Multitasking Freeman, Notre Dame lure Virginia transfer WR Malachi Fields

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.”