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Notre Dame is getting much, much closer to finishing off its 2027 recruiting class, but if the Irish are going to land yet another elite group of recruits the staff will need a strong finish. Notre Dame is hosting their top uncommitted targets over the next two weekends, and how well those visits go will determine if this ends up as Marcus Freeman's second straight elite recruiting haul.

Let's take a look at the players that will be on campus this weekend, beginning with the two Notre Dame commits that will be on campus.

NOTRE DAME COMMITS

DT DAVID FOLORUNSHO

Height/Weight: 6-3, 285
Hometown/High School: Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick

This will be the first time Folorunsho is back on campus since his commitment to Notre Dame. The nation's No. 9 overall recruit according to Rivals/On3, Folorunsho gave Notre Dame an elite, impact interior defensive lineman. He was a must-get recruit for the Irish from the moment Charlie Patridge was hired to coach the line. It was a long and winding road, but in the end Notre Dame was able to beat schools like Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia and Texas Tech to land this must-get recruit. Now, Folorunsho returns to South Bend to do some recruiting, and you can be sure he'll spend a lot of time with fellow Chicago native Brayden Parks.

LS SEAN KRAFT

Height/Weight: 6-4, 215
Hometown/High School: Asheville, N.C./Asheville Christian

The first player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class was Kraft, who doesn't get much attention despite being ranked as the No. 1 player in the country at his position. That's the nature of playing special teams in college, you only really get attention when you make a mistake. Despite the lack of fanfare, landing Kraft was an important pickup. 

UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

DE ABRAHAM SESAY

Height/Weight: 6-5, 225
Hometown/High School: Downingtown, Pa./East

Folorunsho wasn't the only big time defensive lineman that Partridge made a priority upon his arrival. The first-year Irish defensive line coach also quickly made Pennsylvania defensive end Abraham Sesay a must-get as soon as he arrived. Notre Dame made a quick move up his list and have remained on top for months. He visited LSU and Duke already, and while both schools took big swings they were not able to catch the Irish. Notre Dame hopes they can seal the deal this weekend.

There hasn't been any drama in this recruitment, which has allowed Sesay to fly under the radar a little bit, but he's an incredibly important recruit. Notre Dame has worked hard to add him to the defensive end class in hopes of adding a second straight elite edge haul as the staff looks to build an elite defensive line. Notre Dame is in a really, really good position in this recruitment, but this weekend will need to go well in order to get this one over the finish line. Sesay joining the class would give the Irish a truly elite edge class, it would give them yet another five-star player in the class and would allow Partridge to hit the trifecta at defensive end in this class.

DT BRAYDEN PARKS

Height/Weight: 6-3, 300
Hometown/High School: Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice

Notre Dame has been working hard to land Parks for about two years, and we are getting near the finish line. This recruitment seemed to be all Notre Dame for some time, but over the last five months programs like Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee were able to get in the mix. Coming down the stretch this has become a battle between Notre Dame and Oregon. It's been a back and forth battle, with both teams being reported to have the edge. He'll visit Notre Dame this weekend and then head out to Oregon for a visit the following weekend.

Parks is an absolute must-get for the Fighting Irish staff. Landing Parks and Folorunsho has been a priority for Notre Dame since Partridge got to South Bend and started making a push for Folorunsho. Parks was already a top target, and that continued when the new coach arrived. Oregon was trending strong for awhile, and the Ducks getting the last visit is a concern, but the Irish staff will look to put themselves on top for good this weekend. There is no doubt Notre Dame needs this weekend to go extremely well. In it goes well for both Sesay and Parks, and the Irish are able to land both, it would give Notre Dame the kind of elite defensive line class that would be the envy of college football.

LB ROMAN IGWEBUIKE

Height/Weight: 6-3, 220
Hometown/High School: Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel

The recruitment of Igwebuike has been quite an interesting journey, but this weekend gives the staff a chance to make one final big push. Igwebuike wasn't a priority of the previous defensive staff and linebacker coach, but that changed as soon as Brian Jean-Mary arrived. He recruited Igwebuike at Michigan and made him a top target for his first class at Notre Dame. Jean-Mary has worked hard to make sure Igwebuike knows he's a priority target at Notre Dame, and that will likely be a key component of the conversations this weekend. 

Notre Dame wants two linebackers in this class, and it's unlikely that current commit Amarri Irvin will be part of the class. Igwebuike and Kaden Henderson are the two priorities for Jean-Mary. Clemson, Indiana and Wisconsin appear to be the top contenders for Igwebuike. This one is back-and-forth and will be a battle until the end, but this weekend is Notre Dame's best chance to climb to the top for this must-get linebacker recruit.

DB KARNELL "GREEDY" JAMES

Height/Weight: 6-1, 170
Hometown/High School: Manvel, Texas/Manvel

Notre Dame offered James in February and was able to get him on campus this spring. The Irish quickly became a factor for this Texas commit, who returns this weekend for an official visit. He remains committed to the Longhorns, who are working hard to keep him in the class, but he's clearly still looking around. At the moment it seems as though LSU is the toughest competition for Texas, but Notre Dame will take their swing this weekend. The Irish staff loves James' versatility, as he possesses the skills to play cornerback, safety and nickel. Notre Dame will take their shot this weekend, but unless they are able to make a major move this trending towards James staying down South.

DT TYLER ALEXANDER

Height/Weight: 6-4, 315
Hometown/High School: Wellington, Fla./Palm Beach Central

Alexander was offered by Notre Dame in late January, and Partridge has worked for months to make the Irish a player for his services. A visit in April helped the Irish gain more traction with Alexander, who returns this weekend for an official visit. Georgia and Texas appear to be the top schools for Alexander, and he also took an official visit to Colorado. This recruitment is similar to that of James in that right now it's trending towards Alexander going somewhere other than Notre Dame, but the Irish staff will take their shot this weekend and see if they can jump up his top schools list.

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