(Notre Dame) — Former Penn basketball star Markus Burton announced on his Instagram account Saturday that he is leaving the Notre Dame basketball program to enter the transfer portal.

Burton wrote on his account “After much thought and prayer, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal. I’m beyond thankful to Coach Shrews for giving me a chance, and to my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me from the beginning. South Bend will always be home to me and it’s been a blessing to me to be able to represent my city. I’ll forever be grateful for the love, support and experiences this city has given me. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead and thankful for everything that has brought me to this point.”

Burton is expected to have offers from other schools which far exceed what he mas making from Notre Dame.

The 2023 Mr. Basketball in Indiana made an impact immediately on the Irish program, earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors in his freshman season.  As a sophomore, Burton was an Associated Press All-ACC selection, leading the conference in league scoring with a 23.5 points per game average.

Burton led the Irish in scoring average (18.5) for the first 10 games of his junior year. In the 10th game of the season on December 5, Burton injured his left ankle against TCU and did not play again the rest of the season.  Dynamic defensively, Burton still finished fourth on the team in steals, despite missing the last 2/3 of the year. Notre Dame plummeted from a 7-3 start to a final record of 13-18.

Burton is among six players to leave the program since the end of the season, including fellow starters Cole Certa and  Jalen Haralson, part-time starter Garrett Sundra and reserves Ryder Frost and Sir Mohammad. All of them have two or three years of eligibility remaining.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry currently has eight players on the 2026-27 roster. Returning players are Tommy Ahneman, Logan Imes, Brady Koehler, Braeden Shrewsberry and Brady Stevens. Incoming freshmen are Jonathan Sanderson, Nick Shrewsberry and Gan Solongo. Notre Dame could add as many as seven players through the transfer portal, which officially opens Tuesday.