Junior guard Markus Burton and sophomore guard Cole Certa have officially announced their departures via the transfer portal to new schools following Notre Dame’s 13-18 season. On Sunday, Certa officially announced he will be playing for Clemson, and Burton followed suit Monday, transferring to Indiana to play for the Hoosiers. Although expected, the news is devastating for fans who hoped to retain the Indiana players, despite the concerning reports of Notre Dame’s limited basketball NIL budget.
In his 10 games this season, Burton led the Irish in scoring with 18.5 points alongside 2.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals. Burton suffered an ankle injury during an 87-85 win over TCU on Dec. 5 and missed the remainder of the season, leaving coach Micah Shrewsberry’s offense in disarray without its leading scorer and most potent threat. As a sophomore, Burton led the ACC in scoring with 21.3 points and was named Second Team All-ACC for his efforts leading the Blue and Gold. He scored a career-high 43 points in a quadruple-overtime matchup against Cal last March, also setting freshman scoring records throughout his rich three-year career.
Burton, a Mishawaka native in Shrewsberry’s first recruiting class, will be severely missed by the Irish, who have already seen Jalen Haralson, Sir Mohammed, Garrett Sundra and Ryder Frost enter the portal. Losing Burton’s impact on the floor tanked Notre Dame’s chances of making the NCAA tournament after his season-ending injury. The Irish will be forced to rebuild a backcourt ravaged by the transfer portal around junior guards Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes — the only players in the position group to stay.
The Irish also saw Certa vault up to 12.8 points, shooting 36.7% on 3-pointers throughout the season. The four-star recruit in the class of 2024 previously averaged 2.5 points on eight minutes per game before his drastic improvement in his sophomore campaign. Certa became a lethal 3-point threat, scoring 34 points on five 3-pointers against Virginia and 37 on seven 3-pointers against Georgia Tech. His offensive abilities were the catalyst for his conversion into a featured part of the Irish offense alongside Haralson and Shrewsberry as the Irish were forced to adjust the offensive system. Certa’s sharpshooting also became extremely valuable for Notre Dame from the free-throw line as he led the nation in free-throw percentage throughout a majority of the season, though he eventually fell to 89.2%.
Micah Shrewsberry will be forced to retool a devastated roster and fanbase after the transfer portal woes. Forty-one percent of eligible Division I college basketball players entered the portal, and Notre Dame was no exception this offseason, losing its key contributors at each position. Whether or not Notre Dame will be able to rebuild is a question for the rest of the offseason and Notre Dame’s limited basketball NIL fund. Shrewsberry is tasked with a difficult situation and will look to salvage a 2026-27 season that seems bleak with the departure of Notre Dame’s stars.
