Notre Dame football lands a commit from 2026 4-star Tennessee cornerback

The Irish land one of the nation’s best in 2026

With Notre Dame football being so successful on the field this season, it looks like it will be translating over into recruiting.

That’s exactly what happened on Sunday, as 2026 Tennessee 4-star cornerback [autotag]Chaston Smith[/autotag] committed to the Irish according to On3. The 6-foot, 1-inch and 175-pound prospect is ranked as the nation’s No. 211 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Smith had a very good offer list, with other teams like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State and others vying for his verbal commitment.

Notre Dame now has four commits in the 2026 cycle, two on each side of the ball. Offensively, quarterback Noah Grubbs and wide receiver Dylan Faison are part of the group, and on defense it’s linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. and now Smith.

Head coach Marcus Freeman is building quite the program, after going 11-1 this fall and looking like they’ll be a very tough out in the College Football Playoff.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during a game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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