Tag: Notre Dame recruiting

Notre Dame commit reaches impressive milestone as he heads towards a state title

The Irish got a great one

Notre Dame football landed a commitment from 2026 Florida quarterback [autotag]Noah Grubbs[/autotag] in June of this year, giving them a great start to the class.

The 6-foot, 4-inch and 190-pound signal caller is one of the country’s best, ranking as the No. 162 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Grubbs has been slinging the ball all over the field this fall, as he continues to lead his Lake Mary team towards a potential state championship.

Over the weekend he reached an impressive milestone, as he threw his No. 100 touchdown pass over the course of the last two and-a-half seasons. It quite the feat, considering the quality of play in the state.

Notre Dame found a great one in Grubbs, as he will enter the program next year with plenty of reps under his belt. Over the last few seasons, the Irish have dipped into the transfer portal for their starting quarterback, but they have amassed plenty of depth behind current starter Riley Leonard with Steve Angeli, CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey.

It remains to be seen what head coach Marcus Freeman will do to fill the shoes of Leonard for next fall, but that won’t matter much to Grubbs. Expect him to compete for a starting spot immediately, although it’s not a given he will come out as the starter in 2026.

5 keys for a Notre Dame football victory over the Army Black Knights
Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his players for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame football flips the nations top 2025 specialist from Wisconsin

A big flip for the Irish

With the early signing period rapidly approaching, teams are looking to flip commitments which is exactly what Notre Dame football did on Monday afternoon.

The Irish were able to flip kicker [autotag]Erik Schmidt[/autotag] from the Wisconsin Badgers, giving them a solid option heading into next fall. Over the last few cycle, Notre Dame has used the transfer portal to fill its kicker need, but that shouldn’t happen this fall.

Schmidt is widely regarded as one of the best at his position, ranking as the No. 1 overall kicker in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

The Wisconsin native decided that playing home wasn’t the best option for him, as the lure of playing for one of the most recognizable college football brands clearly stood out to him. Schmidt can punt and kick, so his versatility was important in the Irish’s pursuit of him.

Marquette’s Erik Schmidt (18) kicks off during the game against Sussex Hamilton at Hart Park on Friday, Oct.11, 2024.

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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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Could former Notre Dame QB commit Deuce Knight be flipping again?

Another rollercoaster recruitment

Many of us knew quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] was wavering on his commitment to Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class, and in early October he flipped to the Auburn Tigers.

What we didn’t expect was the 247Sports composite’s No. 28 overall prospect would reconsider his most recent commitment. That could be the case. It is being reported by On3 that Knight will visit the Ole Miss Rebels  they host Mississippi State on Friday afternoon.

It makes sense Knight might be looking at other options. The Tigers (5-6) have struggled and face a tough final opponent: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Rebels have an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff, which isn’t the case for the Irish. They are firmly in at the moment, and a win against USC will remove any doubt.

Also, don’t expect Knight to rekindle his relationship with Notre Dame, which has already found his replacement, Blake Hebert.

Deuce Knight will once again not be visiting Notre Dame this weekend
Lipscomb Academy junior quarterback Deuce Knight talks with position coaches on the sideline of their scrimmage against Blackman during the 615 Preseason Showcase Friday, August 11, 2023 at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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Derek Meadows now projected to flip to an SEC power, instead of Michigan

What a wild recruitment for the wide receiver

With Name, Image and Likeness coming into play a few years ago, there are going to be more and more crazy recruiting stories, with Notre Dame being a part of it.

Two years we saw plenty of drama around signing day, as safety Peyton Bowen flipped to Oregon, before flipping again to Oklahoma a day later. While the Irish did have a few flip last year, none of them happened close to signing day.

This year’s class may also be void of the drama, but there is a certain player that Notre Dame would more than welcome into the class in wide receiver [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag]. The Irish were viewed as a frontrunner, but eventually lost out to LSU.

With the Tigers quarterback commit Bryce Underwood flipping to Michigan, it seemed like Meadows would follow him to the Big Ten. As Lee Corso famously says, “Not so fast,” as on Wednesday 247Sports Tom Loy put in a crystal ball pick in for the nation’s No. 119 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings to land at Alabama.

It’s obviously been a crazy recruitment, one that doesn’t look like Meadows will end up in South Bend, although the temptation has always been there.

Oct 19, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly reacts to a call in the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame’s top flip target crystal balled to Big Ten power

The Irish just can’t seem to get over the hump with this star prospect

For a good portion of wide receiver [autotag]Derek Meadow[/autotag]’s recruitment, it looked like Notre Dame was in the drivers seat.

