Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2026 35 Class of 2026 LB Kobe Clapper: Concluded his outstanding high school career with a season-high 15 tackles, including 8 solo stops, in Cincinnati St. Xavier's (11-3) 28-14 loss to Lewis Center (Ohio) Olen- tangy Orange (15-0) in the Ohio Division I state championship at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Sta- dium in Canton, Ohio, Dec. 5. LB Thomas Davis Jr.: Matthews (N.C.) Wedding- ton (12-2) lost 13-7 to Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley (14-0) at Greensboro College in the North Caro- lina Class 7A semifinals Dec. 4. WR Kaydon Finley: Caught 5 passes for 113 yards and 1 touchdown in Aledo (Texas) High's 43-17 win against Denton (Texas) Ryan (12-2) in the Texas Class 5A Division 1 football quarterfinals at Northwest ISD Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 5 … Recorded a career-high 251 yards with 3 touchdowns on 9 catches in Aledo's (14-1) 56-52 loss to Frisco (Texas) Lone Star (15-1) at Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield, Texas, in the Texas Class 5A Division 1 football semifinal Dec. 12. WR Bubba Frazier: Only had an 8-yard catch in Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School's 28-20 win over Atlanta Marist School (12-2) in the Georgia Class 4A semifinals Dec. 5 … Had 4 carries for 38 yards and an 11-yard catch in Benedictine Military School's (11-3) 42-39 loss to Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside (15-0) in the Georgia Class 4A championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Dec. 15. TE Preston Fryzel: Reeled in 5 catches for 45 yards in Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic's (11-5) 30-0 loss to Columbus (Ohio) Bishop Watterson (14-0) in the Ohio Division I state championship at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Dec. 5. DL Elijah Golden: Logged 5 tackles, 1 stop for loss and 4 quarterback hurries in Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney's 40-0 victory over Cocoa (Fla.) High (8-5) in the Florida Class 2A semifinals Dec. 5 … Totaled 9 tackles, 5 stops for loss and 3 sacks in Cardinal Mooney's (14-1) 52-28 win over Jackson- ville (Fla.) The Bolles School (13-2) in the Florida Class 2A championship at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium in Miami Dec. 10. QB Noah Grubbs: Completed 23 of 34 passes for 309 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 intercep- tions in Lake Mary (Fla.) High's 31-26 victory over Venice (Fla.) High (9-4) in the Florida Class 7A semifinals Dec. 5 … Including a game-winning Hail Mary, Grubbs threw for 333 yards with 3 touch- downs and 2 interceptions in Lake Mary's (12-3) 28-27 victory over Vero Beach (Fla.) High (14-1) in the Florida Class 7A championship at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium in Miami Dec. 13 … He completed a 43-yard touchdown pass that in- cluded the receiver catching the ball at the 5-yard line and handing it off to a teammate who fought his way into the end zone as time expired to set up the game-winning extra point. OT Grayson McKeogh: Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle (13-1) defeated Pittsburgh Central Catholic (13-2) 34-20 in the Pennsylvania Class 6A championship at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley Dec. 6. S Joey O'Brien: Had 3 interceptions, includ- ing 1 returned for a touchdown, and 10 catches for 98 yards and a 2-yard passing touchdown in Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle's (13-1) 34-20 win over Pittsburgh Central Catholic (13-2) in the Pennsyl- vania Class 6A championship at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley Dec. 6. Class of 2027 CB Ace Alston: Contributed 7 tackles, including an assisted stop for loss, in Cincinnati Anderson's (14-1) 37-20 loss to Avon (Ohio) High (14-1) in the Ohio Division II state championship at Tom Ben- son Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Dec. 4 OL James Halter: Helped Pittsburgh Central Catholic's (13-2) rushers record 120 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries in a 34-20 loss to Wyn- dmoor (Pa.) La Salle (13-1) in the Pennsylvania Class 6A championship at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley Dec. 6. Safety Myles Baker, HHH, 6-1, 190, Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon) 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, HHH, 6-4, 215, Swannanoa, N.C. (Asheville Christian Academy) Star ratings are from Rivals as of Jan. 5; ^ Offered by Notre Dame between Dec. 6 and Jan. 5; % Reclassified from 2028 to 2027; Commitments in bold italics 2027 RIVALS INDUSTRY TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Jan. 5 1. Ohio State 9 2. Texas Tech 5 3. Oklahoma 11 4. Texas A&M 9 5. Notre Dame 8 6. Nebraska 6 7. Alabama 4 8. Miami 4 9. Georgia 6 10. Michigan 4 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits 2027 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: CB Xavier Hasan of Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: RB David Gabriel-Georges of Chattanooga, Tenn. (no longer considering Notre Dame); TE JT Geraci of Ramsey, N.J. (committed to Texas); OL Jake Hildebrand of Chandler, Ariz. (no longer considering Notre Dame); DE Davis Jacobs Jr. of Roswell, Ga. (committed to Ohio State); CB Hayden Stepp of Las Vegas (no longer considering Notre Dame); and S Mar- quis Bryant of Rolesville, N.C. (committed to North Carolina). 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 Commitment Updates All games played December unless otherwise noted PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER - Oh, most beauti- ful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Im- maculate Virgin, assist me in this necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times). Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. (3 times). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. This prayer must be said for 3 days and after 3 days your request will be granted and the prayer must be published. Thank you. D.H. PERSONALS