Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 12, 2026 43 Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop class of 2028 three-star wide receiver Maddox Weil had a busy summer, which in- cluded trips to Alabama, Auburn, In- diana, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Weil already holds an offer from each program. Weil, who ran a 10.60 in the 100-me- ter track race in May and a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Under Armour St. Louis camp in March, visited Notre Dame twice in June. He was in South Bend for the Irish's Grill and Chill event June 5 and returned to campus June 16 to par- ticipate in a prospect camp. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound playmaker has visited Notre Dame six times since September. "I wanted to get up there to work out with Coach [Mike] Brown and see what he was like as a coach," Weil said regard- ing his most recent visit. "It went really well. He does stuff with his guys that I do when I train. "I'm used to the things he teaches, and it was great to learn more things from him and be coached by him." Weil appears to be one of the Irish's top wide receiver targets in the 2028 class. He earned his offer from Notre Dame during a campus visit in March. "I hear from them pretty often," Weil said. "Ever since I got the offer, we've been building our relationship, and ever since June 15 is when they've really been able to reach out. I've been talking to Coach Brown, Coach [Mike] Denbrock and Justice [Bathas]." Bathas is in his second year in the Notre Dame recruiting department and helps Brown recruit the wide receiver position, among other responsibilities. "He's really cool; I like him," Weil said of Bathas. "Every time I go on a visit there, he does a good job making me feel like I'm family to them." Weil's recruitment is in the early stages, but the nation's No. 43 wide re- ceiver and No. 294 overall player per Ri- vals has Notre Dame high on his list. The Irish offer the ability to stay close to home while getting a world-class education. It only helps that Notre Dame has had a great track record in Fort Wayne over the years as well. "It's really close to home, and they've had success with guys from my area," he said. "It's a really good, proven place I could go to and be successful at. I see a lot of Notre Dame news every day. They have a great 2027 class. I'm always see- ing something about them." He noted that he'll visit Indiana Oct. 17 for the Hoosiers' showdown with Ohio State and then attend the other marquee game in his home state this fall — Miami versus Notre Dame Nov. 7 in South Bend. — Mike Singer June was a busy month for top pros- pects in the 2028 class, with many taking several college recruiting visits ahead of the all-important June 15 con- tact date, when college football pro- grams were allowed to start directly reaching out to them. Things slow down a bit in July, but for Huntsville (Ala.) High's Joey Fleming, the brakes weren't pumped. The na- tion's No. 1 interior offensive lineman and No. 18 overall recruit according to Rivals has several coaches in his inbox every day. "The recruiting process has been amazing," Fleming said. "Ever since June 15, I've been in communication with many schools." One of those is Notre Dame, a pro- gram that offered him a scholarship back on St. Patrick's Day. "I stay in touch with Coach [Marcus] Freeman quite a bit, and we've had good conversations," Fleming said. "It's been great conversing with the Notre Dame staff and having the ability to do so. They're great coaches, and my visit was amazing. I was treated very well, and it was great to learn about Notre Dame." The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder's first Notre Dame visit came over the sum- mer, and he was able to compare Free- man's program to many he's seen in the South. "I was able to see the difference be- tween the SEC and Notre Dame," he noted. "There are differences, but they have some things to offer better than the SEC. It was cool to learn about that, and Notre Dame is definitely still high on my list." Fleming talks often with Irish of- fensive line coaches Joe Rudolph and Rob Delaney, plus director of recruiting Carter Auman. "They're great," he said of the Notre Dame coaches. "They develop so many top offensive linemen. It's not a school that throws out a ton of offers. They bring in top players who are just as good as you; iron sharpens iron. That's some- thing they get across to me, and it's truly awesome." Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Texas are a few programs he also talks to often and is considering visiting this fall. He's working through his schedule to figure out what works best for travel. "I definitely think Notre Dame will be one of my visits," he noted. — Mike Singer In-State Wide Receiver Is High On Irish Notre Dame Is After The Nation's No. 1 Interior Lineman MADDOX WEIL ✪ ✪ ✪ Northrop H.S. Fort Wayne, Ind. Status: Offered Class: 2028 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 170 Rivals Rankings: No. 4 player in Indiana, and No. 43 wide receiver and No. 294 overall player nationally JOEY FLEMING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Huntsville H.S. Huntsville, Ala. Status: Offered Class: 2028 Position: Interior offensive line Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 275 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 player in Alabama, and No. 1 interior offensive lineman and No. 18 overall player nationally