Notre Dame football loses to Ohio State once again, and this time for a priority recruit
Very early on in the 2026 recruiting process, Notre Dame football identified Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School linebacker Simeon Caldwell as a top priority for the team. He was a tremendous potential fit as a football player, projecting very well as a rover on the next level. Caldwell is also a tremendous student and person, […]
Very early on in the 2026 recruiting process, Notre Dame football identified Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School linebacker Simeon Caldwell as a top priority for the team. He was a tremendous potential fit as a football player, projecting very well as a rover on the next level. Caldwell is also a tremendous student and person, seemingly fitting well from every perspective.
The Fighting Irish were seemingly in a good spot for a while, but were battling with some other top programs in college football. That includes the Ohio State Buckeyes, a program that earned a commitment from Caldwell on Thursday. It was a huge grab for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State did have a bit of an inside track considering that Caldwell is the nephew of Tim Walton, who coached the secondary for the program. Notre Dame did, however, make things interesting. It’s a tough blow for the Irish, who have been preparing for this in recent weeks with a string of rover offers being extended.
Caldwell is considered a top 100 recruit on multiple recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Caldwell currently ranks as the No. 95 overall prospect and No. 7 linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class. He is also considered the No. 12 player in Florida, which is a state that Notre Dame hopes to continue having more and more success in over the last couple of seasons.
Considering that Caldwell is an elite defender, it shouldn’t be any surprise that a long list of schools have been pursuing him, and will continue to do so. Some of Caldwell’s top offers outside of Notre Dame and Ohio State include Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Miami, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M among others.
If you watch how the Bolles School utilized Caldwell, they use him all over the place defensively. You will see him at safety, as well as linebacker, and he makes a ton of plays on both the second and third level. In 11 games, Caldwell recorded 80 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and three sacks. Caldwell has also broken up two passes, and blocked three kicks.
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