Notre Dame football takes a massive step toward finally closing the deal with a top-100 recruiting target
Notre Dame seems to be in the home stretch for another top-100 2027 recruiting class. The Fighting Irish continues to be the heavy favorite.
Ever since 2027 Middletown (Delaware) Appoquinimink four-star offensive tackle Layton von Brandt decommitted from Penn State following the firing of head coach James Franklin, Notre Dame has been considered the heavy favorite for the top-100 recruit. This has felt like a matter of when, not if, head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, and the Fighting Irish land von Brandt.
The Irish staff made another strong step toward potentially finishing this recruitment off. They were included in the top-four schools list for von Brandt. Notre Dame was joined by Florida, Penn State, and Auburn in that top group.
There is no major update when you discuss the Delaware native. Notre Dame is the team to beat for his services, and has been for some time now. With James Halter and Richie Flanigan already committed to the class, the Irish are in a strong early spot. They will continue to push for von Brandt, as well as Cameron Wagner, and five-star Albert Simien.
Under Coach Rudolph, the Irish have been recruiting the offensive line at an extremely high level. The talent up front will never be an issue for Notre Dame, at least for the foreseeable future. If they can land von Brandt and Wagner in 2027, it will continue to be an excellent group. If they can somehow land Simien, that would just be icing on the cake.
Layton Von Brandt’s recruiting background
Von Brandt is considered a four-star player by all major recruiting platforms and a near-consensus top-100 player by each. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Von Brandt ranks as a top-60 player, sitting at No. 64 overall, the No. 5 offensive tackle, and the No. 1 in the state of Delaware for the 2027 recruiting class. That is not a traditional area for Notre Dame to target, but Von Brandt is just that good and could be bordering on five-star status in the end.
Even before Von Brandt committed to the Nittany Lions in November of 2025, there was a long list of impressive suitors pursuing the talented offensive lineman. The 6-6.5, 281-pound offensive tackle has an extremely impressive offer list. When you turn on his film, it is easy to see why.
Some of the top schools that have offered him include the Fighting Irish, Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Missouri, Auburn, Indiana, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Boston College, Virginia, UNC, Stanford, Syracuse, and Rutgers, among several others.