Transfer Portal: Oklahoma State safety Thomas Harper commits to Notre Dame Football

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have many needs for 2023 and beyond that can be helped with a healthy transfer portal cycle. One of the positions that Notre Dame will need to improve upon before spring is at safety, and on Friday we found out more help is on the way. Former Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Thomas Harper gave his commitment to Notre Dame.

Harper was the season-opening starter for the Cowboys in 2022, but injuries kept him out of five games. In 36 games over the last four years, Harper has amassed 93 tackles and 2 interceptions.

Harper joins a secondary that lacks a true standout at either safety position. Ramon Henderson and Xavier Watts appear to be the frontrunners to take over on more of a full-time basis with the departures of Brandon Joseph, D.J. Brown, and Houston Griffith — but the Irish still need more depth, more competition, and more help.

Classes at Notre Dame begin on the 16th of January, so we should probably expect a lot of transfer portal news over the next week. We are still waiting to see which Irish players decide to enter the transfer portal in this early cycle as estimates of 6-8 more have yet to become public. In my opinion, Notre Dame still needs one more safety, a couple of defensive linemen at the minimum, and perhaps another wide receiver (or two).