It wasn’t always pretty, but Notre Dame football came out on top, 34-24, over rival USC on Saturday night. Not only was it an important home victory for the Fighting Irish, but it was also a massive recruiting weekend. Outside of the Texas A&M game from earlier this season, this was their biggest recruiting event of the year. While there were more recruits on campus for the Aggies game, you could argue that more elite talents were in South Bend this past weekend. 

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish staff have made it a habit of knocking these visitor weekends out of the park, and this past weekend was no different. Notre Dame moved the needle with several top targets in the 2027 class and also continued to set the foundation in the 2028 recruiting class. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a healthy list of players who were on campus this weekend end up with the Irish. 

After talking to as many sources as possible, including some close to various recruits, here is the intel I have gathered from this massive recruiting weekend. 

Offensive targets on campus 

When you start the conversation about this recruiting weekend, it typically begins with the running back group, which was an embarrassment of riches to say the least. Most Notre Dame fans will want to talk about 2027 McKeesport (Pa.) High School five-star Kemon Spell, who was originally committed to Penn State. Things have been moving fast in this recruitment, and that continued over the weekend. 

Even before the James Franklin firing, Spell had a high interest in the Fighting Irish, which is why he scheduled this visit. Once he opened things up following Franklin’s dismissal, Notre Dame quickly became the team to beat.

His relationship with Ja’Juan Seider has been instrumental in this recruitment, and that’s why I think the Irish program gets this one done in the end. You are starting to hear buzz about Notre Dame being the team to beat, and I can verify that. 

The 5-9, 205-pound runner is an elite player and would be a tremendous addition to this outstanding running back group in South Bend. Notre Dame is also doing a tremendous job with Rolesville (N.C.) High School running back Amir Brown, who decommitted from North Carolina last week. The Irish were in a great position early, so when Brown chose to commit to the Tar Heels in August, it was a bit of a surprise. His visit went great, and Notre Dame should be viewed as the team to beat right now. 

If Seider can land a duo of Spell and Brown, that would be the best two-year stretch in running back recruiting we have seen in a long time. 

I haven’t gotten much on Chandler (Ariz.) Basha running back Noah Roberts. I know Notre Dame likes him as a player, but it’ll be interesting to see how quickly the board shifts, especially if a couple of guys commit early. 2028 Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles School running back Xander Edwards also made another trip, who is the son of former Fighting Irish fullback Marc Edwards. If and when Edwards gets an offer, Notre Dame will be the team to beat. 

Notre Dame hosted a couple of elite 2027 wide receivers this past weekend in Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence North five-star Monshun Sales and Dayton (Ohio) Wayne superstar Jamier Brown.

The latter is committed to Ohio State, but he has a good relationship with Freeman and Mike Mickens, who each went to the same high school. There is solid feedback from both camps, but I’m a little disappointed that the Irish couldn’t put together a better showing in the passing game. 

I wouldn’t predict either to land with Notre Dame right now. 

Rolesville (N.C.) High School wide receiver AJ Roberts also made the trip to campus. He is the teammate of Amir Brown, and they are good friends. I continue to like where Notre Dame is with Roberts. The 6-2, 185-pound pass catcher is a great overall fit, and he knows it. There’s no hard timetable set, but the Irish are in a good place early on. 

While the wide receiver group is elite, the same can be said about the 2027 tight ends who were on campus. That includes Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln star Jaxon Dollar, Danville (Ky.) Boyle County standout Seneca Driver, St. Charles (Mo.) Francis Howell Central pass catcher Jack Brown, and Choctaw (Okla.) High School tight end Titus Hawk. There are nothing but good vibes with this group. I wouldn’t be shocked if Notre Dame’s two-tight-end class comes from this group in the end.  

Keep an eye on Driver, whose uncle played at Notre Dame. 

Speaking of Irish legacies, 2027 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic offensive tackle James Halter is also someone to keep tabs on. Things have been in a strong place going into the visit, and I don’t see that changing soon. Notre Dame is the team to beat, and Joe Rudolph likes Halter quite a bit. 

Defensive targets on campus 

Perhaps the best overall player that was on campus was 2027 Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity EDGE DJ Jacobs. The 6-5, 225-pound pass rusher is considered a five-star player with some ridiculous overall tools. His younger brother, Dawson Jacobs, was also offered this weekend, a talented member of the 2028 recruiting class. I continue to feel more positive about the Jacobs recruitment every time I speak to someone about him. Keep getting him to campus, and you could have a chance in the end.

If Waukesha (Wisc.) Catholic Memorial sounds familiar; it’s because it’s the same high school as 2025 Notre Dame offensive tackle signee Owen Strebig. Defensive lineman Isaac Miller is also an Irish target in the 2027 class. He’s a 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman who may grow into a defensive tackle eventually. Miller spent some time with Strebig this weekend, and Al Washington really likes him as a high-upside player on the next level. Things are in a good spot. 

When all is said and done, the best player that was on campus may be 2028 Orange (Calif.) Catholic defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou. Notre Dame was in him early, and it extended an offer to him when he camped with them following his freshman year. The 6-6, 275-pound behemoth will be pursued by everyone. Notre Dame has done a great job, but it’s still very early. 

Keep getting him to come back to South Bend, and let’s see where you are in the end. His game reminds me a lot of former USC All-American Leonard Williams. 

The top defensive back target on campus this weekend was Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons cornerback Xavier Hasan. The 6-0, 180-pound cover man has been trending well with the Fighting Irish for the last couple of months. Hasan continues to mesh well with secondary coach Mike Mickens, and Notre Dame is doing extremely well in the state of North Carolina. It should have a great chance in the end. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally settled a heated national debate during massive victory over the hated rival USC Trojans

A heated national debate was settled during the Notre Dame victory over USC.

Ryan Roberts