Notre Dame comes up short in Midwest recruiting battle

Notre Dame was close enough to be a finalist but came up short in landing a commitment from one of 2021’s best offensive lineman recruits.

Although Notre Dame was listed as a finalist for prized offensive tackle recruit Nolan Rucci over the weekend, not many around the Fighting Irish felt too strongly about their chances to land the class of 2021 five-star talent.

That played out to be true as Rucci announced his college decision on Tuesday, committing to Wisconsin over Notre Dame as well as other finalists Clemson, Penn State and Michigan.

Rucci is ranked as the 14th-ranked player overall and the fifth-ranked tackle by the 247Sports composite.  His father Todd played for Penn State and the New England Patriots but perhaps his older brother Hayden entering his sophomore season as a tight end at Wisconsin played a factor in his decision.

Wisconsin now ranks 16th nationally in the 247Sports team rankings for 2021 recruiting while Notre Dame checks in 13th.

You can find out more about Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class that currently features 18 pledges here.