Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman are coming off of their biggest recruiting weekend of the year. With the long list of priority recruits that were just in South Bend, how well the Fighting Irish staff did over the last couple of days will determine just how outstanding the 2026 recruiting class ends up on the end. There was a lot of pressure, and a lot on the line. 

It shouldn’t be surprising at all, but Notre Dame put together an incredible visit. The people behind the scenes for the Fighting Irish are wonderful, and they continue to outdo themselves in these types of official visit settings. The much larger question, however, is just how well they did with each target individually. 

If you missed my first update about priority wide receiver Kaydon Finley, cornerback Khary Adams, and athlete Joey O’Brien, make sure to click my name above and go take a look after scrolling down. This article is going to focus more on the other top names that made the trip to campus. Here’s what I have been able to gather so far. 

TEs Evan Jacobson – Waukee (Iowa) High School and Preston Fryzel – Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic 

Why am I including both Jacobson and Fryzel together? It’s because I expect this to be the tight end class when all is said and done. Both players bonded very well together, and I think Notre Dame is positioned to close on both in the near future. 

If Notre Dame does close on them both, I am going to be very high on this tight end class. 

The Irish love Ian Premer, but I just don’t see that one working out. They will continue to push, at least for the time being, but it feels like Notre Dame is trailing a bit in that one. He is just a player that feels like he wants to stay close to home, with Kansas State having the lead. 

Fryzel and Jacobson would be a really intriguing pair for the future. The latter is rated higher on various recruiting platforms, and his 6-7, 230-pound frame reminds me a lot of former Irish standout Kyle Rudolph. He has the upside to develop into a tremendous inline option at tight end. While not the most flexible athlete of all time, that combination of length and straight line speed is impressive. 

With Jacobson being able to work more inline, Fryzel is your prototype movement tight end. He is very smooth, has straight line speed, and also possesses high upside as a route runner. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, you could see Fryzel used a ton in the slot on the next level. Fryzel has one more official visit to Iowa next weekend, but I expect him to be Irish. 

WR Brayden Robinson – Red Oak (Texas) High School 

This recruitment has been a bit odd to monitor. Robinson has liked Notre Dame for a while, but he has always been open to other options. With Miami and Arizona being the other finalists, I was hoping I’d come out of this visit feeling like the Irish were the unquestioned leader. I’m just not sure that is the case. 

I’d put the odds about 50-50 about whether Robinson ends up with the Hurricanes or Fighting Irish. Neither option would overly shock me. The 5-8, 165-pound space dynamic already has a commitment date set for July 20th, and I’ll be interested to see what the wide receiver class looks like for the Irish at that point. That could determine a lot, especially if Robinson is a fit for Notre Dame.

WR Devin Fitzgerald – Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep 

Unlike Robinson, I did gain a lot more clarity with where things stand between Fitzgerald and Notre Dame. I have no idea when exactly the Arizona native pulls the trigger, but I am predicting it will be the Irish whenever he does. They got on Fitzgerald a bit later, but they made up that ground this weekend. 

There was always a natural attraction toward Notre Dame from Fitzgerald, but the biggest question was whether they would push hard for him. It appears that is the case, and I think that gives Notre Dame the edge in the end. The program has done very well appealing to the sons of former NFL fathers, and that is also the case for Larry Fitzgerald’s it appears. 

OT Grayson McKeogh – Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College 

While I am a bit more optimistic about McKeogh’s high school teammate Joey O’Brien, there is just something missing for my McKeogh. Does he like Notre Dame? Yes, that’s very safe to say. I also think this visit went very well, but I just don’t feel great about their overall standing. 

The 6-7, 270-pound blindside protector has one more official visit weekend to Texas on June 20-22, and it’s expected that the Longhorns make a strong financial pitch, but that’s not where my skepticism comes from. Maybe it’s because McKeogh announced his commitment date of July 1st with a Penn State media outlet, but it feels like more than just that. 

Notre Dame put together a great trip for McKeogh. They even got all four offensive line commits on campus to bond with him, which was very savvy. It was a great overall trip with good vibes coming out. Maybe I’m completely misreading this recruitment, but I think he ends up with the Nittany Lions. 

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