Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 10, 2026 53 T he thought of Notre Dame losing sophomore wide receiver Quincy Porter, one of its prized transfer portal acquisitions of the offseason, for the season because of knee surgery would have been much more concerning in April than it seems to be five months later when it became a reality. Even though the Irish knew Porter underwent surgery to recover from a patella injury in his left knee on the day he en- tered the transfer portal in Jan- uary, the expectations were for Porter to work his way back and make an immediate impact in his first season at Notre Dame. Unlike the previous two b o u n d a ry re ce ive rs No t re Dame added via the transfer portal — Beaux Collins in 2024 and Malachi Fields in 2025 — Porter wasn't a graduate transfer with an es- tablished track record. But Porter joined the Irish with a ré- sumé that suggested a high ceiling. He became the first Rivals Industry five- star wide receiver to join Notre Dame's program since Michael Floyd in 2008. Porter received that rating as a senior at Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic then spent a season at Ohio State, which is arguably the most respected program in the country at producing elite college wide receivers over the past decade. Porter didn't make a big splash as a freshman — 4 catches for 59 yards — but he was in an offense that featured two of the top wide receivers in the country, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. When Porter picked Notre Dame, it seemed like only a matter of time until his po- tential would be unleashed. While the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Por- ter received most of the media atten- tion, junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert took Porter's addition to the roster as more motivation. "I pride myself on being a competi- tor, so I don't want anybody to be bet- ter than me in any sense," Gilbert said earlier in September. "It's just more competition, and I'm never going to shy away from competition." Gilbert showed in Notre Dame's first four games why he can provide every- thing the Irish hoped to get out of Por- ter this season. The 6-2, 205-pound Gilbert can stretch the field with deep receptions, pull away from defenders to pick up yards after his receptions and make contested catches with defensive backs near him. Gilbert caught 15 passes for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first four ca- reer starts, and the chemistry between him and starting quarterback CJ Carr couldn't be clearer. "I've had trust in Micah since Day 1," Carr said after a 52-0 victory over Rice. "A guy that's been around some really good receivers like Malachi and Beaux. He's been behind really elite guys, but he made plays for us last year and is go- ing to continue this year to keep making plays. That was just a flash of it today." Gilbert followed up his 39-yard touchdown reception against Rice with a breakout performance against Michi- gan State — 8 catches for 170 yards — and a pair of big plays against Purdue, a 27-yard touchdown and a 56-yard reception. "It felt easy with him," Carr said of Gilbert after the Michi- gan State game. "He was open a ton winning the one-on-one battles." No t re Da m e co u l d h ave found a way to work Porter into the wide receiver rotation if he was able to regain full health, but it would have been really hard for him to replicate what Carr and Gilbert built together. Porter missed too much time in the spring, sum- mer and preseason to be ex- pected to hit the ground run- ning as an impact player. He hasn't established that level of play in college nor that rapport with Carr. Porter's potential might not have trumped Gil- bert's production. While Porter attempted to turn his rehabilitation into a full recov- ery, Gilbert took on the challenge of fac- ing All-America cornerback Leonard Moore every day in practice. Porter's lack of availability made it hard for Gil- bert to provide a scouting report on his new teammate. "I haven't seen a lot, but I'm sure he's a great player," Gilbert said. "I just pray for him to be healthy." Even sophomore Jerome Bettis Jr. started to show promise as a bound- ary receiver capable of making plays throughout the offseason. He turned that into 3 catches for 87 yards in just 32 offensive snaps in the first four games. "He's done it throughout the spring and the fall," Carr said of Bettis after the Rice game. "He's a guy we trust to go up and make 50-50 catches." Carr continues to demonstrate his ability to make the most out of the sup- porting cast around him. Whether he's throwing to a former lacrosse recruit like Jordan Faison or an inexperienced player hoping to emerge like Gilbert, Carr will be looking to punish defenses who take his receivers for granted. ✦ Porter, a sophomore wide receiver who transferred to Notre Dame from Ohio State, won't play a game for the Irish in 2026 due to a left knee injury. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Quincy Porter's Injury Is More Footnote Than Crisis Tyler James has been covering Notre Dame athletics since 2011. He can be reached on X @ TJamesND FIRST AND LAST TYLER JAMES