Notre Dame Recruiting Roundup: Irish Stay Hot On The Trail
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Another week of Notre Dame recruiting means another week of the Irish landing big time commitments. It also means more targets are being added to the 2028 board. Let's look at the Notre Dame recruiting week in review.
Irish Land Two Big-Time Commits
Irish fans who were looking for the Notre Dame staff to fortify the trenches should be happy campers this week as the staff managed to pick up their 15th and 16th verbal pledgse in the Class of 2027,
On Tuesday morning, consensus four-star recruit Oluwasemilore Olubobola out of Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep committed to Notre Dame. The 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive tackle has the size and strength coveted by Division I coaches nationwide. Holding more than 42 offers, he is without a doubt the Irish’s top Class of 2027 commit so far. Olubobola ranks as the nation's No. 17 overall player in the country according to On3/Rivals.
Two days later, Notre Dame also managed to land a verbal pledge from West Hills, Calif./Chaminade Prep offensive tackle Jackson Hill. The 6-foot-7, 300 pound Class of 2027 recruit committed to UCLA on April 4 before the Irish offered on Thursday, flipping his commitment. Both commits add impressive size to the Notre Dame offensive line class.
New Offers
Notre Dame is making a strong push for the Class of 2028 in California, offering Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo defensive back Jordan Hicks and Mater Dei safety Troy Bishop to bolster their secondary. Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly defensive back Zion Anderson picked up an offer from Notre Dame, too.
The Sunshine State is also getting plenty of attention, with Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay wide receiver Desmond Christian also picking up an offer from the Irish. Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy linebacker Andre Alexander – a teammate of Notre Dame commit Amarri Irvin – also received an offer, as did a pair of Tampa, Fla./Carrollwood Day prospects Antonio Thomas Jr. and defensive lineman Zylen Little.
Notre Dame is also in search of their next tight end, extending an offer to Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Class of 2028 recruit Tre Oiler. Oiler passes the eyeball test at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. He'll be a top target for the Irish staff.
Notre Dame extended an offer to Class of 2028 edge Ismael Schiefer out of Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy. The Irish were Schiefer’s 17th offer, and he is ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.
Targets Go Elsewhere
Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel wide receiver Quentin Burrell chose Michigan over Arizona State, Missouri, and Notre Dame. There was a time when Notre Dame was considered the leader for Burrell, but over the last month they faded as the staff began focusing on other targets. I got to see Burrell up-close last season when Mount Carmel took on Archbishop Moeller at the Ironton Kickoff Classic, and Burrell caught the game-winning two-point conversion. There’s still plenty of talent out there for the Irish to land a big-time, playmaking wide receiver.
Michigan also added Houston, Texas/South Houston defensive lineman Xavier Muhammad. The 6-3, 265-pound lineman visited Notre Dame in April and was slated to return for an official visit in June. In a bit of an out-of-the-blue decision, Muhammad decided to pledge to the Wolverines.
Argyle, Texas/Argyle wide receiver Julian Caldwell had enough interest in Notre Dame to visit campus in March, and for a brief time the Irish looked like they might be a contender, but that was short lived. His final decision came down to Texas Tech, Texas and Oregon, and the Red Raiders ultimately won this recruiting battle.
Notre Dame was also once considered the leader for St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden offensive lineman Cameron Wagner. On Monday, Wagner announced he had committed to Oregon. The Ducks did a great job with Wagner, but Notre Dame picking up silent commitments from Olubobola and Hill also played a role in him no longer having room in the Irish class.
Upcoming Decisions/News
Later today, Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick defensive tackle David Folorunsho will make his commitment known. The 6-3, 285-pound five-star lineman will pick between Notre Dame, Miami, Georgia, Michigan and Texas Tech at 4:30 PM ET. Folorunsho is ranked as the nation's No. 9 overall player according to On3/Rivals. Notre Dame is in a great position heading into the decision.
On Sunday, La Verne, Calif./Damien safety Gavin Williams will decide between Notre Dame and USC. The Irish were in a good position for awhile, but the Trojans have taken a clear head as he heads into his final decision.
Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel safety Tavares Harrington announced his top five schools, and Notre Dame is in the mix. I’ve seen Harrington play in-person, first as an 8th grader at a 7v7 years ago and last fall at the team’s opening game victory over Archbishop Moeller. He is a highly-coveted prospect with immense upside potential at the next level.
Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts wide receiver Matthew Gregory released his top seven schools, and Notre Dame made the cut. Gregory, a consensus four-star wideout, will choose between Notre Dame, UCLA, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, LSU and Colorado.
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