Coveted Notre Dame LB transfer would make too much sense for Michigan State

A few years ago, a talented linebacker from the state of Michigan spurned both Michigan and Michigan State, and the likes of Alabama and Ohio State, to commit to Notre Dame.

It wasn’t all that shocking, however, as Notre Dame has had a linebacker pipeline to the NFL for years. The Traverse City linebacker opted to play for Marcus Freeman and the Irish and carve out a starting role on a national title contender.

Unfortunately, he’s been buried in a loaded linebacker room. The 2026 season, however, was expected to be his breakout season with a starting job up for grabs.

That linebacker is former top-100 in-state recruit Joshua Burnham.

The Traverse City Central alum was the No. 76 prospect in the 2022 class, and he joined Freeman’s first roster as head coach of Notre Dame. He played in just one game as a freshman before joining the regular rotation from 2023-25, but now he’s looking for a sure starting job and a fresh start.

On Tuesday, he entered the transfer portal.

After spending the past four years in South Bend, Burnham is back on the market, looking to play his final season elsewhere.

That somewhere could — and should — be Michigan State.

Joshua Burnham is a perfect fit for Michigan State

Is there a better fit than Burnham, a Michigan native, returning home to play for the in-state underdog which is known for its toughness and just hired his linebackers coach and has a roster full of linebackers?

Probably not.

Burnham was coached for the past few years by Max Bullough at Notre Dame, and the two are both from Traverse City. There’s no doubt in my mind that Burnham grew up watching Bullough as a kid with college football aspirations. He probably pictured himself in that Michigan State uniform.

Now, he has a chance to follow that Spartan legend back to East Lansing and get coached by him at his alma mater to close out his career.

Over the past three years, Burnham has had 64 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. He has played a nice role for the Irish and Notre Dame fans are sad to see him go.

The fit makes too much sense.