Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2026 29 F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G separates him from the rest of the of- fensive linemen in Notre Dame's class. 5. IAN PREMER TE • 6-6, 235 Great Bend, Kan. • Great Bend Premer — the No. 1 player in Kansas, and the No. 1 tight end and No. 27 overall prospect nationally — did a little bit of every- thing for his football team as a senior. He racked up 30 touchdowns (14 receiving, 14 rushing and 2 pick sixes) while showing his athletic versatility. He is more of a receiving threat than a blocking power coming out of high school, but his physicality should al- low himself to become more reliable as a blocker. Notre Dame should be able to move Premer around in the offense to find mismatch advantages when he ac- climates himself to the college level. 6. EBENEZER EWETADE DE • 6-4, 211 Raleigh, N.C. • South Garner Ewetade — the No. 3 recruit in North Carolina, and the No. 7 edge and No. 28 overall player in the country — will need phys- ical development when he arrives at Notre Dame, but his speed and length make him a candidate to become an elite pass rusher. He wreaked havoc in high school backfields with 28 tackles for loss, in- cluding 8 sacks, in 12 games as a senior at South Garner. Though he's still skinny for a defensive end, his adjustment to the college level should be easier after prac- ticing against teammate Ekene Ogboko, a Rivals five-star offensive tackle who signed with Georgia. 7. AYDEN POUNCEY CB • 6-3, 179 Orlando, Fla. • Winter Park Pouncey — the No. 11 player in Florida, and the No. 7 safety and No. 96 overall recruit in Amer- ica — brings versatility to Notre Dame's secondary class. He could certainly play safety at the college level, but the Irish plan to give him a chance at cornerback first. He's shown the ability to do either with his coverage skills and instincts in high school. He's been an electric playmaker as a special teams returner and wide receiver as well. That helped him return five of his 7 interceptions for touchdowns in his senior season at Winter Park. 8. JAVIAN OSBORNE RB • 5-9, 200 Forney, Texas • Forney Take your pick on which Notre Dame running back signee you prefer most. Both have a strong argument. Unfor- tunately for future Notre Dame opponents, the Irish don't have to choose be- tween the two. The case for Osborne — the No. 18 prospect in Texas, and the No. 8 running back and No. 135 overall player in the nation — starts with incredible production throughout his high school career in which he rushed for at least 1,000 yards in all four season and topped 2,000 yards in two seasons. He capped his career with 2,157 yards and 33 touchdowns on 273 carries in 13 games as a senior at Forney. Osborne creates extra yardage as slippery back who's hard to tackle, and he knows when to get up the field to maximize his gains. 9. JONAZ WALTON RB • 5-9, 208 Carrollton, Ga. • Carrollton Central Walton — the No. 19 player in Georgia, and the No. 5 running back and No. 121 overall recruit nationally — can't be easy to tackle. His strong and thick at his smaller stature, but he still has tremendous speed to run away from defenders. He showed in high school career that he can impact the game both as a runner and pass catcher. As a senior at Car- rollton Central, Walton rushed for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns on 128 carries and caught 33 passes for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns. Notre Dame's embar- rassment of riches at the running back position should continue with the com- bination of Osborne and Walton. 10. KAYDON FINLEY WR • 6-0, 212 Aledo, Texas • Aledo Beating Texas for a legacy Longhorn at the wide receiver position might be Notre Dame's most impressive individ- ual recruiting feat in the 2026 class. The talented Finley — the No. 13 player in the Lone Star State, and the No. 15 wide re- ceiver and No. 110 overall player in the country — possesses mat- ters even more than where his father went to college. He's a well-rounded receiver who plays bigger than his height and wins a lot of one-on-one matchups with de- fensive backs. Finley produced at a high level for a team that made deep Texas state runs in his final two years at Aledo. He totaled at least 17 receiving touch- downs and 1,100 receiving yards in both seasons. 11. BUBBA FRAZIER WR • 5-8, 177 Savannah, Ga. • Benedictine Military What Frazier — the No. 31 pros- pect in Georgia, and the No. 33 wide re ce ive r a n d No. 2 39 player in America — lacks in size, he makes up for with speed. He clocked a 100-meter dash in 10.54 seconds last spring, and that speed translates to his play on the football field. He escapes crowds in a hurry with his acceleration, and that makes him a threat to turn any touch into a long touchdown. Bendectine Military used Frazier both as a receiver and running back, which should help him be a versa- tile threat in college. Notre Dame offen- sive coordinator Mike Denbrock should start drawing up jet sweeps for Frazier this offseason. 12. CHAZ SMITH CB • 6-0, 169 Knoxville, Tenn. • Knoxville Catholic Smith — the No. 4 player in Ten- nessee, and the No. 15 cornerback and No. 104 recruit in Amer- ica —was the first defen- sive back to commit to Notre Dame last Decem- ber, and the Irish built one of the best secondary classes in the country around him. Because Smith committed so long ago, he may have become a bit of an afterthought for Irish fans, but he's a