Notre Dame is expected to sign former Alabama defensive lineman DeVonta Smith in the transfer portal, according to multiple reports on Monday.

The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Smith signed with Alabama as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class out of La Salle High School in Cincinnati (and transferred to the Crimson Tide after wide receiver DeVonta Smith, now with the Philadelphia Eagles is). won the Heisman Trophy in 2020). He was a starter that season and finished with 30 tackles and five pass breakups before entering the transfer portal, earning a reputation as the hardest hitter among Alabama’s defensive backs. He still has one year of eligibility left.

After this season, the Irish will lose Arizona State transfer Jordan Clark, who replaced Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper in Notre Dame’s revolving door at nickelback under Marcus Freeman. Now Smith appears to be the most high-profile addition to the position.

While constant access to the portal at one point can be difficult for program management, the Irish have made transfers in the secondary work for them. In addition to Clark, the Irish also brought in Rod Heard II from Northwestern last winter and built the nation’s best pass efficiency defense for the second straight season. The players may change, but they fit into the plans of defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive coach Mike Mickens.

According to PFF, Smith logged a career-high 421 snaps this season, working mostly in a nickel role. That represented a significant increase from his first three seasons, when he played 57 total snaps, including a four-game redshirt stint in 2023 due to injury when Smith was slated to be the starter at safety.

What’s next for Notre Dame in the portal?

Notre Dame plans to be aggressive in the transfer portal as Virginia wide receiver Malachi Fields is drawing strong interest from the Irish. Notre Dame needs a physical boundary receiver, among other things, and the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Fields is coming off back-to-back 800-yard seasons with the Cavaliers. His decision could be more focused on going to the NFL or moving to a bigger program, although he hasn’t announced his intentions yet.

The Irish will also be looking for defensive tackle support, although it’s less clear where Notre Dame might turn to rebuild a depth chart that will lose Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. It is also not clear whether substitute Jason Onye will return to the team after missing the second half of the season for personal reasons.

Although Freeman has said Notre Dame has no plans to sign a quarterback this offseason, the Irish could be forced to reevaluate depending on the position’s health and availability. Riley Leonard is done after this season, Steve Angeli, Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr are still on the roster and Blake Hebert is close to signing. While Carr was considered the quarterback of the future, he missed the last two months rehabbing from an elbow injury during practice. During Monday’s practice sessions, Carr limited himself to short throws during warmups and didn’t take meaningful reps when quarterbacks threw deeper passes.

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