Notre Dame contacts former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis in transfer portal
One week after former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he revealed to TrojanSports.com which school was the first to reach out to him about his future.
It was Notre Dame.
Slovis was in the gym. He told a compliance person at USC to lock him into the portal between sets. His phone started ringing before he could finish his next set.
"It was crazy," Slovis said on a TrojanSports.com podcast. "I had to wrap up my workout and get in the car because I think it was actually Notre Dame on the phone for the first call. I was like, 'Shoot. This is kind of developing a lot more quickly than I imagined."
Notre Dame and USC, of course, have an annual rivalry dating back to 1926. The only times since then the two programs have not met on the football field were for three years during World War II and last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slovis started twice against Notre Dame in his three-year USC career. He went 24-of-35 for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 Notre Dame victory in South Bend in 2019. He completed 27-of-37 passes for 299 yards and zero touchdowns with one interception in the Fighting Irish's 31-16 home win on Oct. 23.
A switch from cardinal and gold to blue and gold would be quite monumental.
"I don't know if it was shocking but kind of eye-opening," Slovis said. "I want to look at the whole process and what it might be for me. Again, I don't know if it was shocking necessarily but it was kind of ironic being in that situation."
Slovis shined as a true freshman in the wake of former USC quarterback and current Georgia Bulldog JT Daniels' season-ending injury in 2019. Slovis threw for 3,502 yards with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games. He completed 71.9% of his passes.
In 2020's shortened season, Slovis threw for 1,921 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions in six games. He battled a hamstring injury this season and subsequently threw for 2,153 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine games.
Slovis said his next destination will be revealed sometime this week. He said he's ultimately going to choose somewhere he feels comfortable with the culture and somewhere that fits two key criteria points.
"A place where I can get on the field," Slovis said. "A place where I feel like we have a good chance to win now, win next year. I'm not going to go somewhere it will take a long place to develop because I don't have that time."
Notre Dame could be a match for both. Slovis, a rising senior with two years of eligibility remaining, would certainly be in the mix for the Irish's starting job if he were thrown into the mix. He'd be battling junior Drew Pyne, who has never started a college game and has only attempted 33 passes, and rising sophomore Tyler Buchner, who has also never started and has only attempted 36 passes.
Pyne and Buchner plus rising redshirt freshman Ron Powlus III and true freshman Steve Angeli are slated to be Notre Dame's four scholarship quarterbacks on the 2022 roster. Slovis would be a fifth, making for a quite crowded quarterback room.
Slovis would be the second-straight transfer quarterback. Jack Coan came in from Wisconsin and has started all 12 games for Notre Dame this season. Slovis, though, has intentions of playing two more seasons unless his next is good enough to allow him to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Coan came in for a one-season stop.
That makes Notre Dame's interest in Slovis all the more intriguing. Nabbing Slovis from the portal wouldn't be a one-year depth deal. Rather, it'd be more of a two-year investment. Does it mean Slovis would be a surefire bet to start for two seasons? No. Pyne and Buchner have more experience in offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' system. Slovis would have to beat them out to earn his starts.
As Coan showed this season, though, experience in the quarterback room is never a bad thing. If Slovis does indeed end up at Notre Dame by the end of the week, it shouldn't be all too surprising from a roster standpoint.
"The goal is to have a great two years, wherever it is, then go to the NFL and have the best career I can," Slovis said. "I think I can do that. I know I can do that. I just need to find the right spot for me. I'm looking forward to finding that soon."
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