There is a new priority recruit to know for Notre Dame football, and the Fighting Irish have the inside track for several reasons
Notre Dame fans have a new 2027 recruiting target to know who has intriguing Fighting Irish ties.
Whenever there is big-time talent in the city of Chicago, Notre Dame football needs to be aware of it. That area has been so good to the Fighting Irish historically, and head coach Marcus Freeman understands how important it can be. Keeping top talent “at home” is a no-brainer for the program.
Notre Dame now has its eyes set on fast-rising 2027 Chicago (Ill.) St. Patrick defensive lineman David Folorunsho, one of the more interesting young defenders in the entire class. Over the last several weeks, Folorunsho has seen a huge uptick in his recruitment. He added an offer from the Irish recently.
Outside of his obvious proximity to Notre Dame, only about 90 minutes away from campus, Folorunsho also has some unique ties to the Fighting Irish program. His head coach at St. Patrick is former Irish safety Tom Zbikowski, a Notre Dame legend from the early 2000s. Dan Santucci, a former teammate of Zbikowski in South Bend, is also the high school’s president.
With so many connections to the Notre Dame program, Freeman and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge need to act swiftly. Folorunsho has quickly become one of the more coveted defenders in the 2027 class, and the attention will only continue to increase. He is a player that the Irish staff wants, and you can expect a hard push to ensue.
Partridge has earned a strong reputation as one of the very best defensive line coaches and developers in college football. He also has a strong background as a recruiter, including an ability to identify value in underrated recruits. That might be an appropriate label for Folorunsho for now, but it certainly won’t be for long.
David Folorunsho’s recruiting background
From a recruiting rankings perspective, Folorunsho isn’t going to blow anyone away. He is considered a consensus three-star recruit by all major recruiting platforms that have graded him so far. Rivals has yet to even do so. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Chicago native sits as the No. 588 overall player, the No. 66 defensive lineman, and the No. 19 player from the state of Illinois for the 2027 recruiting class.
Despite those modest rankings, a long list of impressive programs are pushing hard for Folorunsho. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Miami, Indiana, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas State, Iowa, UNC, Kentucky, Michigan State, Cincinnati, and Purdue, among others.
At 6-4 and 285 pounds, Folorunsho is an impressive athlete who has been used up and down the line of scrimmage from various alignments. As a junior, the talented defender recorded 55 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and five sacks. As Folorunsho continues to fill out his frame and develop, he has the potential to become a dominant football player and a major riser in the 2027 recruiting class.
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