Will Vultures Push Markus Burton to Leave Notre Dame This Offseason?

Burton leads Notre Dame by averaging over 20 points per night on the year

Feb 26, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Notre Dame guard Markus Burton (3) tries to get around Clemson guard Jaeden Zachery (11) during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Things haven't gone according to plan for Notre Dame men's basketball this winter as the Fighting Irish are just 12-16 overall and 6-11 in ACC play.

The Irish have just three regular season games remaining before the ACC Tournament will conclude the campaign. Are these final handful of games the last ones we'll see of Markus Burton in a Notre Dame uniform?

This is purely speculative, but comes from where my mind is at as a longtime Notre Dame basketball fan.

Are we certain Markus Burton will be back at Notre Dame next season?

Burton is finishing up his sophomore season which has seen his scoring go up over three-points per game compared to the 17.5 he was averaged when he won last season's ACC Rookie of the Year.

He's clearly a star and anybody that watches Notre Dame basketball knows that, but even with him being a hometown kid (Mishawaka/Penn High School), just how aggressive will the vultures be when it comes to the transfer portal?

Rick Pitino's Brutally Honest Recent Comment

Feb 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts after a play during the first half against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

After guiding St. John's to a victory over UConn last weekend, legendary head coach Rick Pitino, who already utilitzed the transfer portal in a huge way, was asked about replacing his star senior guards next season.

"You can’t replace them with high school kids […] We're not recruiting any high school basketball players, not this year."

Granted, I follow Notre Dame basketball far more than any other college program so naturally Markus Burton is going to come to mind upon hearing that from one of the best to ever coach college basketball.

The point is that it doesn't have to be St. John's and Pitino that put in a massive bid for Burton's final two years of eligibility. Burton doesn't appear to be a future NBA player, but that doesn't mean he can't make a boatload of cash playing basketball in the United States.

Couple that with the money behind a program that has more pressure on it to be great each season than Notre Dame's does and the formula is there for one of the better guards in the country to gain attention from other suitors - ones in better standing entering 2025-26 than Notre Dame will be.

With the way major college athletics work these days you're simply lying to yourself if you think the backchannels aren't already being worked. Now if Burton decides to listen remains to be seen.

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