Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 83 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE the No. 1 athlete and No. 24 overall pros- pect in the class. Notre Dame's position in that recruitment may be more compli- cated than previously thought after his brother, 2026 athlete Amari Sabb, signed with Alabama. Their older brother, Keon Sabb, is a safety for the Crimson Tide. Other targets who have visited campus include Indianapolis Lawrence North five-star Monshun Sales and four-star prospects Quentin Burrell of Chicago Mount Carmel, Tyler Fryman of Fort Mitchell (Ky.) Beechwood and Cade Cooper of Malvern (Pa.) Prep. They are ranked as the Nos. 3, 6, 21 and 38 wide receivers in the class, respectively. Of that group, Fryman and Cooper currently appear to be the most realistic options for Notre Dame. TIGHT END Committed: 0 Projected take: 2 Synopsis: Four-star prospects Sen- eca Driver and Jaxon Dollar are the top targets for Notre Dame offensive coor- dinator and tight ends coach Mike Den- brock after their outstanding showing at the Irish Invasion camp in June. Danville (Ky.) Boyle County's Driver and Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln's Dollar check in as the Nos. 1 and 4 tight ends in the 2027 class, respectively. The Irish are firmly in the mix for both prospects, each of whom has visited campus multiple times. Driver is an intriguing option be- cause he is the nephew of former Notre Dame safety Tony Driver (1997-2000). Beyond that duo, Notre Dame has looked to gain traction with Oak Ridge (Tenn.) High three-star Malik Howard. The No. 20 tight end nationally has not been to campus and is trending toward programs in the South. A newer name to monitor is Pierre (S.D.) T.F. Riggs High four-star Cooper Terwilliger. Assistant tight ends coach Harris Bivin traveled to South Dakota during the January contact period to extend an in-person offer to the No. 9 tight end in the class. Notre Dame also visited a pair of three-star prospects in January: Choc- taw (Okla.) High's Titus Hawk and Milton (Ga.) High's Grant Haviland. Ranked Nos. 21 and 22 at the position, respectively, both also competed at the Irish Invasion camp. At this stage, Notre Dame appears to be in a stronger posi- tion with Hawk than with Haviland. OFFENSIVE LINE Committed: 1 Projected take: 3-4 Synopsis: Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph started hot in the 2027 cycle by landing Notre Dame legacy James Halter, a four-star prospect from Pitts- burgh Central Catholic. The son of for- mer Irish offensive lineman Jordan Hal- ter (1989-93), he is the No. 8 interior offensive lineman and No. 155 overall player in the class. In January, Freeman and Rudolph vis- ited two priority offensive tackles: Mid- dletown (Del.) Appoquinimink four- star Layton von Brandt and St. Joseph (Ill.) Ogden four-star Cameron Wagner. They rank as Nos. 6 and 15 at the po- sition, respectively, and both remain highly regarded on the Irish's board. Notre Dame is also optimistic about its positioning with Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston five-star Albert Simien, Rivals' No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the class. One of the more intriguing evalu- ations on the board is Kindred (N.D.) High four-star Luke Starcevic. While most programs are recruiting him as a defensive lineman, Rudolph prefers the No. 20 defensive lineman in the country on the offensive side of the ball. Similarly, four-star defensive line commit Richie Flanigan of Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy is being evaluated as a potential offensive lineman. His long-term positional fit in South Bend has not yet been finalized. Another elite target who has visited campus is Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews. He is the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 2 overall player in the class, and the Irish have more of an uphill climb. DEFENSIVE LINE Committed: 0 Projected take: 4-6 Synopsis: New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is expected to reshape portions of the recruiting board, but several priority targets remain firmly in focus for Notre Dame. The headliner is Orange (Calif.) Lu- theran defensive tackle Marcus Fakatou, the No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 56 overall prospect in the 2027 class. Be- fore Al Washington's departure, Notre Dame was widely viewed as the team to beat for the 6-7, 295-pound. Now, the Irish are locked in a national battle with several major programs. Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy three-star recruit Richie Flanigan has the ability to plan offensive or defensive line for the Fighting Irish. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER