Second Notre Dame football player announces transfer portal plans

SOUTH BEND — College football’s 30-day transfer portal window doesn’t officially open until Dec. 9, but Notre Dame football already has two ex-players with stated plans to exit via that route.

Tuesday’s addition was defensive tackle Tyson Ford, a third-year player who was removed from the roster in late June after being reclassified as a medical non-counter.

“My journey is far from over,” Ford announced via his social media account.

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Like junior cornerback Jaden Mickey, who announced his plans to redshirt on Sept. 23, Ford remains on track to earn his Notre Dame degree (political science) in the spring. Both players enrolled early in January 2022.

Mickey, who played in the first four games this season, has two remaining years of eligibility. Ford will depart with three years of eligibility.

A four-star recruit from the John Burroughs School in St. Louis, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Ford stepped away from football near the end of spring practice.

After redshirting in 2022, Ford made just three game appearances and played a total of 13 defensive snaps in 2023. He made one tackle and had a quarterback hurry against Tennessee State in Game 2.

Ford also saw limited action on Senior Day against Wake Forest (five snaps) and in the regular-season finale at Stanford (two snaps).

Ford has practiced at both defensive end and defensive tackle during his college career.

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com