Notre Dame predicted to land five-star recruit, and arguably the top 2027 priority target for the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is continuing to gain steam with one of the very best players in the 2027 recruiting class.
Notre Dame football is steadily attacking the 2027 recruiting class, already holding seven commitments in the class overall. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish will be ramping things up for what promises to be a very important offseason on the trail. There are several priority targets that we already know the program desperately wants.
There may not be a bigger or more important target in the class than 2027 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou. Originally a member of the 2028 recruiting class before reclassifying, Fakatou is one of the rare players who received an offer from Notre Dame following his freshman season. Since then, Freeman and Co. have been pushing extremely hard.
Viewed as the front-runner for the California native for some time now, Notre Dame has had to fend off some big programs recently, including the likes of USC and Georgia. Although there is still a big battle ahead, many believe that the Irish are still the firm leader to land Fakatou. That includes Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney, who logged an expert prediction of the Irish to win out.
If Notre Dame were to land Fakatou in the end, it would be a monumental victory for the Irish staff. There is a legitimate argument that he is one of the higher upside defensive linemen in the class. Thinking about what defensive line coach Charlie Partridge could do with a player like Fakatou is a tantalizing proposition.
Marcus Fakatou’s recruiting background
Fakatou is extremely well-liked by the major recruiting services so far. In the early 247 Sports ranking for the 2028 recruiting class, the California native was rated as the No. 3 overall player, No. 1 defensive lineman, and No. 1 player in the state of California. Even with Fakatou reclassifying to the 2027 class, he is still considered to be an elite-level prospect. On the Composite ranking, he is rated as a five-star recruit, the No. 35 overall player, the No. 2 defensive lineman, and the No. 3 player from the state of California.
Even though Fakatou made that reclassification jump, a long list of impressive programs has already been pursuing him. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, SMU, BYU, Arizona State, Missouri, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Syracuse, and Cal, among others.
Even as a “freshman” in 2024, Fakatou made a lot of plays for a very talented Orange Lutheran squad. The 6-6, 275-pound athlete managed to record 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He was even better in 2025, finishing the season with 69 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and eight blocked kicks. The inside-out versatility is tremendous.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Notre Dame set for an intense recruiting battle for a priority target with strong ties to the Fighting Irish program
There is a very important recruiting battle on the horizon for the Notre Dame football program.
