Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 SEPT. 20, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER I n the days after falling to Miami to open the 2025 season, the Notre Dame coaching staff got right back to work to prepare for Texas A&M. But at the end of the week, they hit the road to recruit. Notre Dame's three coordinators were exempt from this. Mike Denbrock, Chris Ash and Marty Biagi — the Irish's offen- sive, defensive and special teams coordi- nators, respectively — stayed back in South Bend for further preparations. With them off the road, a few analysts took their place. During the spring contact recruiting period, head coaches are not allowed to go out and see recruits, according to NCAA rules. But they can go out dur- ing the fall evaluation period, which is defined as a "time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the aca- demic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes." In other words, the college coaches watch recruits play their high school games, but they're also allowed to stop by high schools during the school day. The Notre Dame staff was out to check in on many of their 2026 commitments. On Friday, Sept. 5, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was in the Tar Heel State to see three Notre Dame commits. He was in the Charlotte area with linebackers coach Max Bullough to see Matthews (N.C.) Weddington's Thomas Davis Jr., a longtime Notre Dame com- mit who is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 37 linebacker in America by Rivals. The night prior, Bullough saw Mobile (Ala.) Williamson standout and Notre Dame verbal Ellis McGaskin, the No. 18 linebacker and No. 280 overall prospect in the 2027 class. Freeman also stopped by Charlotte (N.C.) Independence to see Irish pledge Nick Reddish, the No. 60 safety na- tionally. Notre Dame defensive backs analyst Jevaughhn Codlin was in to see Reddish as well. Freeman also stopped in at Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park to see five-star pass rusher Rodney Dunham, who picked the Irish over Duke, Tennessee, South Car- olina, Georgia and others in the spring. He's the No. 3 edge and No. 6 overall player in the nation. Defensive line coach Al Washington was also in North Carolina and saw Garner (N.C.) South Garner's Ebene- zer Ewetade, the No. 6 edge and No. 20 recruit in the country. Ewetade picked Notre Dame in April. Three Notre Dame coaches were out to see their 2026 commits in the state of Texas. Wide receivers coach Mike Brown made it to the Lone Star State to watch Red Oak (Texas) High's Brayden Robin- son, a three-star prospect and No. 80 wide receiver in America. The following night, he watched Aledo (Texas) High's Kaydon Finley, the No. 14 wideout and No. 108 overall prospect in the land. Fin- ley and Robinson committed to Notre Dame on July 4 and July 6, respectively. Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider went to Forney (Texas) High's game for Javian Osborne, the No. 10 running back and No. 138 overall recruit in the nation. Osborne committed to Notre Dame over Michigan in May. Defensive line analyst Nick Sebastian got a look at Bastrop (Texas) High's Tiki Hola, who committed to the Irish over SMU and Southern Cal in May. He's listed as a three-star prospect and the No. 95 defensive lineman nationally. Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli was in the Sunshine State, checking in on a couple of impressive passers. He inquired about Vero Beach (Fla.) High's Champ Monds, who is the top signal-caller and No. 2 overall player in the country according to Rivals' 2028 rankings. The Irish haven't offered any quarterbacks in the 2028 cycle yet, but Monds is likely to add Notre Dame to his scholarship offer list at some point. G u i d u g l i saw 2 02 6 q u a r te rba c k pledge Noah Grubbs from Lake Mary (Fla.) High. Grubbs is the No. 26 signal- caller in the land. He has been commit- ted to Notre Dame since June 2024. Denbrock is Notre Dame's tight ends coach officially, but analyst Harris Bivin leads the day-to-day recruiting respon- sibilities at the position. Bivin evaluated Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic's Pres- ton Fryzel, a Notre Dame commit who is Rivals' No. 14 tight end and No. 296 overall player in the country. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph scouted Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College safety Joey O'Brien and offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh — a pair of Notre Dame commits — in their games. O'Brien is the No. 3 safety and No. 47 overall prospect nationally, while McKeogh checks in as the No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 13 overall player in America. Rudolph also checked in on Tyler Mer- rill from Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumber- land Valley. Merrill is a three-star recruit and No. 31 offensive guard in the land. ✦ F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Irish Staff Hits The Road To Visit Commits And Recruits During Bye Week Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli checked in with Vero Beach (Fla.) High standout Champ Monds, who is the No. 1 quarterback and No. 2 overall player in the country according to Rivals' 2028 rankings, during Notre Dame's bye week in early September. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS