Notre Dame football and Marcus Freeman throws their hat into the ring for one of the fastest risers in the 2027 recruiting class
Notre Dame is set for a strong push for another dynamic tight end recruit.
When you talk about the best developers of the tight end position in all of college football, Notre Dame is typically one of the first schools brought up, and for very good reason. With past names like Michael Mayer, Mark Bavarro, Dave Casper, Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph, and Cole Kmet, it is hard not to consider the Fighting Irish the rightful owner of the Tight End U title. Head coach Marcus Freeman and Co. have continued to want to stockpile that position.
In the 2027 recruiting class, Notre Dame just made an extremely interesting offer to fast-rising Pierre (S.D.) TF Riggs tight end Cooper Terwilliger. Over the last several months, the talented pass catcher has seen his offer list and recruiting rankings blow up. With several big-time programs already pursuing Terwilling, it appears the Irish are ready to throw their hat in the ring for the dynamic tight end. It’ll be interesting to see where things go from here.
With Notre Dame just entering the fold, it is impossible to tell just where they stand in this recruitment. One thing is certain, however, that you shouldn’t count the Fighting Irish program for any tight end that they want. You can just look at the most recent 2026 class and the job the staff did to close on five-star tight end Ian Premer, on top of high-upside pass catchers Preston Fryzel.
Cooper Terwilliger’s recruiting background
Terwilliger is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the South Dakota native currently sits as the No. 154 overall player, the No. 9 tight end, and the No. 1 player from the state of South Dakota in the 2027 recruiting class. Those rankings have continued to rise more and more as people have gotten eyes on Terwilliger this offseason.
As his recruiting rankings continue to rise, Terwilliger’s offer list is already bordering on elite status. Some of the top programs that have offered him so far include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida State, Auburn, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Kansas State, Kansas, Wisconsin, UNC, Purdue, UCF, and Stanford, among several others.
As a junior, Terwilliger put together a tremendous season for TF Riggs. The 6-5, 230-pound pass catcher managed to haul in 38 receptions for 549 yards and four touchdowns. That is an average of 14.4 yards per reception, which demonstrates his big-play ability from the tight end position. The overall talent for Terwilliger is substantial, and a lot of really impressive programs are taking notice.