Notre Dame is hitting its football recruiting stride. Here’s how to keep the momentum going

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Mike Martin said the quiet part out loud when he arrived at Notre Dame, with two decades of NFL experience at his back but none in the realm of high school recruiting. The incoming general manager had tried to recruit undrafted free agents during his run with the Detroit Lions, but that was hardly a parallel to landing a five-star defensive end or a top-100 quarterback prospect.

This was all new. A new position with a new outlook in a new era of high school recruiting, which has always been the priority for Marcus Freeman, even in the transfer portal age. And with the portal now closed for the next seven months, it will be Martin’s recruiting acumen that will get a closer look.

“I’ll be the first one to tell you, I don’t have every single answer,” Martin said before spring practice kicked off. “There’s a learning curve here for me, one I’m excited to take on. The recruiting elements will be sort of new to me.”

Notre Dame didn’t hire Martin to be the next Chad Bowden, who bolted for USC in January. Freeman hired Martin to give the Irish something different. And on that front, after a relatively slow start to assembling the Class of 2026 as Notre Dame rebuilt much of its recruiting infrastructure, it appears Martin and Co. have hit their stride heading into the spring evaluation period, which will send Notre Dame’s coaching staff across the country.

The Irish have landed five commitments this month, all four-star prospects in the 247Sports Composite: defensive ends Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade, receiver Bubba Frazier, offensive lineman Gregory Patrick and defensive back Ayden Pouncey. It’s pushed Notre Dame to No. 3 in the class rankings, powered more by the quality of prospects than quantity. That’s in contrast to No. 1 USC, which has 23 commitments, nine more than any other program ranked in the top 25

A breakneck start to recruiting was part of Bowden’s modus operandi at Notre Dame: The Irish hit No. 1 nationally in the summer months during Freeman’s first two recruiting campaigns before slipping to No. 12 and No. 9 by the end of those cycles. Freeman’s third full class finished No. 12 after adding four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo on signing day but losing the haul’s top two prospects — quarterback Deuce Knight and safety Ivan Taylor — along the way.

Can Notre Dame clear that bar in Martin’s first recruiting cycle?

These developments figure to set that course.

Close on the early May commitments

After adding five commitments in April, Notre Dame is expected to land two more in the May’s opening weeks, with the Irish in strong position with four-star running back Javian Osborne and four-star defensive tackle Tiki Hola, both from Texas. Osborne is scheduled to choose between Notre Dame and Michigan on May 3, with Hola set to choose between Notre Dame and SMU a week later on May 10.

Osborne would be a statement for new running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who left one deep room at Penn State for another at Notre Dame. Yet, Deland McCullough’s final recruiting haul at Notre Dame came together awkwardly, as the Irish separated from early commitments Justin Thurman and Daniel Anderson, who signed with Kansas and Northwestern. That left Notre Dame to flip Boston College commitment Nolan James Jr., a high school teammate of freshman wideout Elijah Burress. James was a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite but didn’t crack the top 20 among all running backs.

Osborne is rated No. 90 overall and No. 6 among running backs. He was perceived to be an early Texas lean (his hometown of Forney is located 200 miles from Austin), until Notre Dame and Michigan moved to the front of the pack during spring practice. Osborne visited Ann Arbor twice during April and got back to South Bend once. He’s not Notre Dame’s only running back target, but he could set the tone for the rest of the board.

The Irish are in the top five of four-star running back Brian Bonner (Valencia, Calif.), alongside Penn State, Nebraska, UCLA and Washington. Bonner visited Notre Dame during spring practice and has an official visit scheduled to South Bend on June 20. Bonner is ranked No. 103 overall and No. 7 among running backs, one slot behind Osborne.

If the Irish land Hola, he would be the first defensive tackle in the class, although at 6 feet 2, 285 pounds, he doesn’t have the prototypical build of a top interior lineman. Hola has an official visit set to Notre Dame on June 13.

Keep up the pressure in North Carolina

The top of Notre Dame’s recruiting class has been sponsored by the Tar Heel State and perhaps the ACC at large, as the Irish have pulled Dunham (Charlotte), Ewetade (Garner) and NFL legacy Thomas Davis Jr. (Matthews). Each is a top-200 prospect. It wouldn’t be a shock if Notre Dame doubled that input from North Carolina by the end of this cycle if the staff can make a move during the spring contact period.

The Irish already have official visits scheduled with four-star offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko (Durham), four-star defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes (Rolesville), four-star defensive tackle Noah Clark (Durham) and three-star safety Nick Reddish (Charlotte). Ogboko is a high school teammate of Ewetade, but it’s not clear if Notre Dame wants to add to an offensive line haul that already has four commitments.

North Carolina has been fertile recruiting territory for Notre Dame for years, just not to the level of this cycle — which has happened even with the injection of Bill Belichick into the equation. The Irish already have six North Carolina products on the roster, including defensive end Bryce Young and wide receiver Micah Gilbert. To potentially double that number in one recruiting class speaks more to the uptick in talent than Notre Dame emphasizing the state, although the volume of private schools around Charlotte helps the Irish cause.

“I think more than anything, we look for the best players in the country that fit this place and what this place offers you. It just happened to be that some of those right individuals were from North Carolina,” Freeman said this spring. “We’re trying to attack the entire country to find the right guys that fit this place. And fortunately for us, the guys that we’ve gotten from North Carolina have done a really, really good job and are going to be really great players for us.

“We’re going to try to recruit the right guys, no matter where they’re at.”

If the Irish can build virtually their entire defensive line haul on four-star talent in North Carolina, it would be further proof that the state is open for business, with Notre Dame and Clemson the biggest beneficiaries.

Restart momentum at defensive back

Notre Dame’s first commitment in the secondary came on Dec. 1 when cornerback Chaston Smith (Chattanooga, Tenn.) chose the Irish despite listed offers from Alabama, Clemson, LSU and USC. It had been a slow burn ever since, even with spring practice visits from two of Notre Dame’s top defensive backs on the board in Pouncey at safety and Khary Adams at cornerback Khary Adams.

Both will be expected back for official visits, although there was always a chance Pouncey came off the board before then. That happened on Saturday afternoon.

I’m HOME🍀🍀🍀 https://t.co/FplwpUNFKx

— Ayden Pouncey (@AydenPouncey) April 26, 2025

Pouncey, whose older brother Jordan was a one-time Notre Dame commitment before flipping to Texas, is a 6-foot-2, 165-pound athlete who also lists offers from Miami, Florida and Oregon.

Adams may be a tougher pull, with Penn State the potential leader for the Towson, Md., athlete. Notre Dame already has an official visit set, but so do Penn State, LSU, Oregon and USC, with the Wolverines also in the mix.

That’s why defensive backs coach Mike Mickens staying on Adams during the spring evaluation period may be critical for Notre Dame. With Benjamin Morrison going in the second round of the NFL draft and Leonard Moore coming off a Freshman All-American season, the Irish have plenty to sell at cornerback.

(Photo: Michael Caterina / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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