Notre Dame football takes a massive step with 5-star 2028 EDGE Darieon Prescott after top 8 announcement
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Notre Dame football just took a massive step with a 5-star recruiting target. This one is right in the program’s backyard.
Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman received a significant boost in their 2028 recruiting efforts this week when 5-star Bolingbrook, Illinois, edge rusher Darieon Prescott included the Fighting Irish in his top 8 schools list. Prescott, one of the most talented pass rushers in the entire 2028 class, has already made multiple trips to South Bend, and there’s a clear intention to keep the Illinois native close to home.
Prescott’s top 8 list features Notre Dame alongside Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami. The competition is fierce, but the Irish have done strong work to position themselves early.
Darien Prescott’s recruiting background
On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Prescott is rated as a five-star, the No. 18 overall player, the No. 5 edge, and the No. 1 player from the state of Illinois for the 2028 recruiting class. The individual 247 Sports ranking is even higher on Prescott, pegging him as the No. 7 overall player and the No. 3 edge defender in the group.
The offer list is equally staggering. Prescott holds nearly 40 offers to date. Some of his top suitors include Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Washington, and Wisconsin, among several others.
What makes Prescott so special
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Prescott has the kind of frame and explosiveness that makes him a priority target for Notre Dame’s defensive front. During a breakout sophomore season for Bolingbrook, Prescott totaled 65 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, eight pass breakups, and 26 quarterback pressures. That kind of production at his size speaks to tremendous upside.
If Prescott can hit his ceiling, he has a chance to be a truly special player at the college level. That potential is a major reason why the Irish staff has been so aggressive in his recruitment. With multiple visits to campus already in the books, Notre Dame has clearly prioritized building a strong relationship with the talented pass rusher.
The bigger picture for Notre Dame’s defensive line
The push for Prescott fits into a larger trend under new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who made a huge impact on the 2027 recruiting class. That included locking down five-star pass rusher Abraham Sesay, giving the Irish a foundational piece along the defensive front. Landing Prescott in the 2028 class would continue that momentum and further elevate what is becoming an evolving defensive line room with elite potential.
Notre Dame is in the final stretch of putting together its 2027 recruiting class, and before long, the staff will shift its full attention to the 2028 group. Keeping top talents close to home will be a critical part of landing another elite class under Freeman, and Prescott’s inclusion of the Irish on his top 8 list is a very real sign that Notre Dame is in strong position early.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Notre Dame football takes a massive step with 5-star 2028 EDGE Darieon Prescott after top 8 announcement
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