Transfer Tracker: 14 Notre Dame Players Have Entered Portal Since August
Fourteen Notre Dame players have put their names in the transfer portal since August, though safety Houston Griffith’s return to the program means only 13 will leave the team.
With the exception of cornerback Isaiah Rutherford, receiver/running back Kendall Abdur-Rahman and offensive linemen John Olmstead, who were class of 2019 signees, every departing player is on track to leave with his degree and will be a graduate transfer. The most recent player to exit is Abdur-Rahman, who announced his move on April 2.
Here’s a look at each of the 14 and their new destinations, if they have chosen them. This will be updated throughout the offseason.
WR/RB Kendall Abdur-Rahman (April 2, 2021)
The 6-0, 190-pound Abdur-Rahman played in one game over his two seasons at Notre Dame, a 52-0 win over South Florida in 2020 when he appeared in mop-up duty and did not record any stats. He took a redshirt in 2019 and moved to running back from receiver in 2020 fall camp, but his game snaps came at receiver. He was listed as a receiver on the 2021 spring roster.
Abdur-Rahman came to Notre Dame as a three-star recruit in the 2019 class. A high school dual-threat quarterback and two-time All-State selection, Abdur-Rahman ran for 1,135 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Edwardsville (Ill.) High in 2018.
Transfer destination: None yet
WR Micah Jones (Feb. 8, 2021)
The 6-4, 219-pound Jones did not catch a pass in three seasons with the Irish. He appeared in the Dec. 5, 2020 Senior Day win over Syracuse and saw action in four games in 2019. He redshirted the 2018 season as a freshman.
Jones was a four-star recruit and the No. 192 overall player in the 2018 class out of Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Charter High School. Rivals ranked him as the No. 2 player in Illinois in his class. He will be a graduate transfer with three years of eligibility left.
Transfer destination: None yet
DE Ovie Oghoufo (Jan. 5, 2021)
The junior from Farmington Hills, Mich. played in 11 games in 2020 as the third vyper defensive end. In 149 snaps, he had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two passes broken up. Sophomore Isaiah Foskey had leaped him in the snap hierarchy at vyper, but a path to backup duties existed for him in 2021.
Oghoufo was a three-star recruit in the 2018 class and ranked as the nation’s No. 40 outside linebacker. He moved to defensive end after arriving at Notre Dame.
Transfer destination: Texas
LB Jack Lamb (Jan. 5, 2021)
A former top-100 recruit, Lamb played 214 special-teams snaps in 2020, the most of any Notre Dame player. He saw action on kick returns, kick coverage, punt returns and punt coverage, making seven special-teams tackles. In 2019, he was the primary linebacker in the dime package, but suffered a season-ending hip injury that November.
Lamb spent 2020 operating fourth on the buck linebacker depth chart. The Temecula, Calif., native was the nation’s No. 77 recruit in the 2018 class.
Transfer destination: Colorado
S Houston Griffith (Jan. 4, 2021)
Griffith made 14 tackles in 12 games this season as a backup to Shaun Crawford and a sub-package player. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, though, recruited Griffith to stay upon his Jan. 8 hiring. He succeeded when Griffith withdrew his name from the portal two weeks later.
The No. 43 overall recruit in 2018, Griffith is expected to compete for the starting safety spot Crawford's departure opened.
Transfer destination: Returned to Notre Dame
CB Isaiah Rutherford (Jan. 3, 2021)
Rutherford departs Notre Dame after playing in three games over two years. All three appearances were on special teams or in mop-up duty in 2020. Rutherford was behind 2019 classmate Cam Hart and freshman Clarence Lewis on the 2020 cornerback depth chart. He was the nation’s No. 110 recruit in 2019 and is from Sacramento, Calif.
Transfer destination: Arizona
RB/WR Jafar Armstrong (Jan. 2, 2021)
Armstrong had 807 scrimmage yards from 2018-20 as a running back and receiver for Notre Dame. He signed as a receiver, but moved to running back before the 2018 season. When healthy in 2018, he was a solid complementary option, with 383 rushing yards, seven touchdowns and 14 catches.
Injuries derailed Armstrong’s chance at lead back duties in 2019 and he was not a factor in the 2020 backfield rotation after the first two games. He moved back to receiver midseason.
Armstrong, a Lee’s Summit, Mo., native, was a three-star recruit in the 2017 class and a one-time Missouri commitment.
Transfer destination: Illinois
C Colin Grunhard (Jan. 2, 2021)
The son of former Notre Dame lineman Tim Grunhard began his career as a walk-on, earned a scholarship and worked his way up to No. 3 on the center depth chart. He played 12 snaps on offense in 2020. Originally from Mission, Kan., Grunhard will finish his career closer to home.
Transfer destination: Kansas
RB Jahmir Smith (Jan. 2, 2021)
Smith announced in October he was stepping away from the football program to focus on his mental health, but would remain in classes and stay to graduate. He entered his name into the transfer portal the day after Notre Dame’s season ended.
The junior from Sanford, N.C., had five carries for 15 yards in Notre Dame’s season-opening win over Duke, but did not appear in a game after that. He rushed 42 times for 180 yards in 2019 and scored the team’s first touchdown of the season in an opening-night win over Louisville. Smith was a three-star recruit in the 2018 class and an early enrollee.
Transfer destination: Appalachian State
DE Kofi Wardlow (Nov. 3, 2020)
Wardlow left the team midseason to pursue a transfer after completing his degree. A three-star recruit in 2017, Wardlow played in three career games and made one tackle. The Washington, D.C., native was committed to Maryland before flipping to Notre Dame.
Transfer destination: Charlotte
DT Ja’Mion Franklin (Oct. 29, 2020)
Franklin cited a desire to improve his mental health when he left the team during the middle of his junior season. He appeared in Notre Dame’s first two games of the season and tweeted he had contracted COVID-19 in late September. He did not play after getting sick.
Franklin began 2020 as the No. 3 nose tackle and made four tackles as a deep reserve in 2018. He’s from Ridgely, Md., and was a three-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2018 signing class.
Transfer destination: Duke
LB Jordan Genmark Heath (Sept. 7, 2020)
The senior was in contention for Notre Dame’s Buck linebacker job in preseason camp, but didn’t crack the two-deep. He left shortly before the season. Genmark Heath played in all 39 of Notre Dame’s games from 2017-19, making two starts. He moved to linebacker in 2018 and posted 26 total tackles and a sack there from 2018-19. He was a special-teams ace as a freshman in 2017, with 11 kickoff return tackles.
A one-time California commitment, Genmark Heath was a three-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2017 class out of San Diego.
Transfer destination: UCLA
WR/DB Isaiah Robertson (Aug. 25, 2020)
Notre Dame announced Robertson was medically disqualified on the first day of fall camp, but he entered the transfer portal two weeks later to seek a chance elsewhere if he could get clearance.
He did not play in 2019 due to injury and appeared in 18 games from 2017-18, making four tackles in that span. He was a four-star recruit in 2017 from Bolingbrook, Ill.
Transfer destination: None
OL John Olmstead (Aug. 19, 2020)
Olmstead left the program early in fall camp. The former four-star recruit and New Jersey native did not see action as a freshman in 2019.
Transfer destination: Lafayette (Football Championship Subdivision)
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