Notre Dame addressed the defensive backfield in a meaningful way on Monday by landing commitments from cornerbacks DJ McKinney (Colorado) and Jayden Sanders (Michigan). Both were highly rated portal targets and add experience, competition, and flexibility to a secondary that was already very talented, but also stretched thin over the past two seasons.
While neither addition perfectly answers the most pressing secondary need, together they significantly improve Notre Dame’s talent and give Chris Ash and Mike Mickens some interesting options heading into next season
DJ McKinney: Proven Boundary Corner With NFL Traits
McKinney arrives as the more established of the two additions and was widely viewed as an NFL-caliber corner prior to a late-season injury that ended his year early. Had he entered the draft, he would have been firmly on boards across the league.
- Multi-year Power Five contributor with 40 career games played and 22 starts at Colorado
- Career stats: 137 tackles, 4 INTs, 18 PBUs, 1 pick-six
- Regularly drew top receiver matchups
- Primarily a boundary corner with NFL-level size and physicality
- Strong run-support production for the position
McKinney has taken some situational snaps aligned inside, but his résumé and tape clearly point to a boundary corner. Notre Dame is projecting role flexibility based on traits rather than past usage.
Jayden Sanders: Developmental Boundary Corner With Upside
Sanders brings a younger profile with multiple years of eligibility remaining and upside still to be unlocked. His experience has also come primarily on the outside.
- Appeared in all games during his primary season of action
- Recorded 23 tackles (16 solo, 7 assisted)
- Added pass breakup while playing rotational boundary snaps
- Former highly regarded recruit with prototypical length
- Three years of eligibility remaining
While Sanders’ stat line is modest, he was not a starter in 2025. Coming out of high school, Sanders was widely regarded as one of the top defensive back prospects in Texas. He was a consensus four-star recruit, ranking inside the national Top 250 across multiple services and consistently grading as a Top 25 cornerback in the country. Sanders was also a multi-time All-District selection and earned statewide recognition in Texas, including Defensive MVP honors in 7-on-7 competition and preseason Super Team recognition from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. In addition to his work at corner, he was also honored as a kick returner, underscoring his athletic versatility coming out of high school.
Nickel Fit and the Ripple Effect Across the Secondary
One of the more interesting aspects of these additions is what they do not immediately solve. Nickel was generally viewed as Notre Dame’s most obvious secondary portal need, yet neither McKinney nor Sanders brings extensive experience playing inside.
McKinney’s inside reps have been situational. Sanders has almost exclusively played on the boundary. Rather than signaling a missed evaluation, this appears to be a deliberate decision to add quality outside corners first and allow the rest to fall into place.
That approach matters when looking at the broader secondary picture. Leonard Moore is locked into a starting role in 2026 and remains the foundation of the unit. The more nuanced discussion centers on Christian Gray.
Gray has logged a heavy snap load on the outside the past two seasons and has shown both high-level play and bouts of inconsistency. With McKinney and Sanders now in the room, could Gray get a look at nickel? A move inside to nickel is at least a possibility worth monitoring, particularly if it allows the staff to field its best overall combination rather than assigning roles out of necessity.
Depth has been the underlying issue for this unit for multiple seasons. Moore and Gray were required to play an enormous number of snaps because there simply were not enough proven options behind them. Early-season injuries only magnified that problem, forcing players into prominent roles before they were fully ready. Karson Hobbs being pressed into action against Texas A&M, and dropping what would have been a game-sealing interception, remains a clear example of how thin the margin was.
McKinney and Sanders change that dynamic. Notre Dame can now rotate more effectively, manage workloads, and avoid emergency solutions in high-leverage situations. Notre Dame also lost freshman Cree Thomas to the portal so today’s additions, Sanders specifically, help reduce the impact of that loss.
The ripple effect extends to the rest of the secondary as well. Moore provides All-America level play on the outside. Adon Shuler continues to bring leadership and stability, while Tae Johnson showed real growth and ball-hawking ability this past season. The unit as a whole is deeper, more flexible, and better positioned to handle both injuries and matchup-driven adjustments. Notre Dame’s secondary was already going to be elite in 2026. Now it just might end up being the best secondary in the country before all is said and done.
Part of a Busy Portal Day
McKinney and Sanders capped off a productive day in the transfer portal for Notre Dame, which also added wide receiver Quincy Porter and defensive lineman Keon Keeley. Taken together, the moves reflect a targeted approach paying off after a little over a week of frustration in the portal for Notre Dame – at for its fans who were hoping for opening weekend fireworks. Notre Dame lost out on some key targets early in the process, but today’s additions were a major rebound. The Irish added talented players who will impact 2026, and didn’t just take fliers on roster fillers. All four of today’s additions will have an impact in 2026.
Notre Dame may still need to finalize its nickel solution, but Mickens and Ash now have some more weapons on hand to address the issue. By adding McKinney and Sanders, the Irish have improved depth, increased competition, and given themselves more lineup flexibility heading into 2026, and in the case of Sanders, someone who will have an impact beyond 2026.
