Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP 64 PRESEASON 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED RECRUITING NOTES • With December's early signing period four months away, head coach Marcus Freeman's program is eyeing another major achievement. The Irish, who have the No. 2 class nationally, are positioned to sign back-to-back top-five recruiting classes for the first time since it had three straight from 2006-08. Before Freeman signed the No. 2 class in 2026, Notre Dame had landed just one other top-five recruiting class since 2008: the No. 4 class in 2013. Now, Freeman has Notre Dame in position to sign two straight. Considering Southern Cal, which signed the No. 1 class last cycle, currently sits at No. 13 nationally and Texas A&M, which currently holds the No. 1 class, finished No. 8 last year, Notre Dame has a strong case as the nation's best recruiting program over the last two cycles. • When Rivals updated its 2027 class player rankings July 20, several Notre Dame commits were big risers, including two recruits who reclassified from 2028 to 2027. Four-star defensive lineman Segun Alexander and four-star edge rusher Jackson Vaughn debuted in the 2027 Rivals300 at Nos. 192 and 269, respectively. The rankings represented a significant accom- plishment because evaluating reclassified prospects is one of the most difficult parts of the process. "You're taking a prospect who is in one pool of younger prospects and putting them in a pool that's a lot more competitive," Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power said. Still, Alexander and Vaughn were able to successfully state their case as two of the top 300 players in the class. Before the update, Rivals ranked Alexander as the nation's No. 51 defensive lineman. Now, the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder is the No. 23 prospect at his position in addition to being the No. 192 overall player in the class. Power credited verified measurables and a fresh evaluation of Alexander's film for the jump. "Going back and watching that D-line group, I feel like he stacks up well there too," Power said. "Super athletic. He was productive. He's a 10-plus sack guy. He creates a pass rush on the interior. And the highlights in game film pop. I watched a couple of his games, just having some more time to study him. I don't think we evaluated him at length because of him reclassifying between both updates — it may have been since last fall. "We had the full sample for us to go through. We watched a couple of his games against high- quality competition, like Grayson and some of those top teams. … I like him, too." Against Loganville (Ga.) Grayson, ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 3 in Georgia entering the 2026 season, Alexander totaled 4 tackles (3 solo) and 2 tackles for loss. He finished his junior season with 36 stops, 18 for loss, 13 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in 11 games. Power is equally intrigued by Vaughn's potential after two promising seasons at Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic. "Jackson Vaughn is very impressive," Power said. "He's a guy who plays with a lot of bend. He probably moves in game settings and camp settings probably faster than he has tested in terms of combine situations. "I think he's a guy who is certainly going to push to be a blue chipper for us. There's certainly some things that he can continue adding to his game. But he's well-built, 6-foot-3, 6-foot-3½, 230 pounds. Plays good competition at Bergen Catholic. "When you look at the skill set, his movement patterns and his ability to set up counters, his bend, that all projects well. I like Jackson Vaughn." As a sophomore in 2025, Vaughn collected 40 tackles (14 solo), 12 stops for loss, 8 sacks and 3 passes broken up. • Vaughn will play his senior season in 2026 elsewhere. On July 28, he announced his transfer to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. While Vaughn would have preferred to finish his high school career at Bergen Catholic, transferring to IMG Academy will allow him to graduate in 2027 and enroll at Notre Dame next year instead of waiting until 2028. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound edge rusher announced his verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish May 26, about one month after revealing his reclassification. Vaughn ultimately chose Notre Dame over South Carolina, Auburn, LSU and Miami. However, he also received offers from programs like Ala- bama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and Southern Cal. Though Notre Dame has not had much success recruiting IMG Academy prospects over the last decade, Vaughn remains fully committed to Marcus Freeman's program. If Vaughn signs with Notre Dame as expected in December, he will become the first IMG Academy graduate to join the Irish since four-star cornerback Houston Griffith in 2018. Notre Dame also previously held commitments from four-star offensive lineman Greg Crippen (2021) and four-star linebacker Amarri Irvin (2027). However, both players ultimately backed off their pledges and com- mitted to Michigan and Virginia Tech, respectively. — Kyle Kelly DE Chaz Gray of Montvale, N.J. (committed to Washington); DE KJ Green of Stone Mountain, Ga. (committed to LSU); DE Santana Harvey of Lakeland, Fla. (committed to Clemson); DE Rion Jackson of Annapolis, Md. (committed to Auburn); DE Wyatt Smith of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (committed to Ohio State); DE Ty Tautolo (no longer considering Notre Dame); DE Chris Whitehead Jr. (committed to LSU); DE Esa Wit- tingburg of East Orange, N.J. (committed to Wake Forest); DT Tyler Alexander of West Palm Beach, Fla. (committed to Texas); DT Ezekiel Ayangbile of Houston (committed to Miami); DT Marcus Fakatou of Chatsworth, Calif. (com- mitted to Ohio State); DT Kyng Golston of Val- liant, Okla. (committed to Tulsa); DT Jaderian Jones of Dallas (committed to California); DT Sam LeJeune of Poplarville, Miss. (committed to Florida State); DT Jaylen Mercer of Cincinnati (committed to Kentucky); DT Xavier Muham- mad of Houston (committed to Michigan); DT Tevita Nonu of Seattle (committed to Washing- ton); Alifeleti Tuihalamaka of Westlake Village, Calif. (committed to Southern Cal); LB James Austin of Tyrone, Ga. (committed to Cincin- nati); LB Brayton Feister of Massillon, Ohio (no longer considering Notre Dame); LB Sean Fox of Indianapolis (committed to Kentucky); LB Noah Glover of Haymarket, Va. (committed to Miami); LB Jake Godfree of Lawrenceville, Ga. (committed to NC State); LB Joakim Gouda of Powder Springs, Ga. (committed to Georgia); LB Deion Jackson of Vero Beach, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame); LB Liufau Loumoli of Bradenton, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame); LB Isaiah Phelps of Oxnard, Calif. (com- mitted to San Diego State); LB AJ Randle Jr. of Garner, N.C. (committed to Miami); LB Toa Satele of Miliani, Hawai'i (committed to Or- egon); LB Tate Wallace of Iowa City, Iowa (com- mitted to Minnesota); CB Jaden Carey of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (committed to Ohio State); CB Censere Gaylord of Bradenton, Fla. (commit- ted to Washington); CB Tavares Harrington of Chicago (committed to Michigan); CB Jailen Hill of Opa Locka, Fla. (committed to Nebraska); CB Larry Moon of Bradenton, Fla. (committed to Georgia Tech); CB Brandon Sherrard of Pearl- and, Texas (committed to Texas); CB Monsanna Torbert of Cincinnati (committed to Michigan); CB Duvay Williams of Chatsworth, Calif. (com- mitted to California); S Alan Blackshere of Miami (committed to Connecticut); S Andre Hyppolite of Miami (committed to Miami); CB Greedy James of Manvel, Texas (committed to LSU); S Jaylyn Jones of Hollywood, Fla. (stuck with Miami commitment); S Jaden Walk Green of Corona, Calif. (committed to Washington); and S Gavin Williams of La Verne, Calif. (com- mitted to Southern Cal). 2027 Master List Changes continued from previous page