Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 OCT. 31, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER I f any father is well equipped to handle the recruiting process, it's Marc Edwards. A Notre Dame fullback from 1993-96 who spent nine years in the NFL, he knows the ins and outs of the sport. Finding a school where his son, Xander, can study and play foot- ball is a good problem to have, sure, but a problem, nonetheless. "It can be overwhelming," Ed- wards told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "There are many schools on him hard, and one of the things I'm having difficulty thinking about is telling all but one of them no. They're doing a great job recruit- ing Xander. I really appreciate the effort and time they're putting in." The younger Edwards — who attends The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. — is a four-star prospect in the 2028 class with offers from programs all over the country, including perennial na- tional championship contenders. He is the No. 9 running back and No. 127 overall player in America per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Notre Dame threw its hat in the ring in June, and while the Irish had shown interest for more than a year, the Ed- wards family was taken aback by the scholarship offer. "It was a little bit of a shock, actually," the elder Edwards said. "We went up for the spring game and talked with Coach [Ja'Juan] Seider, and he came to watch a spring practice. We didn't hear a whole lot from them after, but all of a sudden on Father's Day, Xander got a call from [general manager] Mike Martin." Marc was out of town that day, so right after Xander got the good news, he called his dad to celebrate. "It came out of nowhere, and it was very satisfying," Marc Edwards con- tinued. "They've seen him a bunch on campus, and he's worked out for them at Irish Invasion [in June 2025]. We were really happy about it." Seider, who is in his second year as Notre Dame's running backs coach, is in "constant contact" with Edwards, per Xander's father. "We're fired up about being up at Notre Dame for the Miami game," Marc added. Not only is Xander Edwards a Notre Dame legacy, but his older sister, Livi, graduated from the university in South Bend, too. But as Marc noted during the interview with Blue & Gold Illustrated, he has daughters who graduated from Kentucky and Florida State, too. He loves Notre Dame, but at the end of the day, he supports his kids' decisions. "This is his decision to make. It's not dad's decision," Marc Edwards said. "I'm going to guide him the best I can and offer the best advice I can. I would love to see him in the blue and gold, but at the same time, I want him to do what's best for him." The coveted prospect has already vis- ited Ohio State, Florida State, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia Tech and Clemson this fall and has several other trips lined up. He'll see, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Georgia as well. It's anyone's guess at this point as to where Edwards will end up, but if Notre Dame continues to recruit him hard and future South Bend visits go well, the Irish could be tough to beat. "They're in the upper echelon of his opportunities," Edwards answered. Marc didn't give a firm "yes" or "no" because his son's recruit- ment remains open. Xander will take several visits this fall and take many more in the offseason. "We'll take visits to schools we couldn't see this fall like UCLA," Marc Edwards added. "They've been all over him. We'll take a few of those visits, take a few official visits, commit next summer and then focus on the senior year." As a Notre Dame alum, the el- der Edwards loves seeing what Marcus Freeman is doing at the helm in South Bend. "He's putting in the extra effort to recruit the types of kids Notre Dame needs," he said. "He does the social media stuff and all of the appearances. He supports the other sports at Notre Dame, and it warms my heart that we have that type of coach who is present. That's huge." Edwa rd s h a d a h i g h ly p ro d u c - tive sophomore season for The Bolles School in 2025, rushing 265 times for 2,629 yards and 44 touchdowns across 15 games. But as is the case with any young prospect, Edwards has more to improve on. "Seeing his footwork to make guys miss in a phone booth and breaking tackles has been really impressive," Marc answered when asked about what they worked on in the offseason. "I see the little things that he's doing, and he's really making huge strides." In six games during his junior season, Edwards has totaled 82 carries for 756 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 173 receiving yards and 3 scores. ✦ F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Marc Edwards Balances Irish Ties With Son Xander's Recruitment Xander Edwards, the No. 9 running back and No. 127 overall player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, picked up an offer from the Fighting Irish on Father's Day in June 2026. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS