Top 3 Notre Dame players who entered the transfer portal ahead of Sugar Bowl appearance ft. Jaden Mickey

Despite the forthcoming Sugar Bowl and its battle with Georgia, Notre Dame still has to keep an eye on the transfer portal. Like the other teams in the College Football Playoff, the Irish haven't suffered a ton of portal losses.

Still, Notre Dame already has a handful of players who have hit the portal. To clarify for a few eagle-eyed fans, these players all chose to depart Notre Dame months ahead of the bowl game. Still, here's the top three Fighting Irish players who have entered the portal ahead of the Sugar Bowl.

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Top three Notre Dame players in the portal ahead of Sugar Bowl

Notre Dame DT Tyson Ford has chosen to leave the Irish and transfer to California. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

#3 Aidan Gobaira, DE

Gobaira was a four-star recruit from Virginia in the class of 2022, but three years at Notre Dame didn't really resonate. Gobaira played one snap in his career at Notre Dame. He didn't see action in 2024 and decided early in the season that he'd move on from the Irish.

While Gobaira was around Notre Dame for three seasons, he indicated that he has three seasons of remaining eligibility. He planned to graduate from Notre Dame and will have either two or three remaining years to play. As yet, his final portal destination hasn't been determined.

#2 Tyson Ford, DT

Ford was also a four-star recruit and hailed from St. Louis. In his two seasons with Notre Dame, he only played a couple handfuls of snaps over four games. He has battled injuries, which also played a role in keeping him off the field.

Ford had redshirted in one of his two seasons with the Irish but has three seasons of remaining collegiate eligibility. He chose California as his transfer destination, and given his size (6-foot-4 and around 300 pounds), he's a player to watch there.

#1 Jaden Mickey, CB

A four-star California prospect, Mickey played meaningfully over two seasons with the Irish before cutting 2024 short to enter the transfer portal. In his Notre Dame career, Mickey played in 28 games, making 23 tackles with three pass break ups including a pick-six interception.

Mickey had 11-of-23 tackles in 2023, as well as two of three pass break ups that season. He started a couple games and seemed to be making his way up the pecking order. But 2024 didn't start well, and Mickey opted out of the remainder of the season to preserve his redshirt status and transfer.

Mickey chose California as the sight of his transfer. He will have two seasons of remaining eligibility to pursue with the Golden Bears.

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