Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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82 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY F or the first time in about two de- cades, Notre Dame is looking to stack two top-five recruiting classes. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff are off to a hot start in 2027 with seven commits in a class that was ranked No. 6 nationally as of Feb. 16. Here is a look at the recruits at each position who could help Notre Dame achieve that goal. All rankings are from Rivals unless otherwise noted. QUARTERBACK Committed: 0 Projected take: 1 Synopsis: Notre Dame has been ac- tive in the reclassification market at quarterback in the 2027 recruiting cycle. First, the Irish moved prized quarter- back commit Teddy Jarrard up to the 2026 class, where he will compete with fellow 2026 commit Noah Grubbs and redshirt freshman Blake Hebert to back up CJ Carr. He signed with Notre Dame in February and will arrive on campus in June. Entering last season, Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb's Jarrard was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2027 cycle. After he announced in December his plans to graduate early, Jarrard claimed the No. 18 spot in the quarterback rankings. He was still considered one of the most coveted arms in the country. Before quarterbacks coach Gino Gui- dugli offered Jarrard last June and se- cured his verbal commitment in July, he evaluated more than a dozen 2027 passers in person. Rather than circling back to one of those prospects, Gui- dugli opted to target Vero Beach (Fla.) High quarterback Champ Monds, who reclassified from 2028 to 2027. Monds was the No. 1 sophomore q u a r te rba c k b e fo re re c l a ss i fy i n g . He is now the No. 11 quarterback na- tionally and Notre Dame's lone 2027 target under center. The 6-foot-2½, 219-pounder played in only five games in 2025 because of injuries. He com- pleted 45 of 63 passes for 691 yards with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. RUNNING BACK Committed: 0 Projected take: 2 Synopsis: Second-year running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider began the 2027 cycle by prioritizing a familiar face. The No. 1 running back in the 2027 class, five-star Kemon Spell of McKees- port (Pa.) High, originally committed to Seider in 2024 when he was at Penn State. After Seider moved to South Bend in 2025 and James Franklin was fired in October, Spell backed off his pledge and appeared to trend strongly toward Notre Dame — until he committed to Georgia Feb. 2. The Irish could revisit Spell later in the cycle. For now, the two main names to know are Chandler (Ariz.) Basha four-star Noah Roberts and Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes three-star Tre Segarra. Seider and Freeman visited the No. 9 and No. 34 running backs nationally, respectively, during the January contact period and are expected to host both for spring unofficial visits. Seider also visited two Texas backs: Waco (Texas) Midway four-star Lathan Whisenton, who is ranked No. 11 na- tionally at the position, and Houston The Kinkaid School three-star Wayne Shanks Jr., who is ranked No. 33. Another running back drawing Notre Dame's attention is Hyattsville (Md.) De- Matha Catholic three-star Jaxsen Stokes. Notre Dame's new director of player per- sonnel Kenny Sanders visited the 6-foot, 200-pound prospect in January. WIDE RECEIVER Committed: 0 Projected take: 3-4 Synopsis: After signing five high school wide receivers in the 2026 class, assistant coach Mike Brown is posi- tioned to take a smaller group in 2027. It begins and ends with Fort Lauder- dale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star Julius Jones Jr., the son of former Notre Dame running back Julius Jones (1999- 2001, 2003). Because of his pedigree and ceiling, Jones is one of the most prized prospects on the Irish recruiting board. The 5-11, 160-pound pass catcher is the No. 7 prospect in Florida, and the No. 12 wide receiver and No. 70 overall player nationally in the 2027 class. As a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas, he led the team with 58 receptions for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Irish are also pursuing elite Glass- boro (N.J.) High playmaker Xavier Sabb, Vero Beach (Fla.) High four-star quarterback Champ Monds was the No. 1 quarterback in the 2028 class before reclassifying to 2027. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/RIVALS A Look Ahead At The Names To Know In The 2027 Class