SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There is no “most important recruiting weekend” on the calendar anymore, not with the non-stop inundation of visits, calls, texts, and other means by which college coaches can get in touch with high school talent.
And yet, this month is a critical one for Notre Dame with a recruiting class of 16 commitments that ranks second nationally in the 247Sports Composite. Not only will Notre Dame host Irish Invasion — its invite summer camp — this weekend, but it’s using June to cycle through visitors, including a raft of officials later this month.
Advertisement
The next few weeks should give Notre Dame hints about whether it’s in position for a stronger finish to the cycle than the past few years and if the afterglow of last season’s run to the national championship game is real. The Irish didn’t get much of a bump last December in the early signing period before the College Football Playoff kicked off. Head coach Marcus Freeman believes Notre Dame may be getting one now.
“The brand, the faces, it is recognizable for all those guys and they want at least hear about Notre Dame football,” Freeman said. “Now, that’s just a part of the piece, right? You’re interested in listening. Now, how do we get the young person to believe in what the entire package of Notre Dame football truly can offer you?
“But if you don’t get ’em to even listen, then you have zero chance. And so I think now at least we have a chance.”
What Notre Dame manages in recruiting during June won’t entirely determine what the Irish do with that chance, but it will impact it. These are the biggest items on that to-do list in the coming weeks.
Figure out the 2027 quarterback situation
Notre Dame got a look at its next generation of quarterbacks during last summer’s Irish Invasion. It thought so, anyway.
Noah Grubbs (Class of 2026) committed leading into the camp, and Deuce Knight (Class of 2025) attended, long before his flip to Auburn. However, the primary purpose of bringing quarterbacks to campus during the summer is mainly to get them to campus. The more exposure to Notre Dame, the better. Sometimes they turn out to be commitments. Sometimes they’re national prospects passing through South Bend.
Grubbs, a four-star recruit ranked No. 11 among QBs in the 2026 class, remains in the commitment column for Notre Dame, but the staff continues to debate its next move in the 2027 cycle, where it’s not entirely clear where the Irish are leaning.
Advertisement
It’s a good bet Notre Dame will prioritize mobility as an alternative to the more pro-style Grubbs. It’s expected that four-star Malachi Zeigler (Benton, La.) will attend Notre Dame’s weekend camp. However, the spring contact period was more of an evaluation tool than the Irish Invasion camp would be.
Teddy Jarrard (Kennesaw, Ga.) is another summer visitor worth tracking. Typically, the Irish already know who they’re going with at quarterback at this stage (or, in the case of Knight, believe they do), making the summer camp circuit a chance to embed those quarterbacks within the program rather than evaluate them.
Sell hope at wide receiver
The most effective recruiting tactic against Notre Dame, particularly for high-profile receivers, is printing out box scores. And Freeman would have a hard time arguing the point, considering the Irish haven’t had a wide receiver lead the team in catches in six years, regardless of the quarterback throwing the ball.
During Freeman’s three seasons in charge, Notre Dame’s leading wideout has averaged 33 catches for 441 yards. Neither of those stats approaches the top 100 nationally. In other words, Chase Claypool’s senior year was a long time ago.
The most charitable recruiting pitch is that Notre Dame is poised to balance out its offense with a more talented passer at quarterback and finally have some homegrown talent to showcase at wide receiver (Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison), plus a potential top transfer (Malachi Fields from Virginia). But Notre Dame can’t put that on video for another three months, which is where the hope comes into play.
Bubba Frazier (No. 222 nationally) and Dylan Faison (No. 744) are already committed, though the Irish are hunting bigger game. Five-star Quentin Burrell (Chicago, Ill.) will headline Irish Invasion as the No. 24 player in the 247Sports Composite. He’s already visited Notre Dame twice and plays for Mt. Carmel, a Catholic school with plenty of Notre Dame ties.
Advertisement
The Irish are also pushing for Kaydon Finley (Aledo, Texas), who returned to Notre Dame earlier this week. The four-star receiver is the son of former Texas tight end Jermichael Finley, with the Longhorns the most significant competition.
Brayden Robinson (Red Oak, Texas), Jayden Warren (Iowa Colony, Texas), Brian Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Devin Fitzgerald (Phoenix) are the other top targets entering summer. Three have official visits scheduled. It won’t be a surprise if Warren does too. Fitzgerald is the son of future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and plays at Brophy Prep, which has produced notable alums such as Benjamin Morrison and Cree Thomas. Williams is a high school teammate of quarterback commitment Noah Grubbs.
Close the deal on defensive line
Notre Dame’s defensive line class could be complete by the end of June. Or close to it, at least.
Three-star defensive tackle Alister Vallejo (Liberty Hill, Texas) is scheduled to commit on June 10, with Notre Dame, Michigan and Kansas the finalists. Vallejo visited Notre Dame for the first time this week. Four-star defensive tackle Elijah Golden (Sarasota, Fla.) might come off the board next, following summer official visits that include Notre Dame and Alabama. While Notre Dame won’t close the door on defensive line talent, a five-man haul of Vallejo and Golden plus commitments Rodney Dunham (Charlotte, N.C.), Ebenezer Ewetade (Garner, N.C.) and Tiki Hola (Bastrop, Texas) would get it close.
Notre Dame signed five defensive linemen last cycle, but that group felt more regional than national in scope. Al Washington landed three from Chicago and one from Ohio, to go with an early commitment from defensive tackle Davion Dixon, who missed spring practice with a chest injury. It’s not clear if the push to sign another five (or more) reflects on last year’s haul or expectations that the position might soon turn over.
Either way, oversigning along the defensive line is good business for Notre Dame as it commits to playing 10 at the position during seasons that can stretch to 16 games. Ten defensive linemen logged at least 100 snaps last season, with six of those going over 400 snaps.
Those usage rates offer proof of concept for Notre Dame that it will play as much talent as it can recruit along the defensive line. Three commitments are a nice start. Five might be the new minimum, especially if that includes Golden and Vallejo.
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
