Notre Dame defensive back JaDon Blair plans to enter the Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. The Irish safety has four years of eligibility remaining.

Blair played his high school football at Mount Tabor in Winston Salem, North Carolina. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025. He was the 115th-ranked player overall in that recruiting cycle and the 11th-ranked safety. Coming out of high school, Charles Power of Rivals shared his scouting report on Blair.

“Massive safety prospect with the size, movement skills and physicality to potentially develop into a queen on the chessboard for defenses. Measured at 6-foot-4.5, 195 pounds at the On3 Elite Series prior to his senior season. Has outstanding length with 33-inch arms. Has the skills to line up all over the defensive formation. Moves like a much smaller player. High level feet and change of direction in coverage. Comfortable as a zone defender working in single high or cover two. Sticky in man coverage. Active playmaker at the catch point,” Power wrote.

“Using his length and physicality to make plays on the ball. Came down with four interceptions as a junior. Diagnoses plays quickly. Rugged effort level as a downhill run defender. Plays with a physical edge and throws his body around. Still relatively lean and will benefit from adding strength and technique as a tackler. One of the youngest top safeties in the cycle, turning 17 years-old in July prior to his senior season of high school. Owns one of the higher upsides at the position in the 2024 cycle due to his high-end physical traits.”

He is the son of Ja’Warren Blair, a football player who played his college football at ECU. Later, he’d go on to have a professional career that included time in the NFL and NFL Europe.

In his one season at Notre Dame, Blair appeared in just one game. That was the blowout win over Syracuse. He managed to record his first career assisted tackle during that game.

Changes coming to the Transfer Portal

There are several changes coming to the Transfer Portal this cycle that both players and teams need to contend with. This comes amid efforts to alleviate the pressure put on during the December calendar.

There is now one Transfer Portal period, the Winter Window. The Spring Window has been removed entirely. Meanwhile, the Winter Window was shortened to just 10 days. This comes after the Division I Football Oversight Committee voted to do so. The NCAA Division I Administration Committee initially only approved the move of the window and later approved the decision to shorten it as well.

The Transfer Portal is set to officially open on January 2nd. It will be open through January 16th for players to enter the portal.