Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546068
48 PRESEASON 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY Y ou would be hard-pressed to find a program recruiting at a higher level than Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Over the last two recruiting cycles, Freeman and his recruiting operation have assembled the nation's No. 2 class, landed nine five-star recruits and added more than two dozen four-star prospects. The star power and depth of Notre Dame's future roster became evident once again in the Rivals300 update July 20, where the Irish strengthened their case for having the nation's most complete recruiting class. Blue & Gold Illustrated breaks down eight numbers that illustrate just how dominant Notre Dame's 2027 recruiting class has become. 1. NOTRE DAME LEADS THE NATION IN RIVALS FIVE-STAR RECRUITS We begin with arguably the most im- pressive statistic. Of the 23 recruits Ri- vals currently recognizes as five-stars, four are committed to Notre Dame: Chicago St. Patrick defensive lineman David Folorunsho (No. 8 overall nation- ally), Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston High offensive lineman Albert Simien (No. 9), Exton (Pa.) Downingtown East edge rusher Abraham Sesay (No. 15) and Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep offen- sive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola (No. 19). For the second straight year, that's the most of any program. When the rankings cycle concludes in January, Rivals will increase the number of five-star prospects to 32 to mirror the number of first-round NFL Draft picks. Had the cycle ended after the latest up- date, Notre Dame would have added a fifth five-star commit in Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons cornerback Xavier Hasan, who checked in at No. 32 overall. Using the top 32 as the cutoff, the Irish would still lead the nation with five five- star commits. Oklahoma is next with four. 2. FREEMAN IS BUILDING NOTRE DAME FROM THE TRENCHES Since taking over as head coach, Free- man has consistently emphasized build- ing Notre Dame from the trenches out- ward. That philosophy is reflected most clearly in the 2027 class, where all four of the Irish's current five-star commits play along the offensive or defensive line. With Folorunsho and Sesay, both the No. 2 prospects at their respective posi- tions, Notre Dame is the only program with two five-star defensive linemen. The strength extends to the offen- sive line, too. Notre Dame is one of only two schools with two five-star offensive linemen: Simien (No. 2 interior offen- sive lineman) and Olubobola (No. 3 of- fensive tackle). Oklahoma is the other. 3. NOTRE DAME HAS MORE RIVALS300 COMMITS THAN ANYONE ELSE The Irish aren't just loaded with elite talent. They also have more ranked prospects than any other program. Notre Dame has by far the most com- mits in the Rivals300 with 19. Florida, which owns the nation's No. 7 recruiting class, ranks second with 15 Rivals300 commits. Texas A&M, which has the nation's No. 1 class, is third with 14. Here is a look at all the commits in the Rivals300 in addition to Folorunsho, Simien, Sesay, Olubobola and Hasan: • Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Julius Jones Jr. (No. 84 overall) • Cincinnati Anderson cornerback Ace Alston (No. 114 overall) • Pittsburgh Central Catholic offensive lineman James Halter (No. 127 overall) F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Eight Numbers For Notre Dame's Elite 2027 Class Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston High offensive lineman Albert Simien, the No. 9 overall player nationally per Rivals, is one of four five-star commits for Notre Dame in the 2027 class,which is the most of any program in the country. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY