Transfer Portal: Former Notre Dame football WR Braylon James commits to TCU
Braylon James is heading back home to his home state. The former Notre Dame football wide receiver announced his commitment to TCU on Monday. James, a Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point product, revealed his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal on Nov. 30. He joins the Horned Frogs with four years of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-2⅛, 202-pound James is one of 12 players from this season’s Fighting Irish team to enter their name into the transfer portal. Graduate student defensive lineman Nana Osafo-Mensah was the first on Nov. 27. Osafo-Mensah — who attended Nolan Catholic High in Fort Worth, Texas — also pledged to TCU.
James was the No. 37 available wide receiver in the transfer portal, according to On3’s ratings. They rated him as a three-star collegiate prospect with an 87 grade. His On3 NIL Valuation annual value is $124,000. That ranks No. 787 among college football players.
James was one of four Irish wide receivers who plunged into the transfer portal over the last 14 days. Fellow freshman Rico Flores Jr. followed James by putting his name into the portal after the firing of wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. As did sophomore Tobias Merriweather and graduate student Chris Tyree. Flores and Merriweather are still searching for their new homes, while Tyree committed to Virginia.
Background on Braylon James’ recruitment
The Irish welcomed James to campus during the 2023 spring semester. He was the program’s top wide receiver prospect in the high school recruiting class.
James was a four-star recruit ranked as the No. 138 overall player, No. 23 wide receiver nationally and No. 27 prospect in Texas in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
As a recruit, James reported 28 other Power Five scholarship offers. He chose the Irish over Stanford, TCU and Texas. He reported one unofficial college visit as a recruit to TCU. It came on June 13, 2021.
He appeared in four games during his freshman season, effectively preserving his redshirt. James caught his first career pass, which went for 12 yards, in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame’s blowout victory against Pittsburgh on Oct. 28. He also played in the Tennessee State (Sept. 2), Central Michigan (Sept. 16) and Wake Forest (Nov. 18). Each one of those games took place at home.
James is from the north Austin, Texas, area, about 175 miles from TCU. As a senior for the Stony Point Tigers, James caught 38 passes for 727 yards (19.1 yards per catch) and 5 touchdowns in 10 games. He previously attended Del Valle (Texas) High before transferring to Stony Point for his senior campaign.
