Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP 36 JANUARY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Marquis Bryant, HHHH, 5-11, 185, Rolesville, N.C. (Rolesville) Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, HHHH, 6-0, 180, San Diego (Cathedral Catholic) Jaylyn Jones, HHHH, 6-0, 175, Hollywood, Fla. (McArthur) — Miami commit Zayden Gamble, HHH, 5-11, 160, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Tavares Harrington, HHHH, 6-3, 180, Chicago (Mount Carmel) Corey Hadley, HHHH, 6-1, 180, Tyrone, Ga. (Sandy Creek) Garyon Hobbs, HHH, 5-11½, 200, Louisville, Ky. (Atherton) Danny Lang, HHH, 6-0½, 160, Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) Kenneth Simon II, HHH, 6-2, 190, Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy) Khalil Terry, HHHH, 5-11, 180, Tustin, Calif. (Tustin) Jaden Walk-Green, HHH, 5-11, 185, Corona, Calif. (Centennial) Gavin Williams, HHHH, 6-1, 170, La Verne, Calif. (Damien) Athletes Braden Gordon, HHHH, 6-3, 190, Montgomery, Ala. (The Montgomery Academy) Long Snapper Sean Kraft, —, 6-4, 215, Swannanoa, N.C. (Asheville Christian Academy) Star ratings are from Rivals as of Dec. 5; Commitments in bold italics 2027 RIVALS INDUSTRY TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 5 1. Texas Tech 5 2. Oklahoma 11 3. Ohio State 7 4. Texas A&M 8 5. Nebraska 6 6. Notre Dame 8 7. Miami 4 8. Georgia 6 9. Michigan 4 10. Alabama 3 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits 2027 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: None. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: RB Elijah Kimble of Buffalo, N.Y. (no longer consider- ing Notre Dame). MEMORABILIA NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-498-2351 M A R K E T P L A C E ADS: 502-552-4390 PRAYERS: 800-421-7751 Great Gift Ideas For Irish Fans! I L L U S T R A T E D 2025 Holiday 2025 Holiday Gift Guide Gift Guide Visit BlueGoldOnline.com RECRUITING NOTES • Baltimore McDonogh School four-star defensive lineman Joseph Buchanan felt the weight of the opportunity to play for Notre Dame football. On Dec. 4, two days after adding an offer from the Irish, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound junior named Notre Dame one of his top six schools. He also included Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State and Southern Cal. Buchanan is one of the most coveted front-four players in the 2027 class. According to Rivals, he's the No. 4 recruit in Maryland, and the No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 199 overall recruit nationally. Before narrow- ing his recruitment, he held offers from 24 Power Four schools, including Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee. The Irish made the cut because of the football program's culture and a key connection to one of the program's 2026 cornerback signees. "The culture at Notre Dame is something special," Buchanan told Rivals director of recruiting Chad Simmons. "I definitely believe in coach Marcus Freeman and everything he's bringing to Notre Dame. My friend [and 2026 Irish signee] Khary Adams and I constantly talk about it. I'm definitely interested." Buchanan has yet to visit Notre Dame, so the staff will look to welcome him to campus once the NCAA recruiting dead period expires Jan. 5. • Another prospect more familiar with the Irish also included them among his top schools. On Dec. 4, Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln tight end Jaxon Dollar featured Notre Dame, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M as his 10 favorites. The 6-5, 208-pound Dollar is another prized prospect, ranking as No. 5 recruit in North Carolina, and the No. 4 tight end and No. 64 overall player in the country in the 2027 class, according to Rivals. The Irish offered him April 10 and have since hosted him on campus twice. After his latest visit for the Southern Cal at Notre Dame game Oct. 18, Dollar told Blue & Gold Illustrated recruiting insider Mike Singer the environment was "the best" he's been to. "It was funny to see the pushups in the crowd," Dollar said. "I didn't know they did that. That's a neat tradition. And they definitely use their tight ends a lot." The Irish are still searching for their first tight end commit in the 2027 cycle. However, Singer has predicted Dollar will eventually pledge to the Irish. • The top recruit in the Tar Heel State included the Irish in his top six. On Dec. 1, Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons four-star cornerback Xavier Hasan narrowed his recruitment to Notre Dame, Florida State, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee. Those schools were in his top 12 Aug. 10. Duke, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina State, Oregon and Penn State all missed his latest cut. The 5-11, 190-pound Hasan is considered one of the elite players in the 2027 class. According to Rivals, he's the No. 4 cornerback and No. 27 overall player in America. Hasan has expressed strong interest in Notre Dame this season, visiting for both the Texas A&M and Navy games. He also attended the program's Irish Invasion camp in June. Those visits have helped ce- ment the Irish as a true contender for his eventual commitment. "They definitely have one of the best development programs I've seen," Hasan told Rivals vice presi- dent of recruiting Steve Wiltfong the day he released his top schools. "They have a really good defensive back room. Really good academics. Their life after football, they set their players up really well. And the coaches show me the most love out of all these schools." Singer and Wiltfong have also predicted Hasan will pledge to the Irish. — Kyle Kelly Follow @ByKyleKelly on X for daily recruiting updates on BlueandGold.com!