Notre Dame football just hosted another successful recruiting weekend. Who is the Fighting Irish trending for following the visit?
While Notre Dame football was focused on its jersey scrimmage this past weekend, it also hosted a long list of talented players from the 2027 recruiting class. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are working to assemble another outstanding 2027 class. Their efforts could go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
Over the last 24 hours or so, I've exhausted all my resources to gain as much intel as possible. That includes talking to folks on the Notre Dame side, the players' side, and a couple of other trusted sources without any bias for the program. The mixture helped paint a clear picture of understanding.
Here's how things went this past weekend for the Fighting Irish. The program is once again riding a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail.
Let's hit the unfortunate news (sort of) for a second. 2027 Exton (Pa.) Downingtown East defensive end Abraham Sesay wasn't able to make the trip to South Bend after having some issues with travel. I'm told that nobody should read much into that, and Sesay is planning on visiting Notre Dame this week (Tuesday is the tentative plan, but still finalizing). The Irish are the unquestioned leader for the 6-5, 225-pound pass rusher right now.
Like Sesay, 2027 four-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Julius Jones Jr. has been a priority target for a long time. A legacy recruit with big-time speed and ability after the catch, Freeman and Co. have been in a heated battle with Oregon for Jones. Following the latest visit, the feeling around this recruitment is that Notre Dame strengthened their lead. If a decision is made somewhat in the near future, I like the Irish.
Perhaps the most intriguing 2027 visitor this weekend was Vero Beach (Fla.) High School quarterback Champ Monds . Originally a member of the 2028 class, Monds reclassified to 2027 and has become a very important target with Teddy Jarrard enrolling this summer and Kamden Lopati committing to Michigan recently. Heading into the weekend, Notre Dame was viewed as a dark horse for Monds, but they now leave as the assumed leader.
According to multiple sources, the Irish staff couldn't have done a better job during this trip. They have made Monds feel very important for their 2027 class and sold the fit hard to him and the family. Notre Dame is battling the top Florida programs for Monds, and with this latest momentum, they now have a chance to win out in the end. With Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy signal caller Peter Bourque set to visit on Tuesday, Monds certainly has a lot to think about.
2027 Tampa Bay (Fla.) Jesuit linebacker Kaden Henderson also made the trip this weekend. He has been a player that Notre Dame has loved for some time now, even before Brian Jean-Mary took over as the linebackers coach. This is one piece of intel that I'm going to push back on quite a bit. While folks around South Bend are feeling a bit more confident, I just don't see it happening. The odds are for the elite linebacker to stay closer to home, and my money would be on Miami right now.
I do, however, feel better about Notre Dame's chances with 2027 Chicago (Ill.) Mount Carmel linebacker Roman Igwebuike . Despite the 6-3, 220-pound four-star defender being from Chicago, Notre Dame hasn't been able to gain much momentum previously. From the sounds of it, they were able to connect this weekend. The feeling is that the Irish are now a very real player for Igwebuike, but they will need to be ready for a battle. He already has an official visit scheduled for July 12, which could be a huge opportunity.
I'll keep things short and sweet with 2027 St. Joseph (Ill.) Ogden offensive tackle Cameron Wagner . Notre Dame has been the team to beat for a while now, and nothing changed this weekend. It continues to be a matter of when, not if, the 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle ends up with the Irish.
Things are a lot more complicated with elite 2027 Chicago (Ill.) St. Patrick defensive tackle David Folorunsho . The Irish were viewed as the early favorite for the 6-4, 285-pound defensive lineman due to his connection to Notre Dame, including his high school coach being Tom Zbikowski and personal trainer Kerry Neal. Over the last several weeks, other programs such as Texas Tech and Miami began capturing a lot of momentum.
There appears to be more optimism for Notre Dame coming out of this visit, and Folorunsho already has an official visit set for the June 12 weekend. While Texas Tech has been receiving a lot of buzz recently, I actually believe that Miami is the team to beat for the Irish. While some around South Bend believe they can pull this one off, I remain skeptical, but let's see how the next few weeks go.
2027 Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna safety John Gay III made the trip to South Bend this weekend, and he remains one of the more interesting targets on the board. The 6-1, 180-pound defender has been a huge riser in the 2027 class, but his connection to new Notre Dame assistant Shaun Shivers has proven to be beneficial. There is a lot of optimism for the Irish after this weekend, if they choose to push hard for Gay.
Florida, Ole Miss, and Syracuse are the other main schools to know. There's a lot of intrigue around Gay, but I am still trying to figure out how much of a priority he is for them right now.
Notre Dame made a huge move with 2027 Duncanville (Texas) High School wide receiver Trenton Yancey, who is one of the more talented playmakers in the entire class. As a junior, the 5-10.5, 190-pounder exploded for 1,168 yards and 19 touchdowns on 85 total touches. Yancey made a ton of plays as a receiver and runner for Duncanville.
Before the trip, I was uncertain where things stood between the Irish staff and Yancey. From a source on the Notre Dame side, they are extremely happy with the move they made during this visit. It's a crowded wide receiver board, but Yancey has become one of the more important names to know. The Irish should be in this one until the end.
I haven't been able to gain much insight into 2027 New Madison ( Ohio ) Tri-Village offensive tackle Dominic Black just yet. I've had some general feedback that is positive, but I'm interested to see where Black lands in terms of priority targets. Notre Dame already holds commitments from James Halter and Richie Flanigan , and is the team to beat for Wagner. With them pursuing the likes of five-star Albert Simien heavily, only a couple of spots are remaining.
