Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are finding out the hard way what it’s like to both be successful, and lose.
The Fighting Irish lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes Monday night in Atlanta in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. And after a shakeup on the coaching staff happened this week, roster attrition has hit the program as well.
On Wednesday, two wide receivers departed the Fighting Irish program.
Fighting Irish wide receivers Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas entered the NCAA transfer portal according to On3. Colzie and Thomas are now two bodies that Freeman and his staff will have to replace this offseason through either recruiting or, by contrast, the portal.
Colzie didn’t play much this past season for the Irish. Thomas, meanwhile, will leave the Notre Dame program after four seasons in South Bend. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver exits the Fighting Irish with 64 career receptions, 838 yards, and seven receiving touchdowns.
Notre Dame’s wide receiver room is expected to still have Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison next year. But they’ll have to look elsewhere for more depth. Four-star wide receiver Elijah Burress of DePaul Catholic in New Jersey is the team’s highest-rated receiver recruit in the Class of 2025. He may get some run himself.
In all, this is nothing new for Notre Dame or any college football program nowadays. They just lost Al Golden, their defensive coordinator, to the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals this week. Furthermore, the transfer portal has seen great activity since it opened several years ago. It’s allowed for more freedom of movement than ever. Freeman has been active before, it’s how they got Riley Leonard, so they may not be shy again.
Despite their title game loss, Notre Dame is expected to do great things again in 2025.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022