Notre Dame football taking a tactical approach to land a commitment from a five-star difference maker that every program wants
Notre Dame attempting to lure away a dynamic pass rush from SEC country.
Notre Dame football is coming off of a very important rivalry victory over the USC Trojans this past weekend. While it was far from perfect, it’s a strong performance anytime you can defeat the Trojans by two scores, especially in your home stadium. Head coach Marcus Freeman and his Fighting Irish staff is aiming to carry this momentum heading into a bye week.
The program was also to gain a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail over the weekend, which ended up being a monumental opportunity to impress the elite talent that was in South Bend. There may not have been a more talented player on campus than 2027 Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic EDGE DJ Jacobs. The five-star recruit had been on campus before, but the Irish took a nice step during this visit.
Jacobs and his family have a natural attraction to the Notre Dame program, and it doesn’t hurt that he also has a personal relationship with 2027 Fighting Irish quarterback commit Teddy Jarrard. Georgia has been viewed as the front runner for the 6-5, 225-pound pass rusher, but Notre Dame is making a strong charge.
DJ also isn’t the only member of the family that Notre Dame has interest in. His younger brother, Dawson Jacobs, also made the trip this weekend. The 2028 defensive lineman was offered during the visit. It looks like there are going to be two elite defensive line recruits in the family when all is said and done.
DJ and Dawson Jacobs as recruits
The older Jacobs is considered to be the top overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class according to 247 Sports. He has received interest from a long list of impressive programs, including the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, USC, Texas A&M, Miami, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn among many, many, others.
In seven games as a junior so far, Jacobs has recorded 60 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. That’s coming off of a sophomore year where Jacobs managed to collect 112 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks.
The younger Jacobs has also been tremendous so far during the 2025 season. In eight games that he has played, the sophomore has recorded 58 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and five sacks. The 6-3, 240-pound defensive lineman already holds pretty much the same offer list as his older brother. Jacobs is rated as a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms.
It’s unclear how much impact DJ’s decision will have on Dawson, but Notre Dame making this type of impact certainly won’t hurt anything. Only time will tell if they are able to lure away the Jacobs brothers from their Georgie roots.
