sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions for his career.

Watson-Trent could've been a key defensive player for Notre Dame in their goal of competing for a national title next year.