Notre Dame football makes an out of character move with its latest recruiting offer to an unusual early target

Notre Dame football makes an out of character move with its latest recruiting offer to an unusual early target

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Notre Dame football makes an out of character move with its latest recruiting offer to an unusual early target
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during warmups before the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during warmups before the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Notre Dame just pulled off a recruiting tactic that is pretty rare for them. Keep a close eye on their efforts for the next great quarterback recruit.

Notre Dame football just did something extremely unusual in recruiting this week, offering a 2029 recruit. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish rarely ever offer high school freshmen. It’s even more rare for a quarterback. 

The Irish staff chose to be different with their offer to elite 2029 Carrollton (Ga.) High School signal caller CJ Cypher earlier this week. Considered to be the early favorite to be the top quarterback in the 2029 recruiting class, a lot of notable programs have also made that same early decision. That includes Notre Dame.

With how well Notre Dame has been recruiting the quarterback position under Freeman, it is hard not to be excited about the future, even after CJ Carr heads off to the NFL. They are on a heck of a run, including the likes of Carr, Kenny Minchey, Blake Hebert, Noah Grubbs, and Teddy Jarrard. The Irish are also in a great spot with 2027 quarterback target Champ Monds.

There is no telling what the Irish chances are with Cypher, and his recruitment is just getting started. Every big program in college football is going to be pushing hard for the Georgia standout. It will be interesting to see what type of impact the Irish staff can have in this recruitment when we are hovering near a decision date.

CJ Cypher’s recruiting background 

Cypher has the look of an elite quarterback in the 2029 recruiting class early on. There are no current rankings in the 2029 class, but a long list of impressive programs has already been pursuing Cypher. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, Miami, Auburn, Florida State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Arkansas, Pitt, and Georgia Tech, among many others. 

Despite being just a freshman, Cypher earned the starting quarterback spot for one of the top programs in high school football. In 14 games in 2025, the 6-1, 195-pound passer managed to throw for 2,178 yards and 26 touchdowns. Cypher also completed over 71 percent of his passes, while throwing just three interceptions, and two more scores on the ground. 

For such a young quarterback, Cypher has a rare feel for playing the quarterback position. He has clean mechanics and is a crisp decision maker. With a short delivery, Cypher routinely gets the ball out in a hurry with no wasted motion. With more physical maturation, his arm strength should also take a noticeable jump heading into the 2026 season.

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