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Portal Roundup: TE Cane Berrong commits to Coastal Carolina

The transfer portal is still humming.

When the entry window for the portal officially opened Dec. 5, players across college football started filing in and out of it as they search for potential transfer destinations.

Inside ND Sports will keep track of all the Notre Dame football players entering the portal and their subsequent commitments in this portal roundup and in our Notre Dame Football Transfer Portal Tracker.

Rivals also has a national Transfer Tracker with player rankings that will be constantly updated.

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Portal commitment (1/19): Sophomore TE Cane Berrong

Sophomore tight end Cane Berrong has found a home.

The Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County High product announced his commitment to Coastal Carolina University. Berrong's announcement comes after his decision to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 12. Rivals rated him as a three-star prospect and ranked him as the No. 442 overall transfer portal player.

Berrong reported transfer offers from Colorado, Wisconsin, Arkansas, New Mexico, Memphis, Cincinnati, Southern Methodist, East Carolina, Toledo, Georgia State, Temple, Furman, Western Michigan and Pittsburgh.

Berrong heads to Myrtle Beach, S.C., after appearing in four games during his Notre Dame career. His last appearance — and only of the 2022 season — was in Notre Dame's home finale against Boston College on Nov. 19. He had limited availability through the 2022 season as he recovered from a torn ACL he suffered in October 2021.

Before his injury, Berrong saw action against Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech during the 2021 season.

Coming out of high school, Rivals ranked Berrong as the No. 35 tight end and No. 46 player in Georgia. Mitchell Evans, Kevin Bauman, Holden Staes, Eli Raridon, Davis Sherwood and incoming freshman Cooper Flanagan will comprise ND's tight end contingent in 2023.

Portal entry (1/10): Junior LS Alex Peitsch

Junior long snapper Alex Peitsch entered the transfer portal Tuesday after playing in just one game across three seasons at Notre Dame.

He's the seventh Irish player to enter the portal since defensive lineman Jacob Lacey announced his intention to transfer in early October. The Irish have added five transfer commitments since mid-December.

With a redshirt year in 2020 and a COVID-exemption year option, Peitsch will have up to three seasons of eligibility at his next stop.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Peitsch was supposed to replace former scholarship long snapper John Shannon after Shannon finished his career with the 2019 season. But former walk-on Michael Vinson won the starting long snapper job in 2020 and hasn’t relinquished it yet. Vinson will return to Notre Dame for a sixth season in 2023.

Peitsch finished his Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High career as an Under Armour All-American. Rivals rated Peitsch as a two-star recruit. Kohl’s Kicking ranked Peitsch as the No. 1 long snapper in the 2020 class.

The Irish recruited Rino Monteforte of Uniondale (N.Y.) Kellenberg Memorial and Andrew Kros out of Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier to join the program in 2022 and 2023, respectively, as preferred walk-ons at the position.

Portal commitment (12/21): Senior DE Ositadinma Ekwonu to Charlotte

Senior defensive end Ositadinma Ekwonu is heading home to finish his collegiate football career.

On National Signing Day for high school prospects, Wednesday, Ekwonu announced he was signing with Charlotte as a transfer. Ekwonu prepped at Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., before spending the past four seasons at Notre Dame.

Another former Irish defensive end, Kofi Wardlow, just recently completed his college career at Charlotte, spending his fifth and sixth seasons with the 49ers.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Ekwonu played in three games and recorded two tackles this past season. He took part in Notre Dame’s Senior Day ceremony prior to the Boston College game, which indicated he was unlikely to return.

Ekwonu never quite cracked the defensive depth chart during his Irish career. He played in three games as a freshman and nine games as a sophomore mostly on special teams. He missed his junior season with a torn Achilles.

Ekwonu came to Notre Dame as a four-star linebacker out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day in the 2019 class. He could have as many as three years of eligibility remaining.

Ekwonu's twin brother, Ikem Ekwonu, played offensive line at NC State and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.

