It appears a trip to the National Championship isn’t going to be enough to keep a pair of starting offensive linemen at Notre Dame.

Just days after the Irish lost to Ohio State 34-23, some impactful players appear to be moving on.

247 Sports’ Irish Illustrated confirmed that both interior lineman Pat Coogan and guard Rocco Spindler have entered the transfer portal.

Coogan has started 26 games at center and guard over the last two seasons while Spindler, a Clarkson native, started 13 games at right guard for the Irish this season after initially losing the job during fall camp.

Coogan stepped in at center when Ashton Craig was lost for the season against Purdue and became the unofficial hype man for the Irish during the run to the championship.

Craig is expected to return in 2025, which could have impacted Coogan’s decision.

“You have five guys in there for the first couple games. Because of injuries, you had to put Rocco [Spindler] and Coogs [Pat Coogan] back in there,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman told the publication.

“And again, they all have done a really good job as individuals, and with time they will continue to be cohesive as a unit. And so, [I’m] really proud of that group, that are playing through some injuries and being thrust into a position because of injuries, and they’re improving constantly now.”

Second-year offensive lineman Sam Pendleton, who started the first seven games of 2024 at left guard, and offensive tackle Ty Chan, who played in 12 games, are also in the portal, according to 247 Sports.

Senior wide receivers Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie will also depart as graduate transfers, they announced on social media.

 

 

With Notre Dame’s season now completely over afater falling short in the National Championship game, the focus is entirely on roster management for the 2025 football season — and obvioulsy the transfer portal.

On Wednesday, we found out the first three players to hit the transfer portal.

WR — Jayden Thomas

WR — Deion Colzie

OL — Sam Pendleton

All three players contributed to Notre Dame this season.

Jayden Thomas was continuouslly involved in the rotation at wide receiver. Through four seasons at Notre Dame, Thomas caught 64 passes for 838 yards and 7 touchdowns. He will have one more year of eligibility remaining.

Deion Colzie fell out of the mix last season with injury issues, and was never able to get back into a regualr rotation in 2024. Through four seasons at Notre Dame, Colzie caught 21 passes for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Sam Pendeleton started 7 games for Notre Dame, but was eventually supplanted by Billy Schrauth and Rocco Spindler. Pendleton exceeded early expectations while in South Bend, and his early playing time is a tribute to that success. Sam will have three years of eligibility remaining. He is a North Carolina native who held offers from amny schools out of high school with both the Clemson Tigers and Duke Blue devils as programs that stick out.

There will be quite a few more portal entries over the coming days. For now, this is the general scholarship chart for 2025.