A day after nudging his Notre Dame football team another step in the College Football Playoff chase for the school’s first national title since 1988, third-year Irish coach Marcus Freeman spent Saturday multi-tasking.

With an eye toward 2025.

On Monday afternoon, his finishing touches on the recruitment of Virginia grad transfer wide receiver Malachi Fields and Freeman’s clandestine groundwork before that paid off. The third-team All-ACC selection has committed to joining the Irish for his final season of eligibility.

“There’s time you’ve got to wear different hats,” said Freeman on Monday, after his seventh-seeded Irish (12-1) advanced to a CFP quarterfinal matchup with 2 seed Georgia (11-2), Jan. 1 in New Orleans with a 27-17 dismissal of 10 seed Indiana on Friday night.

“Up until Friday was preparation for Indiana. Saturday, you kind of put on a different hat and said, ‘OK, hey, let’s look at a couple different portal situations.’ Now, we’re back to preparing for Georgia.

“We try to eliminate as many distractions as we can for our current players and our program and what we’re trying to do. But we also know the transfer portal is a part of college football right now.”

And now Fields will be part of a Notre Dame receiving corps that loses minimally leading receiver Beaux Collins (36 receptions, 445 yards, 2 TDs) as well as fellow 2024 grad transfers Kris Mitchell (19/201/2) and Jayden Harrison (17/211/1) from the wide receiver corps. All three of them have expiring eligibility.

The 6-4, 220-pound Fields would plug right into Collins’ boundary receiver spot, with big numbers at Virginia — 55 catches for 805 yards and 5 TDs. Four of those receptions for 81 yards came against the Irish in a 35-14 ND Senior Day home win back on Nov. 16. He had similar numbers as a junior in 2023 — 58/811/5.

The Cavaliers lost six of their last seven games to finish 5-7.

The former two-star prospect from Monticello High in Charlottesville, Va., is the second incoming transfer to commit to Notre Dame in this cycle, joining Alabama defensive back Devonta Smith, who’s expected to replace Jordan Clark at nickel.

Fields had considered entering the 2025 NFL Draft, to be held this spring, and already had an invite to play in the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for pro scouts.

Instead, he’ll showcase his 2025 season in a Notre Dame uniform.

He was a quarterback and cornerback in high school, who converted to wide receiver at Virginia. He was also a track standout, qualifying as a state finalist in the 2021 VHSL Class 3 state meet in the 200-meter dash, 4×100 relay, shot put, discus, long jump, high jump and triple jump. His best finish at that meet was third in the high jump.

Fields gained a fifth collegiate season by missing most of his sophomore season (2022) with a broken foot and taking a medical redshirt year.

The transfer portal opened for all FBS players on Dec. 9 and closes on Saturday. The eight teams still playing in the CFP and those with bowl games after Saturday, will have an additional five-day transfer window after their respective teams conclude play in the postseason.

So far, just three players have entered the transfer portal from Notre Dame, two of whom had medically retired last summer — defensive linemen Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira — and one who left the Irish roster after four games to preserve a redshirt year — junior cornerback Jaden Mickey.

Ford and Mickey have since committed to Cal, with Mickey making his decision the day of the ND-IU game on Friday. Gobaira is still looking.

The Irish will likely have more incoming transfers this offseason and definitely more outgoing transfers at some point — and there’s another 10-day transfer portal window in the spring — but so far they have stated those intentions publicly.

“Our current guys have been great,” Freeman said. “They’re ready to prepare the right way, and I haven’t heard anything about a guy trying to go to the portal right now.”

Child advocacy centers, recovery housing and diversion programs in West Virginia will receive grants as part of the initial round of $10.4 million distributed by the nonprofit allocating opioid settlement funds in the U.S. state with the highest overdose rate.

The West Virginia First Foundation announced funding Monday for 38 programs across six regions of the state representing “a crucial step in addressing the epidemic with both urgency and care,” Executive Director Jonathan Board said.

The proposals were chosen from 174 applications received by the foundation for funding this year for an initial round of around $19.2 million in grants. Foundation officials say they plan to disperse around $8.8 million in supplemental awards to organizations that weren’t selected for the first round, under the requirement that they make adjustments and reapply.

A total of 11 organizations will receive money for youth substance use prevention and workforce development, with the largest share — $442,800 — going to support Seed Sower, Inc. in the southern West Virginia counties of Fayette, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Mercer, Wyoming and McDowell. Ten county commissions, local police departments and other organizations received funding for programs to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and provide them with support and treatment with the largest sum — around $625,650 — going to the Berkeley County Diversion and Interdiction Project.

Seven organizations were granted funding for expanding access to transitional and recovery housing, with Southern WV Fellowship Home, Inc. receiving the largest share, $658,800. Ten child advocacy centers across the state are receiving funding, including North Star Child Advocacy Center in Parkersburg, which will receive $720,000 to expand operations.

“The holidays can be a challenging time for many, and we hope this announcement reinforces a message of hope, recovery, and progress for West Virginia communities,” said Matt Harvey, the foundation’s board chair and prosecuting attorney in Jefferson County.

Officials from 55 West Virginia counties signed on to a memorandum of understanding that allows money to be funneled through the West Virginia First Foundation and dictates how it can be spent. The state Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice gave it the green light earlier this year.

According to the agreement, the foundation is responsible for distributing just under three-quarters of the settlement money. Around a quarter will go directly to local communities and 3% will remain in trust.

The state is receiving money from each of its settlement agreements on a staggered schedule, with annual payments coming until at least 2036. The private foundation alone is expected to receive around $367 million over the next five years.

The Dallas Cowboys are back in the win column, and Jerry Jones couldn’t be happier.

Following his team’s nail-biting 26-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, the Cowboys owner and GM was quick to praise his team.

But perhaps more importantly, he also went out of his way to mention had coach Mike McCarthy – who’s job security has been in question most of the season – and the job he has done this year.

MORE: 4 takeaways from Cowboys’ impressive win vs. Buccaneers

“I’m real proud,” Jones said after the game. “Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think that they’re playing for the Super Bowl out there. He won’t let them do it. I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the coach… There’s no question that we’re fighting with a very limited deck out here right now, and those guys are doing a great job. All of them, the players, but my hat is off to Mike McCarthy.”

In Jones’ defense, the Cowboys have won four of their last five games after starting 3-7, and have an opportunity to finish the year above .500 if they can win their final two games.

The only problem? The Cowboys have also been officially eliminated from the playoff picture thanks to that abysmal start to the season.

This, of course, is not the first time that Jones has gone out of his way to say good things about his head coach either. Earlier this season, Jones told 105.3 The Fan that he gave McCarthy and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer ‘high grades’ for the way they have navigated the team through adversity this season.

Jones has also consistently deflected any questions regarding the idea of moving on from the Cowboys coach, who is in the final year of his deal with the franchise. He even left the door open for a possible extension, despite McCarthy and the team’s struggles on the field throughout the year.

“I don’t think (an extension) is crazy at all,” Jones told The Fan in late November. “This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left.”

Will any of that matter when the season officially comes to a close in two weeks? Only time will tell, but it certainly seems as though Jones is doubling down on the idea of keeping McCarthy in Dallas.

And if the Cowboys can finish strong, and perhaps earn wins over the division-rival Eagles and Commanders, it would go a long way in helping Jones make that decision.

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