That is until he initially committed in late-July to LSU, there was always some speculation that the 6-foot, 5-inch and 200-pounders recruitment wasn’t over. That has been the case as the nation’s No. 119 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings ended up taking a few unofficial visits during the season.

One of those was to South Bend as the Irish hosted Florida State. It seemed like Notre Dame was getting back into the mix to flip Meadows, but on Thursday a significant domino fell. Michigan flipped LSU quarterback commit Bryce Underwood, and it looks like the talented wide receiver may follow.

The reason for this was that shortly after the star signal caller changed his mind, On3’s Steve Wiltfong predicted that Meadows would join him in Ann Arbor.

While we all love laughing at Brian Kelly for losing potentially both recruits, we would hate to see Meadows end up with the Wolverines instead of the Irish.

Notre Dame football media and players react to Deuce Knight flipping
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Former Notre Dame football commits flips again, lands in the SEC

Not surprising given his flip history

It has been quite the wild recruiting ride for safety [autotag]Ivan Taylor[/autotag], who at one point was committed to Notre Dame.

Following the summer, the 6-foot, 170-pounder decided that South Bend wasn’t the place for him, and proceeded to flip to the Michigan Wolverines. The Big Ten team held Taylor’s commitment for just four months, as he once again flipped, this time to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The son of former NFL cornerback Ike Taylor has obviously had multiple changes of heart, and at this point, its hard to discount the possibility that he might end up flipping once more.

As the nation’s No. 59 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, it was clear that many teams were fighting for Taylor’s commitment. With the early signing period coming up next month, we will see if he actually sticks with his third commitment.

West Orange High School Warriors’ Ivan Taylor watches from the sidelines at the Florida High School 7v7 Association state championship in The Villages on Friday, June 24, 2022. [PAUL RYAN / CORRESPONDENT]

Florida High School 7v7 Association State Championship

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Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III status for Army

Hopefully he’s a go this weekend

While Notre Dame football has a 9-1 record with just two games left in the regular season, it has battled injuries all fall, which makes its record much more impressive.

The Irish will face the Army Black Knights on Saturday evening in what coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called the “toughest challenge to date.” Unfortunately, it looks like Notre Dame might not have star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] for the contest.

Freeman listed the senior as questionable after he sat out this past weekend’s win over Virginia. The good news is [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] has filled in and played very well.

This is the kind of game where if Cross can get on the field, he needs to be out there. Even if he is limited to a certain amount of snaps, he’s a game-changer that will help Notre Dame. Hopefully, Cross heals during the week and we see him against Army.

Notre Dame star DT Howard Cross III’s status for Virginia has been updated
Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Jack Gorman/Getty Images

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Notre Dame football loses 2025 commit, flips to Kansas Jayhawks

A not so happy Monday for the Irish

It wasn’t the news many wanted to hear on Monday morning. Now former Notre Dame football commit [autotag]Justin Thurman[/autotag] flipped to the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Florida running back had been committed to the Irish since early August of last year, but he decided South Bend wasn’t the place for him. As the nation’s No. 477 overall prospect on the 247Sports composite, this is clearly a loss for Notre Dame.

This could be a consequence of the Irish adding another back to the class. Nolan James committed a week ago after being in the Boston College’s 2025 recruiting class.

Thurman seemed firm with his pledge to Notre Dame, but now they must continue looking for another running back in the class. It has been fairly common for the Irish to take two in each cycle, so expect another flip in the near future.

Recruit Justin Thurman Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the annual Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

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Notre Dame 2025 football commit has a big Wednesday full of awards

What a day for the future Irish star

It was quite the Wednesday for Notre Dame football 2025 commit [autotag]Christopher Burgess Jr.[/autotag]

Early in the day the 6-foot, 4-inch and 240-pound edge rusher found out that he was named as a first-team All-State player by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. According to MaxPreps, Burgess had 96 tackles, 5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 8 hurries and a forced fumble on the year.

It was quite the senior season for the future Irish pass rusher, but that wasn’t the only recognition that he’d receive on the day. The Navy All-American Bowl also honored him by presenting him his jersey for the all-star game.

Burgess is one of the top recruits in Notre Dame’s 2025 class, as he’s ranked as the nation’s No. 118 overall prospect by the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Unfortunately for him, his high school career is over, after him Simeon team lost in the first round of the state playoffs. Burgess will have one more opportunity to play in the All-American Bowl before he heads off to start his career in South Bend.

Notre Dame doesn't move up in the AP Poll, nor does it move down.
Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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