Notre Dame football moves one step closer to try and pull a four-star defensive lineman out of a troubling recruiting area

Notre Dame takes a strong step with an extremely talented defensive line recruit

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football have just solidified an elite 2026 recruiting class this week, and arguably their best since the Lou Holtz Era in the early 1990s. With that 2026 group in the bag, all eyes are now set on the 2027 class. It is early, but there is a lot of positivity for the Fighting Irish to put together another elite group.

It feels like almost every day that Notre Dame is receiving some great recruiting news, and they got some more this week from 2027 Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School defensive line Joseph Buchanan. The talented defender released his updated Top Six School list, which did include the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was joined by Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Indiana, and UNC in that top group.

As of today, I wouldn’t predict Buchanan to end with Notre Dame. Al Washington and the Irish are still working from a big board of defensive line targets, so there is still some uncertainty there. Buchanan is, at the very least, a player to keep a close eye on. Clearly, Notre Dame is an attractive option for him, so we will see where things go from here.

For whatever reason, Notre Dame has had a lot of difficulty consistently getting into the state of Maryland. That includes even into the Maryland and Washington D.C. Catholic schools. That should be an area where the Fighting Irish need to have more success in. For the most part, Penn State and Ohio State have owned that part of the country, with Alabama and Georgia also doing so at times. Notre Dame needs to find a way to cash in on some of that talent.

Joseph Buchanan’s recruiting background

Buchanan is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, they have the Maryland native currently rated as the No. 178 overall player, the No. 21 defensive lineman, and the No. 5 player from the state of Maryland for the 2027 recruiting class. Maryland has been a state that hasn’t always been overly fond of the Fighting Irish in the past. 

The offer list is just as impressive for Buchanan. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Boston College, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Duke, UNC, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Rutgers, among others. 

At 6-4.5 and 255 pounds, Buchanan is a very versatile defensive lineman who can do a lot for a defense. As a junior in 2025, he has managed to record 43 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks. Buchanan has also recorded 11 more quarterback hurries.

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