Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 37 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE (2023), OL Anthonie Knapp (2024), EDGE Dominik Hulak (2025) BOOM OR BUST: EDGE EBENEZER EWETADE In reviewing my previous picks for this superlative, it's mostly been busts or the players are too early in their ca- reers to make a judgment. But with Ewetade, he's by far the most-coveted, highest-ranked pick for this. He's a Rivals four-star prospect in large part due to his excellent traits as a pass rusher, and Ewetade has been pro- ductive as well. As a senior, he totaled 70 stops, 28 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 25 quarterback hurries, 4 passes bro- ken up, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles and 2 blocked kicks. Ewetade has all the talent and poten- tial in the world. Will he be able to put on the necessary weight and continue to bolster his pass-rush skill set? Yes, I think so. But of all the signees, Ewetade fits this superlative best. Runner-up: WR Bubba Frazier Previous picks: CB Caleb Offord (2020), DL Jason Onye (2021), DL Aiden Gobaira (2022), WR Braylon James (2023), OL Styles Prescod (2024), WR Antavious Richardson (2025) MR. VERSATILE: TE IAN PREMER A quick Google search says the fol- lowing is the definition of versatile: "able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities." Will Premer play anything other than tight end and maybe some special teams in college? No. But looking at him at the high school level, this guy did it all. In leading his team to an 11-1 record and Kansas 5A semifinal appearance, he caught 40 passes for 734 yards and 14 touchdowns and played plenty of run- ning back, carrying the rock 56 times for 620 yards and 14 touchdowns. The five-star recruit was everywhere on defense as well, notching 68 stops, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 6 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble and 1 field goal block. Premer is also just such an excellent football player, and I would have felt strange if he didn't get a superlative. Runner-up: S Nick Reddish Previous picks: ATH Xavier Watts (2020), DB Khari Gee (2021), LB Nolan Ziegler (2022), LB Preston Zinter (2023), WR Cam Williams (2024), S JaDon Blair (2025) INSTANT IMPACT: S JOEY O'BRIEN I was very close to having O'Brien as the class MVP because he's such an in- credible talent and his commitment was a statement — showing the elite level of the Irish recruiting. But I'm going with O'Brien in the instant impact superlative, and here's why: he's too darn good to keep off the field. Remember Kyle Hamilton's fresh- man season? Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott were really good senior safeties, but Hamilton was too good to keep off the field as a true freshman. O'Brien gets a lot of Hamilton comparisons, and I believe O'Brien will be too good to not play as well. He's a freak athlete. O'Brien is long, athletic, fast and physical. His instincts are off the charts. O'Brien is enrolling early as well, so the staff will see what he's made of in the near future. For what it's worth, my runner-up pick is a bold one, but Fitzgerald is my sleeper pick to play in 2026. Runner-up: WR Devin Fitzgerald Previous picks: Transfer DB Isaiah Pryor (2020), WR Lorenzo Styles Jr. ( 2 0 2 1 ) , W R To b i a s Me r r iwea t h e r (2022), WR Jaden Greathouse (2023), LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (2024), TE James Flanigan (2025) HIDDEN GEM: WR DYLAN FAISON Notre Dame had the jump on the rest of the country with Faison, who was primarily viewed as a top lacrosse re- cruit and not as much as a football pros- pect. But the Irish obviously were aware of Dylan because the Irish had his older brother Jordan as a wide receiver on its roster. And when Notre Dame got Dylan committed, sources around the program felt that Dylan has more potential than Jordan, which is high praise. Faison's high school team partici- pated in a seven-on-seven tournament at Miami over the summer, the Hur- ricanes' staff invited Faison to a camp the next day, Faison accepted the invite, and he got the offer after impressing them. That was the only other scholar- ship offer Faison received. That says a lot to me. Faison is a gem. I think he's going to be really good for Notre Dame. Runner-up: OL Charlie Thom Previous picks: DE Alexander Eh- rensberger (2020), CB JoJo Johnson (2021), OL Ashton Craig (2022), DL Boubacar Traore (2023), LB Teddy Rezac (2024), S Brandon Logan (2025) FAVORITE INTERVIEW: RB JAVIAN OSBORNE I made a trip to Texas in the spring a couple of weeks before Osborne an- nounced his Notre Dame commitment, and he was kind enough to discuss his Irish pledge with me so I could prepare that content. He's quite the kid — super person- able, big smile, infectious personality. He talks with passion and gives great quotes. Osborne is just a treat to interact with. Osborne is also a dog on the field; he has the potential to play early for the Irish. He also has captain potential down the road, too. Runner-up: S Joey O'Brien Previous picks: QB Drew Pyne (2020), OL Rocco Spindler (2021), OL Billy Schrauth (2022), OL Sullivan Ab- sher (2023), EDGE Bryce Young (2024), LB Anthony Sacca (2025) ✦ Running back Javian Osborne's big smile and infectious personality made him the clear-cut choice for "Favorite Interview." PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY