Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2026 27 F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G "As I've watched them this senior year and watched how they've domi- nated at the high school level, that's what you expect to see from such highly rated recruits," Freeman said. "I remember going to see [five-star edge defender] Rodney [Dunham] and all those guys. They're playing at a high level in high school, and you should. If you're one of the best players in the country, you should be dominant at the high school level. "I was encouraged by watching, not only before they committed, their ju- nior film and seeing them in camp. To see them continue to improve as they've gotten into their senior year has been encouraging." Notre Dame's defensive back haul includes three recruits ranked among the top 100 overall prospects in the 2026 class by the Rivals Industry Rank- ing: Adams (No. 26 overall), O'Brien (No. 31) and Pouncey (No. 76). The offensive line haul consists of one Rivals five-star recruit (McKeogh), three Rivals four-star recruits (Pat- rick, Nichols and Thom) and a pair of Rivals three-star recruits (Merrill and Garvin). The wide receiver haul includes four wide receivers ranked among the top 60 at their position in the Rivals Industry Ranking — Finley (No. 22), Frazier (No. 37), Fitzgerald (No. 58) and Robinson (No. 60) — and football/lacrosse star Dylan Faison, the No. 127 wide receiver according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. "I think there were a lot of positions where we got guys who were at the top of boards all across other schools and all across the country," Martin said. "I feel like that led us to take 27 young men. And I think there are certainly some guys that were still getting calls who could have gone a bunch of dif- ferent places. But we're glad that they chose the Irish." ✦ With a few exceptions (Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa in 2024) over the years, no one has any idea which Notre Dame freshmen will contribute in a given season. It's extremely difficult to determine until the players get on campus. However, the Irish are never afraid to play freshmen if they prove that they are the best option in a given role. This season was a down year for Day 1-contrib- uting freshmen. Only four members of the 2025 class — linebacker Madden Faraimo, cornerbacks Mark Zackery IV and Dallas Golden, and kicker Erik Schmidt — burned their redshirt. Tight end James Flanigan came on strong in November and is expected to contribute in the postseason, too. But aside from those five, the freshman contribu- tions have been minimal. The 2026 class, though, is ripe with talent that could play right away. As always, this is just as dependent on the opportunities than the players themselves (i.e., no one would have known who Leonard Moore was last season if Benjamin Morrison didn't get hurt). But here are five signees who could fill meaningful roles in 2026. Cornerback Khary Adams Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mick- ens has a habit of getting his cornerbacks ready to play as true freshmen. Adams, the No. 1 cor- nerback and No. 26 overall prospect in the class according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, could very well be next in line. "When you're recruiting Khary, you show him the development Coach Mickens has done with corners," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. "The Leonard Moores, the Sauce Gardners and the Benjamin Morrisons. And I think Khary sees himself as that caliber of player." Adams looks a whole lot like the corner- backs Mickens and company have thrived with: 6-foot-1, long, physical, athletic and fluid in his hips. The Rivals Industry five-star will have a chance to see the field, and if junior Christian Gray leaves for the NFL, perhaps even start. Tight End Ian Premer With Eli Raridon gone, the tight end position — another that traditionally is very true freshman- friendly — looks wide open. Cooper Flanagan, Ty Washington and James Flanigan should all return, but none have established themselves as the favorite for TE1 (Flanagan has seniority but he'll be coming off a season lost to injury). Enter Premer, a five-star prospect ranked as the No. 1 tight end nationally by Rivals, who, by all accounts, will be physically ready to help Notre Dame the instant he steps on campus. He has the size and athleticism to be whatever he wants to be as a college football player. Premer is a sum- mer enrollee, but so were Golden and Zackery. Moore, Morrison, Jeremiyah Love and Joe Alt arrived in June, too. Safety Joey O'Brien O'Brien, Rivals' No. 1 safety and No. 25 player nationally, is a freak, standing 6-foot-4 with elite instincts and ball skills. He is generally seen as more ready to play than freshman JaDon Blair was at this time last year, despite their physical profiles being somewhat similar. Freeman com- pared him to Kyle Hamilton, who did not take long to get himself in the mix at safety as a true freshman in 2019. O'Brien set school records as a wide receiver in high school —for career receiving yards (2,398), career receptions (161) and single-season re- ceiving touchdowns (16) — which helps his ball skills to the point where he's arguably the best at taking the ball away in high school football. For a more recent example, think Tae Johnson but 6-foot-4 and more experienced at the position. That's the type of immediate upside O'Brien has. Cornerback Ayden Pouncey You can tell by the tone with which Freeman speaks about him: he loves Pouncey, who is listed as the No. 7 safety in the country by Rivals but will begin his Notre Dame career at cornerback. "Ayden Pouncey is playing as well as any of them," said Freeman. "As you watch what he does his senior year on film, and what he's doing as a punt returner, as a corner, as a safety, on offense, he's playing as well as anybody in that defensive back signees class." Like Adams, Pouncey fits a lot of the traits Mick- ens loves in his corners but with even more size (6-foot-3). He will compete for a role on Day 1. One Of The Running Backs: Jonaz Walton or Javian Osborne Presuming Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price leave, 2026 is setting up to be a fascinating year at the running back position. Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr. and Kedren Young will likely return, but much like the returning tight ends, none are set in stone as the top guy. Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider's preference is not a committee, but that's certainly what it looks like right now. With that in mind, there's no reason Walton, Ri- vals' No. 5 running back in the land, or Osborne, the No. 8 ball carrier in the class, can't join that committee. They are both compact, powerful backs with speed, elusiveness and toughness. If all three incumbents stay (and assuming Gi'Bran Payne is gone as well), there probably isn't room for both. But one of them can absolutely step up. — Jack Soble Five Class Of 2026 Signees Who Can Contribute As True Freshmen Ian Premer possesses the size and athleticism to compete for playing time at tight end immediately. PHOTO VIA YOUTUBE