Drew Pyne started 10 games for the Irish in 2022 after QB1 Tyler Buchner suffered a shoulder injury on Sept. 10.
Drew Pyne started 10 games for the Irish in 2022 after QB1 Tyler Buchner suffered a shoulder injury on Sept. 10. (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

Portal commitment (12/19): Junior QB Drew Pyne to Arizona State  

Drew Pyne ditched his role as Notre Dame's starting quarterback earlier this month to enter the transfer portal and skip out on a chance to lead the No. 21 Irish (8-4) into the Dec. 30 Gator Bowl against No. 19 South Carolina (8-4).

Pyne found his new home before the Irish even left for the bowl game in Jacksonville, Fla. On Monday, Pyne announced a commitment to transfer to Arizona State.

Pyne, a junior, played in 11 games and started 10 this season after starting quarterback Tyler Buchner required surgery on a shoulder injury that occurred late in the Marshall game on Sept. 10, Notre Dame's second's consecutive loss to start the season.

The 6-foot, 198-pound Pyne completed 64.6% of his passes (164-of-254) for 2,021 yards and 22 touchdowns with six interceptions. His passing efficiency rating of 155.3 ranked No. 21 in the FBS prior to bowl season and third among first-year starters who qualified by playing in at least 75% of their team's games this season.

Pyne guided Notre Dame to an 8-2 record in his 10 starts with some up-and-down performances. He looked spectacular in back-to-back victories over North Carolina and BYU, which included 551 yards, six touchdowns and one interception on 46-of-62 passing (74.2%). Then Pyne failed to complete more than 50% of his passes in each of the next three starts against Stanford, UNLV and Syracuse.

Pyne gave the Irish a chance to compete at USC in a 38-27 loss by completing 23 of his 26 passes (88.5%) for 318 yards and one touchdown, but he lost a critical fumble and threw an interception during ND's comeback attempt in the regular season finale.

At Arizona State, Pyne will be joining new head coach Kenny Dillingham, who spent the 2022 season as Oregon's offensive coordinator. Dillingham helped rejuvenate former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix's career with the Ducks. Nix entered bowl season with the eighth-best passing efficiency rating (167.0) in the FBS after throwing for 3,389 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions on 271-of-379 passing (71.5%).

Rivals ranked Pyne as the No. 7 portal quarterback at the time. He is the highest-ranked quarterback to share a commitment decision.

Portal commitment (12/16): Freshman CB Jayden Bellamy to Syracuse

Notre Dame freshman cornerback Jayden Bellamy entered the NCAA transfer portal Monday.
Notre Dame freshman cornerback Jayden Bellamy entered the NCAA transfer portal Monday. (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Jayden Bellamy did not waste time finding a new home.

Eleven days after he announced his intentions to answer the portal, Bellamy announced his commitment to Syracuse. The Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic High product chose to remain out East following two semesters at Notre Dame.

When Bellamy announced his Syracuse pledge, Rivals ranked him as the No. 190 overall player in the transfer portal. His three-star, 5.6 Rivals rating is considered an all-region selection-level prospect: a potential All-Conference candidate and a player deemed to have mid to low-end pro potential and ability to impact at the college level.

Coming out of high school, Rivals ranked Bellamy as the No. 46 overall cornerback and No. 6 player in New Jersey.

Bellamy joins a Syracuse team that has 18 underclassmen defensive backs. Bellamy did not see any game action in one season at Notre Dame. He joins the Orange with four years of eligibility.

Portal entry (12/12): Sophomore TE Cane Berrong

Notre Dame sophomore tight end Cane Berrong is entering the transfer portal.
Notre Dame sophomore tight end Cane Berrong is entering the transfer portal. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

All-American Michael Mayer won’t be the only Notre Dame tight end sitting out the Dec. 30 Gator Bowl. Sophomore Cane Berrong unofficially opted out Monday by entering the transfer portal.

