Transfer portal quarterback tampering is rampant in CFB—and even storied programs like Notre Dame aren’t immune. Marcus Freeman is facing a ticking clock, a reshuffling depth chart, and the relentless buzz of transfer rumors circling South Bend. From Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey to Oregon’s Austin Novosad, South Alabama’s Gio Lopez, and Ohio State’s Lincoln Kienholz. There’s bound to be a massive amount of programs tampering with the lure money to improve their depth charts. But with the portal’s open season heating up, there is a growing sense that outside programs are circling, looking to poach with the lure of NIL promises and fast-tracked starting roles.
Few voices have been as candid as Brian Smith on The Portal Podcast, where he broke down the mechanics of this growing issue with recruiting insider John Garcia. When asked how this all unfolds, they think CJ Carr is the guy for ND. 100% Steve Angeli and Kenny are getting tampered with.
“Notre Dame was one of the very few teams that actually had their game on telev—I know it was on Peacock, whatever, but it was still televised,” Smith explained. “I’ve had coaches tell me to my face that their school is not having it because they don’t want film of their players that are coming up the ranks to get swiped out of the board.” The concern isn’t just visibility—it’s recruitment via surveillance. “I asked, ‘What’s going on, why you guys not on TV?’ Less than one second later the answer was almost out—like boom, there was no hesitation.”
Smith didn’t stop there, zeroing in on Notre Dame’s QB room. “CJ Carr is going to be the guy,” he stated definitively. “Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey are guys that are talented—I’m just using them as a barometer—100% guarantee you they’re getting tampered with.” This isn’t speculation. It’s an informed observation from someone entrenched in the talent ecosystem, warning that the combination of national exposure and limited starting roles creates the perfect storm for poaching. He echoed the sentiment with blunt realism: “It happens because it’s necessary, right? I mean, how many guys jumped in the portal that opened hours ago as we record this, and they’ve already signed and sealed and delivered to their new school?”
The insider pulled back the curtain on how deep this web runs. “These deals, quite literally, are done ahead of time,” he said. “You don’t jump in the portal as a legitimate prospect without some type of plan going forward.” It’s the modern version of backdoor recruiting—done through intermediaries like high school coaches, personal trainers, and even family. “You use your trainers, your high school coaches, your family—the people who the NCAA rules do not intersect with—to communicate with additional programs, boosters, whoever is needed to feel comfortable about making a very big and public move like jumping in the transfer portal,” Garcia explained.
“It’s sort of a necessary evil… It’s the new duffel bag full of cash or whatever you want to call it.” The logistics of these hush-hush communications allow teams to orchestrate transfers well before the portal even opens, giving the illusion of spontaneous moves that were, in reality, weeks in the making. So where does that leave Marcus Freeman? Squarely in the fire. After all, Notre Dame doesn’t just have depth—they have legitimate future starters.
Marcus Freeman’s challenge is as emotional as it is strategic. “And as much of that is an awesome situation, it’s a difficult one, too,” he said when asked about balancing quarterback reps. “Ultimately, as we get ready for Miami, Florida, we can only have one being the starter. We have time to figure out who that guy is gonna be.” There’s honesty in his tone, but also a hint of resignation—he knows someone may walk.
They also know that if one of Angeli, Minchey, or Carr decides to leave, they won’t just disappear. They’ll thrive elsewhere. “If one of the three signal-callers does decide to enter the portal,” he acknowledged, “they’ll land on their feet.” That’s the harsh paradox in the NIL era: the better you recruit and develop, the more likely it is someone else will cash in on your work.
Notre Dame may be a cathedral of tradition, but the transfer portal doesn’t care about gold helmets or Touchdown Jesus. It only sees talent—and the right dollar figure to go with it.
Marcus Freeman thinks transferring is too easy
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman isn’t holding back when it comes to the state of the transfer portal. With the 10-day spring window set to open Wednesday, Freeman jumped on the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast with David Pollack and shared some real talk about what’s bugging him.
He’s not against the portal altogether — far from it. Freeman actually sees the value in it for the right reasons: “There are reasons to have the transfer portal and for guys to transfer,” he said. “When you have a new coaching staff, or you want to find a better opportunity to play, or you’ve got your degree… there’s a lot of pros.” But — and here’s the kicker — he’s got beef with how easy it’s become. “I think right now there’s such ease to transfer when things aren’t going your way,” Freeman said. “That’s where it goes against what I believe college football is for.”
His bottom line? CFB is supposed to “help young people continuously be self-sufficient when they’re done.” Not just offer a get-out-of-jail-free card when things get tough. With big talks heating up about revenue sharing and direct school-player deals, Freeman’s comments might just be the start of a louder conversation.
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