Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2025 43 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP 2026 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: None. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: WR Naeem Burroughs of Jacksonville, Fla. (committed to Clemson); WR Calvin Russell of Opa-locka, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame); WR Connor Salmin of Potomac, Md. (committed to Clemson); DE Trenton Henderson of Pensacola, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame); DE Jarius Rodgers of Fleming Island, Fla. (committed to Syracuse); DL Jermaine Kinsler of Oradell, N.J. (committed to Texas A&M); and CB Ksani Jiles of Bradenton, Fla. (committed to Washington). RECRUITING NOTES • Notre Dame recently lost one of its top recruiting targets to Southern Cal due to a surprise commit- ment. On Feb. 23, Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic 2026 four-star edge rusher Simote Katoanga — formerly of San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic — announced a surprise pledge to the Trojans. Katoanga is On3's No. 10 player in California, and No. 9 edge and No. 67 overall player nationally. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder's decision was especially startling because he did not set an announcement date or indicate that he was close to ending his recruitment in favor of the in-state school. In fact, just a few days earlier, Blue & Gold Illustrated received word from a source that Notre Dame led and USC was running second for Katoanga. Things happened fast. Katoanga played his junior season at JSerra Catholic, the same school as Notre Dame early enrollee freshman linebacker Madden Faraimo. Many national pundits predicted that Faraimo would wind up at USC. However, he chose Notre Dame in a national signing day stunner. With the early signing period for the 2026 class still about nine months away, the Irish will work to pull off another surprise by flipping Katoanga. It is expected to be an uphill battle. • Notre Dame is in danger of losing another one of its top targets from SoCal. Also on Feb 23, On3 vice president of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong predicted Katoanga's high school teammate, three-star wide receiver Trent Mosley, to the Trojans. That was notable because Mosley is a double Irish legacy. His father, Emmett Mosley IV, played run- ning back and wide receiver for Notre Dame football from 1993-96, and his mother, Cindy Mosley (née Daws), was an All-America women's soccer player for the Irish and the 1996 national player of the year. The younger Mosley is On3's No. 30 recruit in California and No. 60 wide receiver in the country. The Irish already missed out on his older brother, three-star wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, to Stanford in the 2024 class. As of March 10, Trent was uncommitted but trending toward staying close to home. • Meanwhile, the Irish are finding mo- mentum for a few key 2026 edge rushers in North Carolina. In early March, four-star edge rushers Rodney Dunham and Ebene- zer Ewetade plus three-star Zavion Griffin- Hayes all included the Irish among their top schools. They rank as On3's Nos. 1, 5 and 25 players in the state, respectively. Dunham and Ewetade are among the elite in the 2026 class, with Dunham slot- ting as the nation's No. 7 overall player and No. 3 edge rusher and Ewatade checking in at No. 36 overall and as the No. 6 edge, per On3's rankings. Both have Notre Dame in their top five and will officially visit in June. Dunham is also down to Duke, Geor- gia, South Carolina and Tennessee, while Ewetade still considers Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and North Carolina State. On3 does not rank Griffin-Hayes among the top overall players nationally. How- ever, it considers him the nation's No. 53 edge rusher. He had Notre Dame in his top 11 alongside Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas. Griffin-Hayes will pay his first unofficial visit to South Bend in April. — Kyle Kelly Follow @ByKyleKelly on X for daily recruiting updates on BlueandGold.com! Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park standout Rodney Dunham — On3's No. 1 player in North Carolina, and No. 3 edge and No. 7 overall prospect nationally — has Notre Dame among his top schools and will visit South Bend in June. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 ON3 INDUSTRY 2026 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of March 10 Rk. School Commits 1. Oregon 10 2. Southern Cal 11 3. LSU 6 4. Texas A&M 8 5. Auburn 6 6. Ohio State 4 7. Clemson 10 8. Penn State 8 9. Tennessee 8 10. Texas 3 11. Notre Dame 7 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1- 702-498-2351 M A R K E T P L A C E ST. JUDE NOVENA - May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. 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