Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 11, 2025 45 Detroit Cass Tech class of 2028 quar- terback Donald Tabron II got the full Notre Dame visit experience when the Irish hosted Texas A&M Sept. 13. Despite the Fighting Irish loss that night, the elite signal-caller loved his time in South Bend. "It was amazing," he told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I got there around 1:30, and I went to the practice field and talked with the coaches before the game. I got to hang around and see some of the campus. Then we got to the stadium, and it's beautiful. "I got to meet with Coach [Marcus] Freeman for a minute, and then getting into game time, the crowd was packed and electric. It was as loud as it can get." Tabron spoke with Notre Dame quar- terbacks coaches Gino Guidugli and Kurt Rawlings before the game. "It was great — catching up on what's happening since the summer," Tabron said. "We talked about CJ Carr and his growth, and how if I went to Notre Dame, I'd have the same kind of devel- opment plan. It was really good to see them during game day." A highlight of Tabron's visit was hear- ing the panel speakers at the practice fa- cility before the game, which included businessman Tom Mendoza, who the Notre Dame business school is named after. Irish greats Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis (a Detroit native) were around as well, and Tabron got to meet them. It was Tabron's second visit to Notre Dame — he impressed at the staff's Irish Invasion camp back in June. Notre Dame hasn't offered him yet, but Tabron un- derstands the process. The Irish haven't offered any passer in the 2028 class yet. "My family and I know that Notre Dame offers later than most teams in the country," he said. "They like to do their due diligence. We just want to keep build- ing a relationship with Notre Dame. If I do get an offer from Notre Dame, I want to already have a strong relationship with them, as if I already had the offer." But if that offer comes, it'll be a big one for him. "Definitely," he said. "My family and I talk about it all the time — if I was to get offered from Notre Dame, what it would look like if I had that opportunity." — Mike Singer Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove quar- terback Oscar Sloan was one of the top class of 2028 prospects at Notre Dame Sept. 20, where he watched the Fighting Irish knock off Purdue 56-30. Sloan enjoyed his time in South Bend. "It was great, and it was actually my first time going to Notre Dame Stadium for a game. That made it memorable on its own," Sloan said. "I thought it was a great overall showing by Notre Dame, and CJ Carr is playing really well as a redshirt freshman. He's someone I try to model my game after. "It was good to be able to connect with some other recruits and talk it up with Coach Gino [Guidugli] and Coach [Marcus] Freeman after the game." There was nearly a two-hour weather delay, but Sloan stuck it out, and the af- ternoon-turned-night game made for an enjoyable second half once play resumed. "The atmosphere was electric," Sloan said. "You can feel the tradition take over the stands when the team does their pregame prayer. We sat right in front of the student section, and they brought the energy the entire game. I liked how the team came and sang with the crowd after the game." It was well worth the wait, with Sloan connecting with Freeman and Guidugli after the contest. "That went well," he said. "Coach Gino and I talked about how my sea- son is going, and I told him how much I like what they are doing with CJ and how that matches up with my style of play. I talked with Coach Freeman for a couple minutes, and he told me that Notre Dame is always looking for great kids and great players like me." Notre Dame hasn't offered any class of 2028 quarterbacks yet, but Sloan be- lieves there's strong mutual interest be- tween the two sides. "It would be special and mean a lot," Sloan answered when asked what a Notre Dame offer would affect him. "To know that a historic program and school like Notre Dame would want you to be a part of their brotherhood would be something I would cherish." Purdue, Maryland, Toledo and Cin- cinnati are among Sloan's early offers. — Mike Singer Elite 2028 Quarterback Cherishes Notre Dame Visit In-State Signal-Caller Is Gaining Interest From The Irish OSCAR SLOAN ✪ ✪ ✪ Center Grove H.S. Greenwood, Ind. Status: Interested Class: 2028 Position: Quarterback Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 195 Rivals Rankings: — DONALD TABRON II ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cass Technical H.S. Detroit Status: Interested Class: 2028 Position: Quarterback Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 175 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in Michigan, and No. 4 quarterback and No. 29 overall player nationally "I got to meet with Coach [Marcus] Freeman for a minute, and then getting into game time, the crowd was packed and electric. It was as loud as it can get." TABRON "The atmosphere was electric. You can feel the tradition take over the stands when the team does their pregame prayer." SLOAN