Tag: Notre Dame recruiting

Notre Dame extends offer to 2026 four-star offensive tackle recruit

Can the Irish get him?

Notre Dame has turned out an impressive number of offensive linemen in recent years. That position also can be a liability if enough guys get injured, and the Irish had their fair share of those during this past season. All they can do now though is look towards the future.

For [autotag]Kyle Rudolph[/autotag] and the Irish, the hope is that future will include Felix Ojo, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound offensive tackle from Lake Ridge in Mansfield, Texas. The Irish have extended him an offer, the 45th he has received, which says a lot about how much college programs in general value him.

Ojo is a four-star recruit and, according to 247Sports, the No. 4 Texas recruit in the 2026 recruiting class and the No. 6 offensive tackle recruit nationally.

Texas reportedly is among the biggest challengers for the Irish, and Ojo was at the Longhorns’ junior day over the weekend. However, Kyle Kelly of Blue and Gold Illustrated is reporting that Rudolph was expected to visit Lake Ridge on Monday. So the competition for his services could be fierce:

https://www.instagram.com/felixtheol/p/DFVx19HuJHc/?img_index=1

Best of luck to Rudolph and the Irish in their pursuit of Ojo.

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Notre Dame loses 17-point lead; ex-Irish guard leads Syracuse comeback

That one hurt.

Not along ago, JJ Starling was the top-rated commit for Notre Dame since recruiting rankings began in 2000. When [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] left the Irish after his first season, he transferred to Syracuse. So what happened Saturday had to feel especially good for him.

Starling scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half of a game that the Irish led by 17 with 4:55 left in the first half and then slowly but surely lost control of. That was enough to give the Orange their largest comeback win of the season, 77-69, during which they never led until less than four minutes remained.

Despite the collapse, the Irish (8-10, 2-5) had a chance out of a timeout with 19.5 seconds to tie or take the lead on the Orange (9-9, 3-4). [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] made a clean dribble to the basket, but that only was possible because an illegal screen by [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] that was called, thus wiping out that opportunity.

Starling then split two free throws, Burton drove for a layup, and Kyle Cuffe Jr. made two more free throws, bringing the score to 72-69. With the final seconds ticking away, Burton launched a game-tying 3-pointer that missed, and the Irish collapse was complete.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] suddenly exploded right before the clock ran out, running onto the court in heated fashion. He quickly was whistled for two technical fouls and had to be restrained by his assistant coaches before heading into the tunnel to serve his ejection. Cuffe made all four technical free throws to cap a 13-point game, tying teammate Eddie Lampkin for the day.

Burton scored a career-high 22 first-half points but wasn’t nearly as much a factor in the second half, and he finished with 28. [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] finished with 14 points, and 11 each came from Davis and [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag].

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Notre Dame football offers high 4-star 2026 Texas running back

The Irish are after the former Sooner commit

If you are a high school running back, there aren’t many better places than to play your college football than for Notre Dame.

The Irish offense revolves around the backs and tight ends, and this year they’ve featured the runners even more. Jeremiyah Love is the star, but Jadarian Price and true-freshman Aneyas Williams have gotten plenty of run all year.

It’s an easy selling point for the Notre Dame staff to recruits, and it offered one of the nation’s best on Thursday, as Texas’ [autotag]Jonathan Hatton Jr.[/autotag] received one. The 6-foot, 1-inch and 205-pound back is ranked as the No. 41 overall recruit in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, as he is also a track and field star.

Hatton at one-time was committed to Oklahoma, but reopened the process in December after numerous offer continued to go his way. The key here will be to get him on campus in the spring, which is clearly the hope with an offer in hand.

Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates a first down in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame gets multiple holiday gifts from the transfer portal

The Irish got two transfers gifts over the last two days

First off, happy holidays everyone, especially Notre Dame football who have been working during the “break.”

The Irish’s season is still alive, as they will play the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year’s Day in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Not only that, Notre Dame’s coaching staff has had to deal with recruiting in the transfer portal, but that hasn’t seemed like much of an issues after the last few days.

With two transfers already committed in safety DeVonta Smith and wide receiver Malachi Fields, the Irish have gotten off to a great start adding to their 2025 roster.

They weren’t done heading into the holidays, as on Christmas Eve, Notre Dame got a commitment from former Wisconsin wide receiver [autotag]Will Pauling[/autotag]. A down season this fall in his junior year for the Illinois native, but in 2023 he caught 74 receptions for 837-yards and 6 touchdowns.

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Notre Dame wasn’t done adding more gifts via the transfer portal, as on Christmas Day got a commitment from former Arkansas tight end [autotag]Ty Washington[/autotag]. The redshirt-sophomore hasn’t played much, but does have four touchdown receptions in just 14 career catches.

Oct 14, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks tight end Ty Washington (8) runs the ball up the field against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

You have to expect that the Irish aren’t quite done with portal additions, as they’ll surely see some players enter and have to replace them. Either way, Notre Dame is off to a great 2024 transfer class.

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Another Notre Dame football commits earns top state honors

Congrats Noah!

Notre Dame football has seen multiple players win awards in their respective states, and it happened again on Tuesday.

[autotag]Noah Grubbs[/autotag], the Irish’s 2026 quarterback commit, was named as the Florida 7A Player of the Year. While his team fell just short of winning a state title, the 6-foot, 4-inch and 188-pound future star had a huge season.

The nation’s No. 162 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings threw for 3,024 yards while completing 57.7% of his passes for 37 touchdowns.

Those numbers were enough to push him to the top hill among players in the state, but the good news is that there is room to grow. Grubbs can cut down on his interceptions, as he threw 12 of them this season. He also can up his completion percentage, as you’d like to see over 60% on the year.

Either way, the Irish got a great prospect in their 2026 class, one that is fully bought into the Notre Dame culture.

Dec 20, 2024; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during the first quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame football gets a commitment from 4-star 2026 offensive lineman

The Irish are building an impressive line class in 2026

Christmas came a bit early for the Notre Dame football program, as they added yet another offensive lineman to its 2026 recruiting class.

While extremely early, the Irish got a commitment from Michigan interior offensive lineman Sullivan Garvin at the beginning of this month, and their recruiting invasion of the Mitten State continued on Tuesday.

[autotag]Ben Nichols[/autotag] committed to Notre Dame over his other three finalist of Wisconsin, Penn State and Tennessee. The 6-foot, 5-inch and 315-pounder will most likely play right tackle for the Irish. Nichols is rated as the No. 227 overall prospect and No. 3 player in the state according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Offensive lineman coach Joe Rudolph, and his predecessors, have done a great job of identifying talent along the line even when their recruiting rankings wouldn’t suggest as much. If Nichols is a take for the Irish, he’s most likely a very good player who will help Notre Dame in the coming seasons.

Notre Dame’s offensive line is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph speaks with Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) before a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.

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Another Notre Dame football signee wins state’s player of the year

Another excellent prospect heading to South Bend

It’s not just in-state athlete Mark Zackery IV coming to the Notre Dame football program as a MaxPreps state player of the Year.

Irish 2025 signee [autotag]Nolan James[/autotag] was named as New Jersey’s top player in 2024, as the 5-foot, 10-inch and 200-pound running back dominated the competition. The star carried the ball 243 times for 1,921-yards with 19 touchdowns. Only one game this fall, James didn’t top the 100-yard mark.

Not only that, he caught 27 passes for 340-yards and another 3 scores, going over 2,000 all-purpose yards on the year. Knowing all that, it makes you wonder why he was ranked so low in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, as just the No. 710 overall player in the country. At one point in time he was committed to Boston College, so it’s not like he was an unknown commodity.

Regardless of his ranking, James put up video game stats, as he prepares to head to South Bend. While he’s going to be joining a crowded room, the coaching staff has shown that they’ll play younger players early if they are ready.

Oct 4, 2024; Ramsey, New Jersey, United States; DePaul football at Don Bosco. DP #1 Nolan James Jr. avoids a tackle.

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Notre Dame football signee named states top player by MaxPreps

The Irish got a good one

Notre Dame football got a big in-state recruiting win when Ben Davis High School star [autotag]Mark Zackery IV[/autotag] committed then signed with the Irish.

The 5-foot, 11-inch and 165-pound cornerback is viewed as one of the best prospects across the country, ranking as the No. 174 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Ranking.

Zackery’s senior season was impressive, enough so for him to be named the state’s Player of the Year by MaxPreps. According to their website, the future Notre Dame star had 62 tackles, a sack, 8 interceptions with 4 tackles-for-loss.

During his high school career, Zackery had a very impressive 14 total interceptions, showing that he knows what to do when the ball is in the air. The expectations should be fairly high for his career with the Irish, as he is one of the top ranked players signed during the 2025 recruiting cycle.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all for Zackery to see early playing time, setting up a big second season in South Bend.

Notre Dame commit Mark Zackery IV has a 100-yard pick-six in opener
Ben Davis ‘ Mark Zackery IV (4) attempts to catch a pass Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, during a game between Cathedral and Ben Davis at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

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Notre Dame football makes the top-6 for 4-star Florida wide receiver

This would be a big recruiting win for the Irish

There are more than a few areas where Notre Dame football had needed to step up in recruiting, when head coach Marcus Freeman took over.

One of the was at quarterback, but it seems like the Irish have fixed that area. Another was at wide receiver, which is still a work in progress. Notre Dame hasn’t quite gotten over the hump with the pass catchers, but that could be changing in the 2026 cycle.

Florida wide receiver [autotag]Naeem Burroughs[/autotag], a 5-foot, 11-inch and 160-pound prospect narrowed his list down to 6 teams, with the Irish making the cut. As the nation’s No. 59 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, he’s going to be a game-changer for whichever program ends up signing him.

Hopefully that program resides in South Bend, as they could use a shifty, speedy slot receiver. It seems like Burroughs already has an idea of when and what he is looking for, so don’t expect this recruitment to drag on much longer.

Bolles’ Naeem Burroughs (3) hauls in a reception for a touchdown score during the second quarter of a high school football matchup Thursday, May 23, 2024 at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla. Mandarin defeated Bolles 35-14.

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Notre Dame offered two new prospect during the early signing period

The Irish were busy on Wednesday

It flew a bit under the radar on Wednesday afternoon, as Notre Dame football signed its 2025 recruiting class, but also made some moves in the 2026 cycle.

Two new prospects were given offers, defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes and jumbo athlete Noah Clark. Each of them being a top prospect and now targets for the Irish.

Griffin-Haynes stands 6-foot, 6-inches while weighing 220-pounds, is ranked as the No. 161 overall prospect in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He has an impressive early offer list from some of the best programs in the country after previously being committed to North Carolina.

As for Clark, he’s 6-foot, 3-inches and 318-pounds, as perfect frame for an interior lineman, as he most likely will play defense at the next level. He’s also ranked fairly high, as the country’s No. 242 overall prospect. Clark also has an impressive offer list.

These are two recruitments to watch for Notre Dame, as they look to assemble an impressive 2026 class.

Day after: Final thoughts on Notre Dame’s win over USC and its future
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the 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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