Rivals names two Notre Dame assistants as top 2026 recruiters

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Notre Dame football completed its fantastic 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday, as the final two players officially signed on the dotted line.

While the signing window won’t close until Friday, the majority of prospects have already signed, and Rivals took a look at which assistant coaches had the best recruiting records, two of them recently residing in South Bend. The Irish placed Mike Mickens and Al Washington on the list, but neither of them will see the fruits of their labors.

Mickens has taken the over the secondary duties for the Baltimore Ravens, helped bring in cornerback Khari Adams and safety Joey O’Brien, both 5-stars. He also was instrumental in 4-star safety Ayden Pouncey’s recruitment.

Washington left for the Miami Dolphins to coach their linebackers, and also did a fantastic job with players this cycle. His focus was on the defensive line, where he helped bring in 5-star Rodney Dunham, along with 4-stars Ebenezer Ewetade, Elijah Golden and Tiki Hola.

This shows how big of an impact each of them had for Notre Dame during the 2026 cycle, but it’s very bittersweet.

While we do wish Mickens and Washington the best, we would have loved to see them getting a chance to coach the players they brought to South Bend.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Rivals has two Notre Dame assistants at top 2026 cycle recruiters

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