Elite Defensive Lineman David Folorunsho Commits To Notre Dame
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Notre Dame remains scalding hot on the recruiting trail, this time landing a commitment from elite defensive tackle David Folorunsho. The Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick star picked Notre Dame over Miami, Georgia, Michigan and Texas Tech. It's a major win for Notre Dame and a massive pickup for first-year defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.
The St. Patrick star is one of the nation's top defensive tackles, and top overall prospects. He is a consensus Top 100 recruit that is ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the country and the No. 2 defensive tackle according to Rivals/On3. He earned a 4.5-star (Top 50 caliber prospect) current grade on the Irish Breakdown board and is an easy 5.0-star upside prospect.
Folorunsho didn't really blow up from a rankings standpoint until after his dominant junior season. The 6-3, 285-pound defender posted 55 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks this past season, and it wasn't until the winter that his recruitment started to blow up and his ranking jumped from three-star to five-star. Notre Dame Director of Recruiting Carter Aumon and tight ends coach Harris Bivin traveled to Chicago to see Folorunsho at the end of January, and his offer came less than a week after that.
That is when Partridge and the Notre Dame staff really ramped things up with Folorunsho, but they weren't alone. Programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, Michigan, Texas and Ohio State all jumped into the mix around the same. time. In the end, it was Notre Dame's combination of elite football, academics and close proximity that allowed Partridge and the staff to secure this big win.
Folorunsho is an elite talent who is just scratching the surface of his full potential. He is an explosive lineman with the kind of elite first step we saw from past Notre Dame standouts like Sheldon Day and Rylie Mills. His hands are fast, strong and violent and he makes a lot of plays in the backfield. Folorunsho is also a versatile defender, showing the ability to dominate up the middle and the skill to line up over tackles and make plays. That versatility was a big draw for Notre Dame, who wants to be able to mix up their front looks.
The offer list for Folorunsho is quite impressive. He earned offense from the Irish, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Oregon, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska, Louisville, Missouri, Michigan State, Kentucky, Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa State.
Folorunsho is the 17th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class. He joins Florida quarterback Champ Monds, Texas running back Lathan Whisenton, Massachusetts running back Isaiah Rogers, Colorado wide receiver Jackson Coleman, Oklahoma tight end Titus Hawk, Pennsylvania offensive lineman James Halter, Wisconsin offensive lineman Richie Flanigan, New Jersey offensive tackle Olu Olubobola, California offensive lineman Jackson Hill, New Jersey defensive end Aidan O'Neil, Florida linebacker Amarri Irvin, North Carolina cornerback Xavier Hasan, Ohio cornerback Ace Alston, Florida safety Zayden Gamble, Florida nickel John Gay III and North Carolina long snapper Sean Kraft.
Folorunsho has a unique Notre Dame connection. The head coach at St. Patrick is former Notre Dame star safety Tom Zbikowski. The president of St. Patrick is Dan Santucci, who was also a starter at Notre Dame and was a teammate of Zbikowski.
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