‘We'd be a great duo' – 5-star Notre Dame commit pushing hard to add another priority Fighting Irish target to the 2027 class
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Notre Dame continues to push hard for a top Chicagoland recruit. They have an interesting recruiting relationship, helping its pitch.
Notre Dame football is in the midst of putting together an elite 2027 defensive line recruiting class, which could end up being one of the very best in program history. Head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge have landed several key targets already, including five-star David Folorunsho, talented pass rusher Jackson Vaughn, and defensive end Aidan O’Neil. More good news appears on the horizon.
One of the more important targets that remains is four-star Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice defensive tackle Brayden Parks, who has been a priority recruit for the Fighting Irish for some time. The Oregon Ducks are giving it their best try to lure Parks away from the Midwest. Notre Dame, in turn, is doing their best job to make sure that Parks lands in South Bend.
The Irish staff has a unique recruiting tool with Folorunsho, who trains with Parks at WIN Performance, which is run by former Notre Dame outside linebacker Kerry Neal. In a recent interview with Rivals national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu, Folorunsho spoke about his relationship with Parks. He is a top target that he is trying to lure to the Notre Dame 2027 class.
“Yes, I am recruiting him,” Folorunsho told Trieu. “I tell him man, join the family, man. I mean, it’s close to home. I’m pretty sure that he has a family member that went there as well. So, you know, he has family roots. So right now, we’d be a great duo.”
If Notre Dame is able to land Parks, along with Sesay, this has a chance to be the best defensive line group in a very long time. If they are able to also lure Fakatou to South Bend, this could potentially be the best group in program history. Parks holds a massive key to that equation, and everyone is pushing hard for him, even amongst the commits.
David Folorunsho’s recruiting background
When Notre Dame first offered Folorunsho, he was considered to be a three-star by both Rivals and 247Sports. He is now considered to be a top-100 overall player by both. On Rivals’ rankings, Folorunsho is currently rated a four-star, the No. 9 overall player, No. 2 defensive lineman, and No. 1 player from the state of Illinois. He also sits at No. 43 on the 247 Sports Composite ranking.
As those rankings have risen, so has the list of offers for the Chicago native. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Miami, Auburn, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas State, Iowa, UNC, Kentucky, Virginia, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Cal, and Purdue, among others.
At 6-4 and 285 pounds, Folorunsho is an impressive athlete who has been used up and down the line of scrimmage from various alignments for St. Patrick. As a junior, the talented defender recorded 55 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and five sacks. As Folorunsho continues to fill out his frame and develop, he has the potential to become an even more dominant football player and a continued riser in the 2027 recruiting class across all platforms.
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. 172 overall player and No. 19 defensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class. He is also pegged as the No. 10 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. 130 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.
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