Notre Dame Gets Good Recruiting News Amid College Football Playoff Controversy

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Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff after the matchups were unveiled on Sunday.

Notre Dame was the first team out of the CFP, which made the school really upset because it felt it deserved a spot after finishing the regular season with a 10-2 record. However, the CFP committee chose Miami because it beat Notre Dame head-to-head at the beginning of the season.

Despite the CFP controversy, Marcus Freeman’s program got some good recruiting news on Tuesday. According to On3/Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett, four-star cornerback Ace Alston committed to Notre Dame.

Alston chose Notre Dame over Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio State.

Alston is a four-star recruit in the 2027 recruiting class and the second-ranked player in his home state (Ohio), per 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also the No. 11 cornerback recruit in the country and the No. 115 overall recruit, regardless of position.

Alston is the eighth recruit to commit to the Fighting Irish in the 2027 recruiting class, and he’s their highest-rated recruit. The Fighting Irish currently rank third in the country for the 2027 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

The Fighting Irish were offered a chance to play in a bowl game after missing the CFP, but they declined. They’ll finish the season with a 10-2 record and will now focus on improving during the offseason to try to make the CFP next year.

Freeman has been the head coach for the last four complete seasons and has a 43-12 overall record.

Related: Notre Dame Reacts To Jeremiyah Love Heisman Trophy News

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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