Transfer Portal: Former Columbia DT Quentin Autry commits to Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on
Notre Dame went the preferred walk-on route for defensive tackle depth in the transfer portal. Former Columbia DT Quentin Autry committed to the Irish as a PWO, he announced on social media Saturday afternoon.
Autry, who stands 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, will be a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining.
After sitting out his first two college football seasons — his season was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and he missed all of 2021 due to an injury — Autry played sparingly in 2022 and broke out for the Lions in 2023. He made 19 tackles (10 solo) and picked up 16 total pressures, including 3 quarterback hits and his first career sack in Week 6 against Marist.
Autry entered the transfer portal on Dec. 19. He majored in computer science after graduating from, ironically, Lawrenceville (N.J.) Notre Dame.
At Columbia, Autry played almost exclusively the three-technique defensive tackle position that Rylie Mills dominated for Notre Dame last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Autry lined up in the B gap (between the guard and the tackle) for 406 of his 446 total snaps during his senior year.
When he arrives at Notre Dame this summer, Autry will join a deep defensive tackle room headlined by Mills and fellow graduate starter Howard Cross III. Cross and Mills are two of the top returning interior defensive linemen in college football, combining for 71 total pressures in 2023.
Elsewhere in defensive line coach Al Washington’s interior group, senior Jason Onye was a spring ball standout. He and junior Donovan Hinish manned the second team in spring practice, while freshmen Sean Sevillano Jr. and Cole Mullins played with the third team.
Senior Gabriel Rubio remains off the official roster and he missed all of spring ball for personal reasons, but he’s expected to return this summer. When he does, he’ll join Onye on the second unit and be Cross’ primary backup at nose tackle.
Autry will fit right in at Notre Dame, having been an academic standout in high school and at Columbia. He won the George Wahl Scholar-Leader Student-Athlete award and the Leadership in Student Government award at Notre Dame (N.J.), among other academic honors.
Autry was a National Merit Commended Scholar, a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and an Honors Chemistry II Award recipient. He was elected Student Government President at Notre Dame (N.J.), and he was involved with Peer-to-Peer Tutoring and Catholic Athletes for Christ.
The New Jersey native also participated in the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute at Princeton, as well as the Yale Summer Academy. He also plays the piano, according to his Columbia bio.
