Notre Dame football and Marcus Freeman take one massive step toward luring a top recruiting target out of Ohio State’s backyard

Notre Dame football could have a nice win over Ohio State in the future.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Ace Alston, Anderson defensive back, soaks up the atmosphere of the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.

Cornerback recruiting under Notre Dame secondary coach Mike Mickens has been tremendous over the last few years. Combined with head coach Marcus Freeman and his recruiting prowess, the talent in the secondary will be outstanding for the foreseeable future. Most Fighting Irish fans have learned to trust Mickens as an evaluator and producer at this point.

One player that Notre Dame fans should keep a close eye on in the 2027 recruiting class is Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson cornerback Ace Alston. He is a player that the Irish staff has been very high on, and that interest has been reciprocated. Several analysts in the recruiting industry have stated that Notre Dame is the early leader for Alston.

The Fighting Irish made a huge step toward eventually landing Alston this week when the Ohio native released his top 10 schools list. Notre Dame was in the group, joined by Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Tennessee, Penn State, USC, Missouri, and Indiana. There continues to be great vibes around where Notre Dame stands.

Alston is a player that the home-state Buckeyes are pursuing heavily. Despite that, Notre Dame is setting the pace early on in his recruiting. If Freeman and the Irish finish this one out, it would be a tremendous win. It is early, but Notre Dame took another good step toward eventually landing the talented cover man.

Ace Alston’s recruiting background

Alston is considered a four-star recruit and a top-150 overall player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Alston is rated as the No. 113 overall player, the No. 11 cornerback, and the No. 2 player in the state of Ohio for the 2027 recruiting class. 

While Alston has impressive recruiting rankings, his offer list is even better. Some of the top schools that have offered Alston so far include the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Tennessee, USC, Texas A&M,  Auburn, Nebraska, Louisville, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Cincinnati, Duke, West Virginia, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Purdue, among many others. 

So far in 2025, Alston has been putting together a strong season for Anderson. The 5-11, 175-pound cover man has recorded 29 total tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and three tackles for loss. That’s coming off a sophomore year in 2024, where Anderson also managed to record 46 total tackles, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. 

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