He announced his portal entry Monday night on social media. A source told Inside ND Sports that Berrong would not play in the bowl game.

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound Berrong didn’t play much for Notre Dame all season. His five snaps late in the home finale against Boston College accounted for his only game appearance in 2022.

At the start of the season, Berrong was still recovering a torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered during an October 2021 practice. As a freshman, Berrong played in three games, mostly on special teams, before that season-ending knee injury.

Berrong came to Notre Dame as a three-star recruit out of Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County. Rivals ranked him as the No. 35 tight end in the 2021 class.

The Irish will rely on sophomore Mitchell Evans, freshman Holden Staes and sophomore Davis Sherwood as its top three tight ends for the Gator Bowl against No. 19 South Carolina (8-4).

Portal commitment (12/9): WR Joe Wilkins Jr. to Miami (Ohio)  

Former Notre Dame WR Joe Wilkins Jr. committed to transfer to Miami (Ohio).
Former Notre Dame WR Joe Wilkins Jr. committed to transfer to Miami (Ohio). (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

Wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. settled on a location for his final season of college football. On Friday, the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Wilkins announced a commitment to Miami (Ohio) on social media.

Wilkins left the Irish program in November in the middle of his fifth season at Notre Dame. Wilkins had already graduated from Notre Dame and chose to start his transfer process before the regular season ended.

Wilkins played in seven games in 2022 but he never played more than seven snaps on offense in a game. The last time Wilkins lined up as a wide receiver for the Irish was in the Oct. 22 victory over UNLV.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Wilkins recovered from a torn ACL suffered in October of 2021 and a Lisfranc fracture in his foot suffered in March. Wilkins finished his Notre Dame career with 11 catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Wilkins is eligible to play a sixth season next year at Miami (Ohio) due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility relief. Wilkins came to Notre Dame as a three-star cornerback out of North Fort Myers (Fla.) High.

Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin was an assistant coach at Notre Dame under Brian Kelly for four seasons (2010-13) before being hired at Miami in 2014.

Portal entry (12/5): Senior DE Ositadinma Ekwonu 

Notre Dame senior defensive end Ositadinma Ekwonu entered the transfer portal Monday.
Notre Dame senior defensive end Ositadinma Ekwonu entered the transfer portal Monday. (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

Senior defensive end Ositadinma Ekwonu became the second new name in the transfer portal from Notre Dame on Monday.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Ekwonu played in three games and recorded two tackles this past season. He took part in Notre Dame’s Senior Day ceremony prior to the Boston College game, which indicated he was unlikely to return.

Ekwonu never quite cracked the defensive depth chart during his Irish career. He played in three games as a freshman and nine games as a sophomore mostly on special teams. He missed his junior season with a torn Achilles.

Ekwonu came to Notre Dame as a four-star linebacker out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day in the 2019 class. He could have as many as three years of eligibility remaining.

Ekwonu's twin brother, Ikem Ekwonu, played offensive line at NC State and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.

Portal entry (12/5): Freshman CB Jayden Bellamy

Freshman cornerback Jayden Bellamy became the first new name in the transfer portal Monday.

He did not see any play time during his first season at Notre Dame.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Bellamy came to Notre Dame rated by Rivals as a three-star prospect out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic High. Rivals ranked him as the No. 46 cornerback and No. 6 player in New Jersey.

He enrolled at Notre Dame in January after a senior season that featured four interceptions and 27 tackles. He also caught eight receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown on offense. He played his high school football with freshman quarterback Steve Angeli.

Bellamy has all four years of eligibility remaining.

Portal entry (12/5): Junior QB Drew Pyne

As Drew Pyne announced Friday, the former Notre Dame starting quarterback has officially entered the transfer portal.

He joined defensive tackle Jacob Lacey and wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. as former Notre Dame players who made it into the transfer portal since the start of the 2022 season.

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