Quincy Porter didn’t get the kind of spring start he probably imagined when he landed at Notre Dame.
Instead of building early chemistry with quarterback CJ Carr, the 6-foot-4, 207-pound receiver spent that stretch recovering from a left patella injury that followed surgery and lined up with his December move into the transfer portal. While former Ohio State teammate Mylan Graham was out helping set the tone for the Irish wideout room, Porter was sidelined and working his way back.
That’s the frustrating part of Porter’s arrival. The upside, though, is obvious.
Porter came to Columbus with a résumé that turned heads. A 247Sports five-star in the Class of 2025, he put together a huge high school career at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, N.J., the same New Jersey program that has long been familiar territory for Notre Dame.
Over three varsity seasons, he hauled in 133 catches for 2,624 yards, averaged 19.7 yards per reception and scored 38 touchdowns. In Bergen Catholic’s run to the 2024 Non-Public A State championship, he was even more explosive, averaging 23.6 yards on 41 catches.
That production pushed him to No. 2 in New Jersey and No. 4 among receivers nationally in the 247Sports rankings. Ohio State beat out a long list of heavy hitters for him, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
The problem at Ohio State was simple: there wasn’t much room. Porter was a true freshman in 2025 trying to crack a receiver group that already featured Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss.
Graham got into nine games and caught six passes for 93 yards. Porter appeared in five games, finishing with four receptions for 59 yards.
His first college catch came in early October against Minnesota, when he grabbed a 15-yarder. Two weeks later at Wisconsin, he added two more catches for 30 yards, including a long of 22.
His fourth and final catch in an Ohio State uniform came against UCLA in mid-November for 14 yards.
Now Porter and Graham are together again in South Bend, even though neither seemed to know the other was headed there when the spring started. Graham said, "At first, I didn't even know he was going to come (to Notre Dame)," said Graham of Porter.
"He was before me. After I heard he was coming, I kind of reconsidered.
But this place seemed like home for me."
Porter’s version was just as matter-of-fact: "I had a feeling (Graham) was going to come (to Notre Dame) anyway."
For Porter, the focus now is getting fully healthy and settling into a role. When he first arrived late-winter, he was still dealing with the knee issue and said, "I've been dealing with some injury issues," said Porter shortly after his arrival to Notre Dame late-winter.
"I'll address it as it is being cleared up. I'm looking forward to me looking good in the future."
Once he’s cleared, the Irish plan to move him around, though Porter expects his main home to be on the boundary. That spot is open after Malachi Fields moved on, following Beau Collins’ departure before him, and it sets up one of the more interesting battles of preseason. Porter will be in the mix with red-shirt sophomore Micah Gilbert, who had trouble locking down the job in the spring while Porter was recovering.
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