What does the latest addition of 2027 three-star offensive tackle Jackson Hill mean for Notre Dame ’s 2027 offensive line recruiting?
Notre Dame football is set for a busy next couple of days when it comes to the 2027 recruiting class. Head coach Marcus Freeman , offensive line coach Joe Rudolph , and the Fighting Irish got the chaos started with an intriguing commitment. They were able to flip 2027 West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade offensive tackle Jackson Hill from UCLA after originally committing to the Bruins on April 4.
This is a really interesting commitment on paper, especially without Hill holding a publicly reported offer from Notre Dame. He had made a spring visit to South Bend this offseason, and things started to heat up from there. We have seen Coach Rudolph bet on his evaluations in the past, including with Anthonie Knapp , Cam Herron, and Charlie Thom. Hill is the latest example.
The Fighting Irish are expecting more good news on Friday when elite 2027 Chicago (Ill.) St. Patrick defensive tackle David Folorunsho is set to select between Notre Dame, Miami, and Texas Tech. Don’t be surprised if the Irish staff also lands one more commitment over the next couple of days. The program is about to go on a bit of a heater.
Even with the addition of Hill, I believe that Notre Dame will continue to pursue 2027 Middletown (Del.) Appoquinimink offensive tackle Layton von Brandt and Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston star Albert Simien . Numbers certainly got tighter with the addition of the California native, but it appears that the Irish are willing to work with that numbers crunch. That’s how high Notre Dame is on each of those players.
As of today, I still love where Notre Dame is with von Brandt. The addition of Hill isn’t going to scare someone like him off. There is no question that the Irish have been sitting atop the leaderboard.
When it comes to Simien, things are less certain, but he is scheduled to make a return to South Bend for an official visit this offseason. Notre Dame is in a three-way battle with LSU and Texas A&M . Even if von Brandt is added to the class before a decision is made, I would be quite surprised if they said no to Simien if he wanted to come.
Hill is considered to be a three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms outside of ESPN, which hasn’t ranked him yet. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Hill is currently pegged as the No. 1,254 overall player, the No. 95 offensive tackle, and the No. 108 player from the state of California for the 2027 recruiting class. Rivals is highest on Hill right now, sitting as the No. 44 offensive tackle in the class.
If the recruiting rankings don’t excite you, which they probably won’t, then the offer list won’t make you feel much better. Hill currently holds offers to the Fighting Irish, UCLA, Oregon State , San Diego State , Colorado State, Nevada , Cal Poly, Dartmouth, and Cornell . This move is about betting on upside with the 6-6.5, 300-pound offensive lineman.
