Recruiting insider doubles down on the growing confidence for Notre Dame to land a priority recruiting target
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Notre Dame football is closing quickly on a priority defensive line recruiting target. The Fighting Irish are now the clear team to beat.
Notre Dame football looks like they are on the cusp of putting together an elite defensive line group in the 2027 recruiting class. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish already hold commitments from defensive end Aidan O’Neil and defensive tackle David Folorunsho, which is a tremendous start. There appears to be a ton more good news on the horizon.
There are several other priority defensive lineman on the board, including 2027 Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice defensive tackle Brayden Parks. A local product to South Bend, Parks has long been a player that this Irish staff has loved, and he has some strong ties to the Notre Dame program. The Oregon Ducks have made this recruitment interesting multiple times, but it appears that the Irish and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge are trending at the perfect time.
Rivals national recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong recently logged an expert predictions for Parks to land with Notre Dame. Fellow Rivals insider Greg Smith doubled down on that momentum in his latest update.
Here is what Smith wrote about Parks and the latest in his recruitment.
4-star DL Brayden Parks
Three schools (Ohio State, Notre Dameand Oregon) officially separated from the pack and were named as the final three. Each has been in the lead group for a while. Also, each has an official visit locked in with Parks.
Notre Dame has been the heavy favorite since the start of this recruitment. He’s got family ties to Notre Dame and has been to South Bend many times. His relationship with new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is also continuing to grow. The Irish have the momentum here and Steve Wiltfong has joined me on a prediction for Parks to pick Notre Dame.
Brayden Parks’ recruiting background
Parks is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms right now. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Parks currently sits as the No. 172 overall player and No. 19 defensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class. He is also pegged as the No. 10 player in the state of Illinois, a very important area for the Irish. 247 Sports is actually the highest on Parks right now, sitting as the No. 130 overall player on their individual ranking.
The offer list for Parks is even more impressive than his recruiting rankings. Some of the top programs that have offered Parks includes the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Penn State, USC, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Arizona State, Iowa State, Minnesota, UNC, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Kansas, among several others.
The 6-3, 305-pound defensive tackle was a tremendous player for Brother Rice as a junior in 2025. In 13 games that he played in, Parks managed to record 44 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and two sacks. His impact is a lot greater than the box score might suggest, possessing an impressive blend of size, power, and movement skills. It is hard to miss big No. 98 on the field for Brother Rice.
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