Notre Dame football has lost its first tight end — and the second member of its 2022 recruiting class — to the transfer portal. Sophomore tight end Holden Staes announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Friday in a post from his X/Twitter account.
The 6-foot-4, 242-pound out of Atlanta (Ga.) will be allowed to officially enter the portal when it opens on Monday. It will remain open for underclassmen for a 30-day window. Staes has two years of eligibility remaining.
Staes, who missed the season finale at Stanford after suffering a shoulder injury in pregame warmups, started eight of 11 games for the Irish this season. He had 15 receptions for 176 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.
The Irish have had eight players including five pass catchers — Staes, Chris Tyree, Tobias Merriweather and Braylon James — elect to leave Notre Dame in the past week. Inside ND Sports is tracking all Notre Dame outgoing and incoming transfers here.
Staes was a member of the 2022 recruiting class and signed to the Irish as a four-star recruit out of Atlanta Westminster. He chose Notre Dame over offers including Florida State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia Tech. Per Rivals, Staes was the No. 8 tight end in the 2022 class.
In his first year at Notre Dame, Staes played 67 snaps and recorded his first and only catch for 11 yards against BYU in Las Vegas. Staes saw an expanded role under offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Gerad Parker this season and flashed his potential during Notre Dame's 45-24 win at NC State in September. He had 115 receiving yards on four catches to go along with two touchdowns against the Wolfpack in Mitchell Evans' absence. All three statistics were career-best for Staes.
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