Newest Notre Dame coaching hire is already putting his unique imprint on the recruiting board for the Fighting Irish

There is an interesting new addition to the 2027 Notre Dame recruiting board worth doing homework on.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) Michigan Wolverines defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary heads on to the field for the game against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football had a ton of coaching turnover on the defensive side of the football this offseason. While the Fighting Irish returned defensive coordinator Chris Ash, head coach Marcus Freeman was tasked with replacing the trio of Mike Mickens, Max Bullough, and Al Washington. That was always going to be a tough task, but Notre Dame managed to do about as well as anyone would have hoped for.

One of the new faces is former Michigan run game coordinator Brian Jean-Mary, who will now be coaching one of the better linebacker groups in all of college football. Jean-Mary comes to South Bend with a strong reputation as a coach and developer, as well as a notable recruiter. His impact on the recruiting trail is something that the Irish fanbase will patiently wait to see.

While things are early, Jean-Mary is already beginning to put his imprint on the Notre Dame recruiting operation. That includes a very intriguing offer being extended to 2027 Owensboro (Ky.) High School linebacker Ty Ashley. Known for his ability to attract and close on some of the big fish out there, this offer is not a usual one for Jean-Mary. Ashley is not a big name right now, but a fast riser who is starting to gain more steam this offseason.

It is uncertain whether Ashley will become a legitimate target for the Fighting Irish or if he is just an effort to build out the linebacker board further. While only time will tell how serious the interest is, this is a unique target that more people need to learn about. This might be a case of a strong early evaluation of a talented player on the rise.

Ty Ashley’s recruiting background

Ashley brings a bizarre recruiting background to the table right now. He is only ranked by Rivals currently, which has him rated as a three-star, the No. 796 overall player, the No. 66 linebacker, and the No. 14 player from the state of Kentucky for the 2027 recruiting class. Despite no stars to his name from either 247 Sports or Rivals, Ashley has seen his offer list full up this offseason, including the Fighting Irish, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Wake Forest, among several others. 

As a junior in 2025, Ashley put together a tremendous season for Owensboro. In 15 games, he managed to collect 148 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks. The 6-2, 200-pound defender also recorded four interceptions, three pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries. Ashley managed to record three touchdowns on the season, including two on the offensive side of the football.

While he is a bit underdeveloped physically, there is a lot of athletic upside to be excited about with Ashley. He has a longer frame with nice pursuit speed working to the perimeter, as well as having some interesting range in pass coverage. Ashley is a tenacious downhill tackler who plays about his weight class right now. As he gets stronger, this is a linebacker with a ton of upside to work with.

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