Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE numbers (32 catches for 482 yards and 0 touchdowns) weren't record-setting by any means. They were solid, and he was solid in all areas — from those that show up on the stat sheet to those that don't. If Premer is that type of player — a reliable blocker and a stud of a pass catcher — there is a path to playing time for him in Year 1. He might be exactly that. The Irish are due for getting a top- five player at an important position. On paper grade: A+ OFFENSIVE LINE Signees: Five-star Grayson McKe- ogh of Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College Prep, four-star Gregory Patrick of Por- tage (Mich). Northern, four-star Ben Nichols of Davison (Mich.) High, four- star Charlie Thom of Darien (Conn.) Avon Old Farms, three-star Tyler Mer- rill of Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley, three-star Sullivan Garvin of Al- legan (Mich.) High Synopsis: One insufficient offen- sive line class can set the operation back years. Notre Dame signed players at this position like the future of the program depended on it. At the top, is a top-10 tackle in McKe- ogh and a top-20 interior offensive line- men in Patrick. Then you've got to take chances on less highly ranked players to fill out the depth, and Notre Dame did that too. There is much to like about this group of half a dozen signees, but it's not quite A-level across the board. Quantity does not automatically mean quality. Some of the players will need to outperform their rankings to get the most out of these six signees. There might not be a position that requires as much patience as offen- sive line as well. Take Will Black, for instance. He was as exciting a signee as they come in the 2025 cycle, com- ing in as the No. 4 offensive tackle in the class. And yet, here he is going into Year 2 of his college career and he might have to stand on the sideline again and wait another season before he gets into Notre Dame's starting of- fensive line lineup. While bringing in half a dozen offen- sive linemen is awesome for the purpose of reestablishing depth, bear in mind it's a long shot to see any of these guys in starting slots in Year 1 and maybe even Year 2. On paper grade: B+ DEFENSIVE LINE Signees: Five-star Rodney Dunham of Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park, four- star Ebenezer Ewetade of Garner (N.C.) South Garner, four-star Elijah Golden of Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney, three- star Tiki Hola of Bastrop (Texas) High Synopsis: The days of formidable edge rushing from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming. They just have to be. How can you sign the No. 3 edge in the class (and the No. 8 overall player, period) in Dunham and those days not be coming? Dunham might be the home run defensive end the Irish have been looking for, and his classmate, Ewetade, might push him for that title. He's the No. 9 edge and No. 38 overall player in the class. Golden is a good get, and so is Hola, but you do have to wonder about interior defensive line recruiting of late from the Irish. Notre Dame dipping into the transfer portal for defensive tackles year after year shows that it's time to get the Dunham equivalent at tackle to sign with the Irish. That said, Notre Dame really did clean up in the portal in bringing in Francis Brewu from Pitt and Tionne Gray from Oregon. Both of them should factor heavily into the game-day rotation, with Brewu having a really good chance of starting. Notre Dame might have also found a defensive line starter in Alabama de- fensive end transfer Keon Keeley. Even if he doesn't start, he's going to play along with Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young. From there, the No. 4 defensive end designation is up for grabs. What a story it would be if Dunham was the guy to grab it. That's not out of the realm of possibilities, and the following grade reflects just how possible it is. Getting Dunham was a difference-maker. On paper grade: A LINEBACKER Signees: Three-star Thomas Da- vis Jr. of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington, three-star Kobe Clapper of Cincinnati St. Xavier Synopsis: Freeman made an inter- esting point in his signing day news conference in December that defen- sive back recruiting has taken prece- dence over linebacker recruiting be- Rodney Dunham is rated as the No. 3 edge and No. 8 overall player nationally by Rivals. He is the high- est-ranked Irish signee in the 2026 class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS