Notre Dame may have just received an unforeseen final recruiting chance with the controversial exit of Michigan HC Sherrone Moore

Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore just gave Notre Dame football an unforseen second chance in recruiting.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Notre Dame 2026 DL target Alister Vallejo
Liberty Hill Independent

Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football just put together an elite 2026 recruiting class, the best for the Fighting Irish in a very long time. To have a great recruiting class, you need to attract top talent and meet all your needs. Notre Dame did both with this 2026 group. 

While there were no holes in the class necessarily, Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington did want to add one more defensive tackle to the haul. There’s no question who the Irish wanted to finish the group. 2026 Liberty Hill (Texas) High School defensive tackle Alister Vallejo was a player Notre Dame valued highly for quite some time. 

Even after Vallejo committed to the Michigan Wolverines back on June 10, that didn’t stop the Irish staff from trying to flip Vallejo. Those efforts didn’t pay off, unfortunately, eventually ending up with the Wolverines on National Signing Day. He was one of the few recruiting targets that Notre Dame just flat out missed on during the cycle. 

With all the controversy surrounding the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore and the ongoing investigation, there are questions about whether Michigan can retain its top talent. Things can change quickly during a coaching change, and rosters turn over more often than not in the transfer portal era. For the 2026 class, they will have the option to be released from their national letters of intent following the recent news. 

Will Vallejo decide to reopen things with the recent news? Nobody knows right now, but one thing is for certain: He continued to listen to Notre Dame even down the stretch. It would be a wise decision for the Irish staff to circle back if he chooses to look for other opportunities. 

Alister Vallejo’s recruiting background 

When Notre Dame initially offered Vallejo in April, none of the major recruiting platforms had even had him ranked yet. His rankings ballooned down the stretch, ending up as a four-star by multiple major recruiting platforms. 247 Sports ended up being especially high on Vallejo, ranking him as the No. 113 overall player, the No. 14 defensive lineman, and the No. 15 player in the state of Texas for the 2026 class. 

On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, which takes each recruiting service into account, the Texas native finished as the No. 205 overall player, the No. 25 defensive lineman, and the No. 29 player from the state of Texas. 

Some of his top offers for Vallejo include the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Ole Miss, Miami, Oklahoma State, SMU, Kansas, Oregon State, Cal, Houston, Memphis, and Sacramento State. It wouldn’t be shocking to see several of those programs try to check in with him after the recent news. 

The 6-3, 310-pound defensive tackle is coming off an outstanding season for Liberty Hill as a senior. In 12 total games, Vallejo managed to record 71 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and six sacks. He also posted another 16 quarterback hurries, forced two fumbles, and blocked a kick.

Vallejo carried a modest recruiting profile until this past offseason, but he ended up being a player whose game far exceeded the initial opinion of him.

Related Articles