Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541906
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2026 31 F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G enjoy getting a chance to mold into a top offensive lineman. 20. BEN NICHOLS OL • 6-5, 320 Davison, Mich. • Davison Nichols — the No. 6 player in Michigan and No. 28 interior offensive lineman nationally — is a boulder of an offensive linemen who will transi- tion from a high school offensive tackle to an interior lineman at Notre Dame. That will test Nichols' strength and quickness, but he's not a prospect who should be needed to play right away. With proper physical development and technical training, Nichols could be- come an imposing pulling guard. Nich- ols won't enroll at Notre Dame until June, but that shouldn't prevent him from continuing to develop in the com- ing months. 21. JA'KOBE CLAPPER LB • 6-2, 220 Cincinnati • St. Xavier Clapper — the No. 29 p ros p e c t i n O h i o a n d No. 33 linebacker in the c o u n t r y — p rove d to be an ultra-productive linebacker during his St. Xavier career. He tallied more than 100 tackles in his senior season at one of the top programs in Ohio. He plays a bit similarly to his future head coach at Notre Dame. He might not be the biggest or fastest, but Clap- per covers ground from sideline to sideline and tackles well in space. He's comfortable rushing the passer, too. It wouldn't be surprising if he outper- forms his three-star rating. 22. NOAH GRUBBS QB • 6-4, 208 Lake Mary, Fla. • Lake Mary Grubbs — the No. 61 player in the Sunshine State and No. 41 quar- terback in America — showed a lot of grit in his senior season after strug- gling in his team's spring game. He helped Lake Mary make a deep playoff run in Florida while clearly being the team's best player. He wasn't the most accurate passer in completing less than 60 percent of his passes for much of the season, but he surpassed 2,500 passing yards and repeatedly led important touch- down drives. Grubbs will have a chance to grow as a freshman at Notre Dame before truly engaging in a quarterback competition. 23. TIKI HOLA DL • 6-3, 305 Bastrop, Texas • Bastrop Hola — the No. 139 prospect in Texas and No. 103 defensive lineman in the nation — has the potential to be an extremely disruptive defensive tackle at Notre Dame. He can overpower offensive linemen to spend a lot of time in opposing backfields. He will likely spend most his time shading the center, and that's where he can disrupt the offense at the point of attack. Hola has strong hands and an active motor that can be exhausting to line up against play after play. 24. BRAYDEN ROBINSON WR • 5-8, 164 Red Oak, Texas • Red Oak It's pretty incredible that a receiver with this much high school pro- duction out of the state of the Texas can fall this far down the list of Notre Dame's commits, but that speaks to the talent in this Irish class. Robinson — the No. 72 player in Texas and No. 90 wide receiver nationally — totaled at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his final two seasons at Red Oak. The undersized receiver thrives off his speed and shiftiness. His feet are always moving, and he loves to try to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands. Notre Dame has a pair of re- ally dangerous slot receivers in the class with Frazier and Robinson. 25. NICK REDDISH S • 5-10, 185 Charlotte, N.C. • Independence Reddish — the No. 45 recruit in North Carolina and No. 68 safety in America — lacks the height of the rest of Notre Dame's defensive backs in the class, but he plays bigger than his size. He might be the most physical defensive back in Notre Dame's loaded group. Reddish brings some versatility to Notre Dame as a guy who could play safety, cornerback or nickelback. Defending slot receivers may be his most likely role in the future. He's not afraid to come up and make a tackle near the line of scrimmage, and his instincts tend to put him in good positions against the run or pass. 26. DYLAN FAISON WR • 6-1, 180 Weston, Fla. • Saint Andrews The recruiting industry hasn't been high on Fai- son — the No. 116 player in Florida and No. 170 wide receiver in the coun- try — throughout his high school career. Perhaps that's because he doesn't have elite traits or he spends his offseason playing lacrosse. However, he shouldn't be overlooked. The success of his older brother at Notre Dame should be a good reminder of that. He is taller and longer than Irish junior wide receiver Jordan Faison, but he might not be as shifty as him. How- ever, Dylan might be even better as a deep threat. He tracks the ball well in the air and knows how to beat defensive backs. He may be able to help as a punt or kick returner as well. 27. SULLIVAN GARVIN OL • 6-5, 314 Allegan, Mich. • Allegan Garvin — the No. 12 prospect in Michi- gan and No. 57 interior offensive lineman in the nation — emerged as one of Notre Dame's early favorites as an interior offensive line- man in the 2026 class. He didn't waste much time in committing to Notre Dame after an of- fer late in 2024. Garvin has a reputa- tion for overpowering his competition at high school, but he'll have a signifi- cant talent jump to deal with at Notre Dame. Garvin will have plenty of time to develop before he needs to push for playing time. His athleticism might be underrated for his size. ✦