Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 MAY 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER I t's still early in the 2025 recruiting class with National Signing Day over eight months away. And signing day for the 2026 cycle feels like an eternity from now. But Notre Dame is busy in the current high school sophomore class. The Irish had their Pot of Gold day for the 2026 class on St. Patrick's Day, which is the staff's annual recruiting initiative to es- sentially launch their efforts for sopho- more prospects. On that day, Notre Dame offered a total of 86 new 2026 prospects. Of the 22 offensive and defensive po- sitions, Marcus Freeman's staff offered recruits at every position except one — quarterback. Why? Because Notre Dame had al- ready offered the 2026 quarterback pros- pects it is recruiting. And for Pot of Gold day, the staff got in contact with the six passers that they are (or in one case, was) pursuing. Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School's Jared Curtis, the nation's No. 4 quarterback and No. 36 overall player per On3 came off the board because he com- mitted to Georgia March 23. The Irish were always considered on the outside looking in for his recruitment. Folsom (Calif.) High's Ryder Lyons is a name to know on the quarterback board, but On's No. 6 signal-caller and No. 55 overall player nationally doesn't seem to be as likely a candidate to end up joining the Irish's class at this point as some others are. He has yet to visit Notre Dame, but he may set up a trip at some point in the near future. The most recent quarterback visi- tor Notre Dame hosted was San Mar- cos (Calif.) Mission Hills' Troy Huhn, the No. 5 gunslinger and No. 52 overall prospect in America per On3. By all ac- counts, Huhn had a really good time on campus and will be one to watch. Penn State, Michigan, Florida State, LSU and Texas are among his top options. "Historically, it's always been a great program," Huhn previously told Blue & Gold Illustrated about Notre Dame. "The campus is amazing, and I've heard a lot of great things from everyone who has been there. They always say how great Notre Dame is." Another quarterback from the Golden State who Notre Dame is after is Newbury Park (Calif.) High's Brady Smigiel, who checks in as the No. 16 quarterback and No. 209 overall player in the country ac- cording to On3. He visited South Bend last January and had nothing but good things to say about his time on campus, despite the cold conditions that weekend. "It was insane," Smigiel said of the trip. "The education alone is some- thing you can't find anywhere else. The church was beautiful; I've never seen anything like that. We went through all the traditions at the church, and that was really special as well. I got to watch a lot of film with [quarterbacks] coach Gino [Guidugli], which was cool. We also played basketball with the quarter- back room, including [2025 Irish quar- terback commit] Deuce Knight." While Huhn, Lyons and Smigiel are all still potential options on the board, it seems that Notre Dame is in the best position with two quarterbacks in par- ticular — both of whom hail from the Sunshine State. Lake Mary (Fla.) High's Noah Grubbs, the No. 17 quarterback and No. 219 overall player in the nation per On3, earned his offer from Notre Dame after impressing the staff at their camp last June, and he returned to campus for the Ohio State game last September. G r u b b s w a s b a c k o n c a m p u s March 23, and it's BGI's understanding that committing to the Irish crossed his mind while in South Bend. But then he visited Michigan and Ohio State in en- suing days, and he's impressed by those Midwest powers as well. "This Notre Dame trip makes things much more interesting in when I want to make decisions," Grubbs told Blue & Gold Illustrated after his Notre Dame trip. "Notre Dame is one of my top schools, and that is why I wanted to make this the first big unofficial visit this spring other than UCF, which is in my hometown. "I just know I have some schools very interested in me, including Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, North Carolina and Alabama, and I want to make sure I give everyone that is a top school of mine and has offered a fair chance to see how they value me and where I stand with them. Because once I commit, I am committed." The quarterback most likely to end up picking the Irish may be Cocoa (Fla.) High's Brady Hart, the nation's No. 15 quarterback and No. 205 overall pros- pect per On3. And this is even though he hasn't stepped foot on campus. However, Hart scheduled to be on campus April 3, and if all goes well dur- ing that trip, it's possible that he could commit soon afterwards. He's clicked extremely well with the Fighting Irish coaching staff. "It was really special," Hart told BGI after receiving the Notre Dame offer last December. "It caught me off guard. Coach Guidugli is a super cool guy. He talked to my coach a bunch because he can't really talk to me yet [in person]. It is one of the best programs in college football history. It's a unique and special program. It's one I could see myself at one day." The quarterbacks know that the spot to be Notre Dame's 2026 signal-caller commit won't be around for long. The feeling is that it's a sprint to who takes the spot. ✦ Notre Dame 2026 Quarterback Recruiting Is Heating Up Cocoa (Fla.) High's Brady Hart, the nation's No. 15 quarterback and No. 205 overall prospect per On3, is a top option for Notre Dame. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/ON3.COM