Division II transfer Yoro Diallo commits to Notre Dame men's basketball

Notre Dame added one more piece to its 2026-27 men’s basketball roster. Division II transfer forward Yoro Diallo has joined the Fighting Irish, announcing his commitment on Wednesday morning.

Diallo averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game at University of Virginia’s College at Wise as a redshirt junior this past season. He spent the first three years of his college career at Winthrop, where he was teammates with new Notre Dame center Logan Duncomb. Diallo also played for associate head coach Tony Rack, who is expected to join the Irish as an assistant under Micah Shrewsberry.

“I just felt like it was the overall best situation for me,” Diallo told Blue & Gold shortly before making his commitment public. “The staff believed in me. The culture stood out, and I wanted to go somewhere I could challenge myself, not just from a basketball standpoint, but also an academic standpoint.”

Standing 6-foot-9, Diallo will compete for minutes at the 3 and 4 spots with fellow transfer additions Bryce Dortch and Devin Brown. He likely completes Notre Dame’s roster rebuild, which also includes Duncomb, Penn transfer wing Ethan Roberts and Gonzaga transfer point guard Braeden Smith.

Diallo is a Cincinnati native who shares a high school alma mater with Duncomb: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller.

“I just talked to Logan yesterday,” Diallo said. “He’s just a great teammate, a great person.”

Diallo’s path to Notre Dame is a unique one. He played soccer for most of his high school career, believing that was his best chance to play Division I sports. But as a senior at Moeller, he picked up basketball again to play with his childhood best friend, Evan Mahaffey. Mahaffey played at Ohio State and Akron but began his career with Shrewsberry at Penn State.

He impressed on the AAU circuit and Rack, another Moeller graduate, noticed. But Diallo struggled to find playing time at Winthrop, averaging 1.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for his career.

Diallo then went to UVA Wise, where he found his game in more of a versatile role. The Cavaliers played him as more of a “big guard,” and he found success in the backcourt and on the wing.

“It really gave me the chance to expand my game and play through mistakes,” Diallo said. “I always knew I was capable of playing a guard position, and that’s always what I wanted to do. And I think I just grew a lot mentally there and became more confident.”

Diallo entered the transfer portal again for his final season of eligibility this spring. He received mostly mid-major interest until he got an opportunity at Notre Dame.

“My goal has always been to play at the highest level,” Diallo said. “I don’t wanna say proving people wrong, but proving me right.”