Tag: Holden Staes

Former Notre Dame tight end off to SEC

SEC bound…

At the start of the 2023 season, it appeared young tight end Holden Staes was on his way to becoming one of the next great tight ends at Notre Dame.  Specifically, it came as Notre Dame won at North Carolina State in a game Staes went for over 100-receiving yards and two touchdowns.

By the end of the season, however, he had 16 total receptions. He didn’t find the end zone again after Sept. 16; he had done so four times to that point.  Days after the regular season ended, States entered the transfer portal, and on Friday he announced his latest intentions.

Tennessee won over Georgia and Washington.

Staes checks in at 6 feet, 4 inches and 242 pounds. He came to Notre Dame from Atlanta where he attended high school at The Westminster School.

He finishes his Notre Dame career with 22 receptions for 187 yards and four touchdowns.

[lawrence-related id=57027]

All the best in Knoxville to him.

Who is missing from Notre Dame in Sun Bowl via opt-out?

These names could be in the Sun Bowl, but they won’t be.

It’s become increasingly common for college football players to opt out of inconsequential bowl games for one reason or another. With the College Football Playoff field tripling in size next year, that could solve the problem a bit, at least as far as the number of team this practice impacts. This is the future of college football, even if you don’t agree with it.

With Notre Dame facing Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, several Irish players are missing, either having entered the transfer portal or choosing to focus on preparing for the NFL draft. That means many of the Irish’s leaders in each major statistical category will be absent, so it’s not worth listing a bunch of names that won’t play.

Instead, we’re going to list the percentage of each major statistic that will be missing from the Irish during the final game of the season because of opt-outs. Hopefully, this won’t discourage you from watching the game too much:

Notre Dame tight end transfer Holden Staes signs with Tennessee

Notre Dame tight end transfer Holden Staes signs with Tennessee football.

The 2023 early signing period is taking place Wednesday-Friday for Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting signing class.

The 2023 early signing period is Josh Heupel’s third as Tennessee’s head coach. He was hired as the Vols’ head coach in Jan. 2021.

Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class ranked No. 10 nationally (247Sports Composite). The Vols’ first recruiting class under Heupel in 2022 ranked No. 17 nationally (247Sports Composite).

Holden Staes signed with the Vols on Wednesday during the early signing period.

Holden Staes’ transfer bio:

  • Position: Tight end
  • Height: 6-foot-4
  • Weight: 242 pounds
  • School: Transfer from Notre Dame

READ: Tennessee football early signing period tracker for 2024 class

READ: Tennessee football NCAA transfer portal tracker

Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes commits to Tennessee

Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes commits to Tennessee.

Notre Dame sophomore tight end Holden Staes committed to Tennessee football on Friday.

The 6-foot-4, 242-pound tight end appeared in 22 games, including nine starts, for the Fighting Irish from 2022-23. He recorded 16 receptions, 187 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns at Notre Dame.

Staes entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 4. He chose the Vols over Georgia and Washington.

Staes went to Notre Dame from the Westminster School in Atlanta, Georgia.

Student-athletes can enter the NCAA transfer portal from Dec. 2 until Jan. 2, 2024. Players can also enter the NCAA transfer portal from April 15-30, 2024.

READ: Updated Tennessee football NCAA transfer portal tracker

PHOTOS: Jason Witten through the years

The Notre Dame exodus continues, this time a tight end will enter the portal

More Notre Dame player movement

It has been a very rough go for Notre Dame football and the transfer portal so far.

The Irish have seen multiple players announce their intentions to leave the program, and now tight end [autotag]Holden Staes[/autotag] has joined the group, looking to play somewhere else. As a sophomore, he saw his role increase significantly, with Michael Mayer off to the NFL.

Staes caught 15 receptions for 176 yards and 4 touchdowns, and was expected to see that role get even larger next year. Like many others that have entered the portal before him, the growth of his game won’t come in an Irish uniform.

We wish Holden the best going forward.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Hopefully, these players can end the regular season on a high note.

Notre Dame has one game left in the regular season against Stanford. Good luck finding a way to watch it on the Pac-12 Network, but that’s a topic for another day. Right now, let’s focus on who is most likely to help the Irish beat the Cardinal.

Statistically, here’s who is likely to factor in whether the Irish can get revenge for last year’s defeat in South Bend:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 10 games

Here’s who to look for against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has two games left to improve the quality of the bowl it will play in. That might not mean much given that the New Year’s Six bowls are out of play, but it still is something to shoot for. The first of these contests comes against Wake Forest.

Here are the players statistically leading the Irish going into their home finale, one of which knows the Demon Deacons very well:

Top Notre Dame receiver Mitchell Evans out for season with torn ACL

Big loss for the Irish.

Notre Dame will be without its top receiver for the rest of the season. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] confirmed Monday that tight end [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] tore his ACL in Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh.

Evans, who was in his junior season, currently is the Irish’s top receiver with 422 yards on 29 receptions. He is averaging 14.6 yards a receptions and has scored one touchdown, which came in the loss to Louisville.

This obviously is a tough blow to an Irish offense that has been starting to find its groove again after going through a tough stretch. [autotag]Gerad Parker[/autotag] now will have to dig further into the depth chart.

[autotag]Holden Staes[/autotag] has scored the second-most touchdowns for the Irish this season at four, but this also will open up more opportunities from [autotag]Eli Raridon[/autotag] and [autotag]Cooper Flanagan[/autotag]. Still, they probably wish it was happening under better circumstances.

Hopefully, we’ll see Evans in an Irish uniform again before too long. Until then, here’s to a speedy recovery.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame statistical leaders through nine games

Here’s who to watch for in the next game.

Notre Dame is riding high after winning its past couple of games. Now, it will visit a Clemson team that looks nothing like it did the past few years. The Irish have to feel pretty good about their chances. Wouldn’t you?

Here are the statistical leaders for the Irish heading into November:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through eight games

In case you forgot after the week off.

Notre Dame has had an extra week to enjoy the blow it dealt to USC’s season. Now, it’s back to business with Pittsburgh coming to South Bend. With the gauntlet portion of the schedule behind the Irish, this hopefully will be the easiest game they’ve had to look forward to in a month.

For those who need refreshing after the week off, here are the Irish’s major statistical leaders: