Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame football win pledge of 5-star OL Albert Simien

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After a busy spring, Notre Dame found itself as the luck beneficiary of receiving the last official visit from Lake Charles (LA) Sam Houston five-star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien.

That visit seemed to be the difference in his recruitment as Simien announced his commitment a week after taking the trip to South Bend.

Simien announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on SportsCenter Friday afternoon, June 26. He chose Notre Dame over LSU, Nebraska, and Texas A&M.

247Sports ranks the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder as the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 4 player in Louisiana for the 2027 cycle. The USA TODAY High School Sports composite ranking, a ranking based on the composite rankings from industry leaders, has Simien as the No. 13 overall player in the class.

Fighting Irish building a force up front on both sides of the ball

Winning in the trenches for years to come seems to be Marcus Freeman’s philosophy when it comes to Notre Dame’s 2027 class.

With Simien’s commitment, Notre Dame now has a trio of five-star commitments. All of those pledges are linemen, including two on the offensive line.

Five-star offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on May 12. Notre Dame then landed a commitment from five-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho three days later.

Prior to Simien’s commitment, Notre Dame’s class ranked as third in the 2027 cycle, according to 247Sports.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame football win pledge of 5-star OL Albert Simien

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