Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman adds to deep Notre Dame safety corps

Jalen Stroman’s promising offseason in 2024 came unraveled in Virginia Tech’s Aug.31 season opener at Vanderbilt.

The 6-1, 200-pound safety suffered an injury in that game, a 34-27 loss to the Commodores, that wasn’t originally considered long-term. It turned out to be, and that was the last game that Stroman played in a Hokies uniform.

His next one will be with Notre Dame after signing with the Irish out of the transfer portal. Stroman first told On3’s Kyle Kelly on Sunday.

The grad transfer form Bristow, Va.. and former Nokesville Patriot High two-way standout starts spring-semester classes on Monday, along with the rest of ND’s transfer class, 13 early enrolling freshmen and the players on the 2024 team who will be returning for 2025.

That transfer class, incidentally, grew significantly this weekend — doubling to eight with the additions of Stroman, Louisville grad transfer defensive tackle Jared Dawson, USC transfer defensive tackle Elijah Hughes and North Carolina grad transfer kicker Noah Burnette. The latter three all announced for the Irish on Saturday.

The 2024 ND team will also be prepping this upcoming week for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Atlanta on Jan. 20. The 7-seeded Irish (14-1) meet 8 seed Ohio State (13-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a week from Monday, with a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff on ESPN.

In Stroman’s last full season, he collected 55 tackles in 2023, including two for losses. He also broke up four passes and recorded a QB hurry.

Notre Dame’s safety corps presumably will lose two-time All-American Xavier Watts, though he technically has a sixth-year option available from the COVID exemption. They will lose former Northwestern transfer Rod Heard II, a valuable rotational piece on this season’s team.

Sophomore Adon Shuler returns to start at one safety spot. The Irish have sophomore Luke Talich and eight players with either freshman or sophomore eligibility in 2025 to compete for playing time, many perceived as high-ceiling prospects.

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Notre Dame got commitments from four transfers in December — tight end Ty Washington (Arkansas), Alabama defensive back Devonta Smith and wide receivers Will Pauling (Wisconsin) and Malachi Fields (Virginia).

The transfer portal opened on Dec. 9 and closed on Dec. 28, but that deadline is just to enter the portal, not for finding a landing spot. Ohio State and Notre Dame players will have an additional five-day window after the national championship game to enter the transfer portal.

There’s also a 10-day spring period, from April 16-25.

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