Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 69 ing class signed by Notre Dame since the internet ratings era launched more than 20 years ago, the 30-man 2026 recruiting class was rated No. 2 in the country, only behind Southern Cal. According to the Rivals Industry Team Ranking, it marked only the fifth top-five recruiting class Notre Dame has ever signed, and the first since 2013. The 2026 class included five five-star recruits, another single-class record during the internet era. Before this year, Notre Dame had never signed more than three five-star players in a class. Additionally, according to the Rivals rankings, Notre Dame's 2026 recruiting class tied for first nationally with a 70 percent Blue Chip Ratio, a percentage measuring how many four- and five- star recruits make up an entire recruit- ing class. "We were on the right guys, nobody decommitted," Freeman said upon sign- ing his historic class. "They bought into what this place has to offer, and I'm ex- cited for what their future holds." DOUBLE THE FUN Competing for the first time under a new format of separate men's and wom- en's competitions for national cham- pionships — instead of the traditional one combined co-ed event — Notre Dame again flexed its collective fencing muscle on its home turf and won both national titles at the NCAA Champion- ships March 19-22 in South Bend. As the host school competing inside the Joyce Center on campus, the Irish fencers claimed their 15th and 16th overall national championships — in- cluding their second straight — and their seventh and eighth under head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia. "Defending a title is always harder than winning the title because the expectations are so high," Kvaratskhelia said. "And sec- ondly, they were competing at home and that puts more stress and pressure on the athletes. You don't want the trophy to be taken away from your compound." In all, six Irish women earned All- America honors, including senior Eszter Muhari, who claimed her third overall individual championship and her sec- ond straight national title in epee. Meanwhile, the Irish men earned five All-America honors, including one from sophomore Ahmed Hesham, who claimed his first individual national title in sabre. SHINING THE LYGHT The Notre Dame men's lacrosse team fell one game short of winning a third national title in the last four seasons, but still enjoyed a terrific season and 1. Jeremiyah Love (football) — Arguably the most electrifying player in college football last season, the St. Louis native was the most decorated tailback in the country, becoming a 2025 Heisman finalist, the Doak Walker Award winner and a unanimous All-American. The Irish junior broke the single-season Notre Dame record with 21 total touchdowns and tied the school record with 18 rushing scores. Love also set a single-game record at Notre Dame Stadium last October, with 228 rushing yards in a 34-24 win over Southern Cal. For the season, Love — who was the No. 3 overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2026 NFL Draft — rushed for 1,372 yards on 6.9 yards per carry, and added 280 receiving yards. 2. Shawn Lyght (lacrosse) — The Scotch Plains, N.J., native became the first defenseman in NCAA history to win the Tewaaraton Award as the best men's col- lege lacrosse player in the country. The Irish junior led Notre Dame to the NCAA championship game and to an ACC regular-season title after anchoring a defense that allowed only 8.94 goals per game. Lyght — who also earned the Schmeisser National Defensive Player of the Year award from USA Lacrosse and ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors last season — became the second winner for Notre Dame of the Tewaaraton Award in the last three years after attacker Pat Kavanagh earned the honor in 2024. 3. Leonard Moore (football) — The Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, this talented cornerback avoided the sophomore slump in 2025 and brought home unanimous All-America honors. In only 10 games, the Round Rock, Texas, native still posted 5 interceptions — the third-best mark in the country — including a 46-yard pick six. Moore also ranked eighth nationally with 1.2 passes defended per game and added 31 tack- les, 7 passes broken ups and 1 forced fumble. Pro Football Focus ranked Moore first among all starting Power Four cornerbacks in coverage grade (92.6) and first in overall defensive grade (92.0). 4. Jack Radel (baseball) — The Sioux Falls, S.D., native earned third-team All- America honors from D1Baseball.com after a stellar junior season in which he ranked among the nation's best in several key categories. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound right-hander — who also earned first-team All-ACC honors and twice won ACC Pitcher of the Week recognition — ranked 19th nationally with 116 strikeouts and 48th with 8 victories on his 15 starts with an Irish team that finished 32-22. The 28th overall selection by the Houston Astros in the June MLB Draft, Radel became the highest pick for an Irish player since 2013 and the highest for a Notre Dame pitcher since 2001. 5. Sebastian Dominko (tennis) — The Maribor, Slovenia, native made program history and collected more postseason hardware after a terrific senior season as both a singles and a doubles player. Dominko earned first-team All-ACC honors as a singles player and teamed with Perry Gregg to take home third-team all- conference recognition in doubles. It was the fourth time Dominko was named to the All-ACC singles team, three straight on the first team, and also the fourth time he earned all-league honors in doubles. During the 2025 fall season, the future pro went 23-7 overall and earned a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Singles Championships. — Todd D. Burlage Jeremiyah Love — a 2025 Heisman finalist, the Doak Walker Award winner, and a unanimous All-American — broke the single-season Notre Dame record with 21 total touchdowns. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER 2025-26 Male Athletes of the Year