Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541184
PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 15, 2025 43 Notre Dame was smart to get a head start in recruiting Danville (Ky.) Boyle County four-star tight end Seneca Driver — especially considering how his recruitment has evolved. Since the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder picked up his Fighting Irish offer dur- ing the program's St. Patrick's Day- themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event March 17, the battle for Driver has ballooned to about 40 schools. Roughly seven months later, Rivals now lists him as the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 class, further raising the stakes. As of early November, no school had welcomed Driver to campus more than Notre Dame. Since March, he's visited South Bend for spring practice, Irish Invasion in June and the Southern Cal game Oct. 18. With each one, the Irish have seemingly strengthened their positioning. That was especially evident after his June visit, when Driver told Blue & Gold Illustrated that Notre Dame "feels like home." That sentiment re- mains, but other programs are work- ing to change it. "I'd say, I haven't dialed down any- body by any means," Driver said after his latest trip. "Really, I'd love to play at a lot of places." Driver enjoyed his trip to South Bend for the Southern Cal game. "It was definitely worth the time to take the trip," he said. "It was an awe- some game, seeing the rivalry. The sta- dium is really nice." Other programs might be in the mix for Driver, but several factors have drawn him to South Bend. Right now, it's the program's development at the position that has him most intrigued. "It's the way they utilize their tight ends," Driver said. "They have plenty of tight ends in the league still play- ing right now. It's a pretty good chance to get to play on Sundays if I get to go there. They have a good head coach. It's a good school." One benefit of visiting Notre Dame for a game day was seeing in person how offensive coordinator Mike Den- brock deploys the tight ends. Driver paid close attention to that aspect of the game. "I'll see where the tight ends are at on the field," Driver said. "Is he split out or on the wing? I'll go from there, and I'll see if he lead blocks. … They're really physical." Even though he's not naming top schools yet, after his latest visit, the Irish appear to have an early edge. "It's a really good school," he said. "I'd be happy to go there." — Kyle Kelly Notre Dame doesn't have any running back commitments in the 2027 class yet, but it seems to be in good shape with several ball carriers, and position coach Ja'Juan Seider should bring in a strong duo this cycle. One of the prospects Irish fans need to get familiar with is Houston The Kinkaid School three-star prospect Wayne Shanks Jr. The Fighting Irish of- fered the three-star prospect in early June, and Shanks made his first trip to South Bend last month. Shanks saw the Fighting Irish knock off Southern Cal 34-24, and the Notre Dame running backs ran wild. "It's different, in a good way," Shanks said of Notre Dame. "The culture there — you can tell it's a big thing. Every time I talk with the coaches, they talk about the culture and how they're a family. I definitely saw that when I was there. "And obviously, both of the running backs had a great game. That shows the production of Coach Seider and how he produces backs. When he was at Penn State, he had one of the best running back duos in the country at that time, too." Recruits typically watch their po- sition closely during a visit, and Jer- emiyah Love and Jadarian Price were superb, combining for more than 300 rushing yards. "It was really cool to see them in person and learn from them," Shanks added. The 5-10, 190-pounder enjoyed meeting with Seider during the trip. "He's a really good guy," Shanks said. "He's genuine as a coach and person. He'd be a great mentor to have by my side." He chatted with several other Irish staff members, especially those in the recruiting office. "They made me and my family feel welcome," Shanks said. "They did a re- ally good job of that — making it enjoy- able and worth our time for sure." Shanks spent time exploring campus and came away thinking highly of Notre Dame after seeing it firsthand. "We got to walk around a bit. It's a re- ally chill campus," Shanks said. "The fan base seems really nice. At the game, the fans showed great passion for the Irish. "I hope to get back in the future. It's hard to tell just off one game-day visit, but they definitely have the potential to make their way to the top of my list. I'm hoping to see that because I really like what they're doing there. I really like Coach Freeman and Coach Seider." — Mike Singer Rivals' No. 1 Tight End Is High On Notre Dame Irish Rushing Attack Impresses Houston Running Back SENECA DRIVER ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Boyle County H.S. Danville, Ky. Status: Offered Class: 2027 Position: Tight end Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 240 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 player in Kentucky, and No. 1 tight and No. 25 overall player nationally WAYNE SHANKS JR. ✪ ✪ ✪ The Kinkaid School Houston Status: Offered Class: 2027 Position: Running back Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 190 Rivals Rankings: No. 63 player in Texas and No. 33 running back nationally