Early intel from another massive Notre Dame recruiting weekend that featured a priority QB and several key 2027 and 2028 targets
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For the second straight weekend, Notre Dame football hosted an impressive list of top 2027 and 2028 recruiting targets. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish were already riding a ton of recruiting momentum, and that only continued this past weekend.
After talking to sources on the Notre Dame side, as well as gathering more information from the players’ side (agents included), here is all I’ve been able to find out so far. More intel will become available over the next few days, but this is a very solid start. The Irish staff is expecting a lot of good news over the next few weeks because of the last two weekends.
Here’s everything you need to know right now.
Notre Dame recruiting weekend notes
Let’s start with the bad news, well, not really. Both 2027 running backs, Terrance Grant Jr. of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic (formerly of Bishop Gorman) and Keldrid Ben of Montgomery (Texas) High School (currently committed to Oklahoma) did not make the trip this past weekend.
There is a reason for that. Notre Dame just received a commitment from Texas standout Lathan Whisenton last week, and they are in a strong position to land Springfield (Mass.) Central running back Isaiah Rogers, who is making his college decision later today. The Irish aren’t going to take three running backs in the 2027 class, so you do the math.
Perhaps the most interesting and potentially important 2027 recruiting target who visited campus this past weekend was Salt Lake City (Utah) West quarterback Kamden Lopati. Committed to Illinois since July of last year, Notre Dame has become one of the top contenders to make a flip happen. Sources couldn’t have been happier with the job the Irish staff did to sell the vision to the talent signal caller, and now it’ll hinge on whether Lopati decides to move away from his commitment to the Illini.
If he does, the Irish should have a very good chance to win out despite some legitimate demand for Lopati. The weekend went that well.
Things also went very well with 2027 Malvern (Pa.) Prep wide receiver Cade Cooper. While the 6-3, 192-pound pass catcher is very underrated from a recruiting rankings perspective, he isn’t for Notre Dame. The Irish staff has been pushing for Cooper behind the scenes now for quite some time, and they got their point across during this trip. Notre Dame is going to be very hard to beat here.
2027 Oak Ridge (Tenn.) High School tight end Malik Howard has quickly found a place on the shortlist of tight ends that Notre Dame is pushing hard for. The team is battling against a top group that includes Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami, and Vanderbilt. The Irish continue to be firmly right near the top of that list. Vibes are good coming out of the visit. They will have a chance in the end if they want one, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
2027 Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei defensive lineman Montana Toilolo is another underrated target that the Irish staff is very high on. Going into the visit, Notre Dame was an intriguing team for the 6-4, 260-pound defender. Leaving the trip, they became a contender. The staff made a major move with Toilolo. Keep a close eye on him moving forward.
I was waiting to hear more information about 2027 Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop defensive end Ifeanyi Emedobi. It wasn’t about whether Notre Dame liked him, but whether they would push for him. It appears that they are. I like their chances right now.
There were two talented 2027 safeties on campus – Gavin Williams out of La Verne (Calif.) Damien and Jaylyn Jones out of Hollywood (Fla.) McArthur, who is currently committed to Miami. Notre Dame cemented their standing with Williams. Either he will be staying on the West Coast or heading to South Bend. Those are the only two realities right now, which is a testament to the Irish staff.
When it comes to Jones, the Notre Dame side continues to get more positive that the team can eventually flip him from the Hurricanes, but I remain skeptical. We will see what the vibes are a few days after the adrenaline from the trip wears off.
There are two newer names to know on the 2027 Notre Dame recruiting board. That includes Saline (Mich.) High School Louis Esposito, the same former high school as Irish starting quarterback CJ Carr. The 6-5, 285-pound offensive lineman is currently committed to the Michigan Wolverines. He received an offer during his visit to campus, so make sure to keep a close eye on Esposito.
A name that I need to find out more about is 2027 Niceville (Fla.) High School linebacker Noah Renes. He does not currently hold an offer from Notre Dame, but they are keeping a close eye on him. Depending on how the board shifts over the next couple of months, I could see the 6-2, 225-pound defender eventually earning an offer.
I didn’t spend too much time asking about 2028 recruits on campus, especially with it being a smaller group. I do know that Notre Dame has a lot of early interest in Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Concepcion tight end Grant Bowen and Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School defensive end Darieon Prescott, and both visits seemingly went very well. Prescott is a 6-6, 220-pound pass rusher with five-star skills. Bowen goes to the same high school as 2025 defensive end signee Dominik Hulak. Both should be watched closely.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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