Notre Dame reserve offensive lineman John Olmstead enters name into transfer portal

Notre Dame sophomore offensive lineman John Olmstead has put his name into the transfer portal, the former four-star recruit announced via Twitter on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-5, 283-pound Olmstead did not disclose why he's looking to transfer. But he did not see the field as a freshman in 2019 and struggled to find his place on the depth chart.

Jeff Quinn's first full recruiting class as Irish offensive line coach came in Olmstead's 2019 cycle. Olmstead, recruited out of Metuchen (N.J.) St. Joseph, enrolled a semester early with his fellow three offensive line signees: Quinn Carroll, Andrew Kristofic and Zeke Correll. Offensive guard Hunter Spears also signed with Notre Dame that class but as a defensive tackle before switching positions.

Rivals ranked Olmstead as its No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 118 overall player in the 2019 class, while 247Sports pegged him No. 35 at that same position and No. 377 overall.

Players who enter their name into the transfer portal are exploring their options. They are capable of withdrawing from the portal and returning to their team. But once they enter the portal, teams are not obligated to take them back and keep them on scholarship.

Olmstead transferring would bring Notre Dame to 85 scholarships, including Colin Grunhard. Head coach Brian Kelly put the former walk-on offensive lineman on scholarship for the 2019-20 school year. Former walk-on running back Mick Assaf also received that benefit, but he announced his retirement from football earlier this month.

The NCAA requires Division I football programs to come in at 85 scholarships or fewer. The Irish were at 90 scholarships as late as this month.

Notre Dame announced last week that three players have been medically disqualified: graduate transfer running back Trevor Speights, junior offensive lineman Cole Mabry and senior wide receiver Isaiah Robertson.