Colorado defensive back D.J. McKinney commits to transfer to Notre Dame

Colorado Buffaloes defensive back D.J. McKinney has committed to transfer to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, On3 has learned. He previously played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

D.J. McKinney was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He was the 759th-ranked player overall and the 75th-ranked cornerback in that recruiting cycle. McKinney chose to initially go to Oklahoma State over offers from Missouri, Arizona, and Arkansas, among others.

He would spend the first two seasons of his college career at Oklahoma State. That included the 2022 season when McKinney played in four games, using his redshirt. He would then transfer to Colorado ahead of the 2024 season. That leaves McKinney with one season of eligibility remaining as he transfers to Notre Dame.

Over the course of his career, McKinney has managed to play in 40 total games. During that time, he’s made 137 total tackles, including 4.0 tackles for a loss. On top of that, he has four interceptions and 19 passes defended. The vast majority of that production came during the 2024 season, when McKinney played in 13 games for Colorado.

At Notre Dame, McKinney joins an Irish team looking to build on last season’s 10-2 result and make it back to the College Football Playoff. He’s also joining a program where the calling card has been defense and often secondary play under head coach Marcus Freeman.

A season ago, Notre Dame finished 22nd nationally in total defense, giving up 312.7 yards per game. The Irish were also 56th in passing defense, giving up 213.4 yards per game. So, there is still room to improve in the secondary going into next season.

Notre Dame has been active in the Transfer Portal this offseason. The Irish have seen 15 players exit from the team already this offseason. That includes six players from the Notre Dame secondary, so it’s safe to say there will be a new look on the back end of the defense.

There is still plenty of time for Notre Dame to continue to add in the Transfer Portal. The portal will remain open through January 16th for players to enter, though those already in can still move after that point. This window is important too. The Spring window no longer exists to continue to add to players.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.