Notre Dame just took a massive step toward landing a top-100 recruiting target without ever hosting him for a visit
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Notre Dame football is involved in a bizarre recruitment. Despite that, things seem to be moving quickly for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame football is trending toward landing an elite 2027 recruiting class. With top targets on the board landing with the Fighting Irish recently, there’s a hope that more good news will be on the horizon for head coach Marcus Freeman and the staff. Most key recruits are well known at this point, but perhaps not all.
One of the more interesting 2027 recruits to keep a close eye on is Mililani (Hawaii) High School linebacker Toa Satele. Despite being considered to be one of the top defenders in the country, there hasn’t been much conversation around Satele. A big reason for that is he has never visited Notre Dame.
While that would be a deal breaker in most recruitments, clearly, there is some intrigue about the Irish program. In a recent recruiting update, Satele named Notre Dame as one of his top four schools. The Fighting Irish were joined by Texas, Oregon, and Cal in that top group.
Even though Satele hasn’t made a trip to South Bend, that will change soon. The talented defender will be making his first visit to South Bend on June 9-11, which will be a massive opportunity for Freeman and Co. to make a big move. Only time will tell where Notre Dame stands, and just how realistic it will be for them to land him.
On the surface, the attraction to Satele makes a lot of sense. Under Coach Freeman, Notre Dame has consistently valued the sons of former NFL fathers. Satele fits that description.
The dynamic linebacker is the son of former Hawaii center Samson Satele, who was a second round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 2007 NFL Draft. During his eight-year NFL career with the Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Oakland Raiders, Satele played in 118 overall games with 114 starts. We have seen Notre Dame value the sons of former NFL fathers in recent years.
Keep a close eye on Satele.
Toa Satele’s recruiting background
Satele is considered to be a four-star and a top-75 player by each of the major recruiting platforms right now. The 247 Sports Composite ranking has him pegged as the No. 63 overall player, the No. 4 linebacker, and the No. 1 player from the state of Hawaii for the 2027 recruiting class.
Just like his recruiting rankings, the offer list for Satele is extremely impressive. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Penn State, Miami, USC, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah, Washington, Arkansas, Arizona State, UCLA, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Arizona, BYU, SMU, Oregon State, UCF, Cal, and Washington State, among others.
As a junior in 2025, Satele put together a strong season for Mililani. The 6-3, 200-pound linebacker managed to collect 40 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos