"Confidence is fading" for Notre Dame's chances with a priority recruiting target from their own backyard
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Since the very beginning, Notre Dame football has valued 2027 Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice defensive tackle Brayden Parks in a big way. It has felt like head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have been in a great spot to land Parks for a very long time, and that is very true.
Greg Smith, who is a national recruiting analyst from Rivals, dropped an interesting update this week on Parks. While Smith still has Notre Dame listed as the favorite right now, it is much closer than previously believed. Here is what Smith wrote about Parks and the biggest threat for the Irish – the Oregon Ducks.
“Three schools (Ohio State, Notre Dameand Oregon) are separating from the pack and each has been in the lead group for a while,” Smith wrote. “Each has an official visit locked in with Parks. Notre Dame has been the heavy favorite since the start of this recruitment. He’s got family ties to Notre Dame and has been to South Bend many times.
“His relationship with new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is also continuing to grow. But confidence is fading in South Bend with the elite defensive line prospect. Oregon is a very real threat here and has momentum.”
I have not personally heard anything on my end to make me overly skeptical about Parks right now. I still think that Notre Dame leads, and they are my pick for him currently. It will be interesting to see if Oregon does change that optimism, as Smith has indicated.
Brayden Parks’ recruiting background
Parks is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms right now. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Parks currently sits as the No. 179 overall player and No. 20 defensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class. He is also pegged as the No. 9 player in the state of Illinois, a very important area for the Irish. 247 Sports is actually the highest on Parks right now, sitting as the No. 128 overall player on their individual ranking.
The offer list for Parks is even more impressive than his recruiting rankings. Some of the top programs that have offered Parks includes the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Penn State, USC, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Arizona State, Iowa State, Minnesota, UNC, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Kansas, among several others.
The 6-3, 305-pound defensive tackle was a tremendous player for Brother Rice as a junior in 2025. In 13 games that he played in, Parks managed to record 44 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and two sacks. His impact is a lot greater than the box score might suggest, possessing an impressive blend of size, power, and movement skills. It is hard to miss big No. 98 on the field for Brother Rice.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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