Notre Dame football is quickly putting together one of its best offensive line recruiting classes in a very long time. Head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, and the Fighting Irish received a huge boost recently when they were able to land 2027 five-star Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola over Miami and Texas A&M. 

Along with fellow commits James Halter, Jackson Hill, and Richie Flanigan, that is a great baseline for an elite class. With a couple of key targets remaining, there was a ton of optimism that Notre Dame could complete the stellar group. That thought, however, did take an unfortunate detour on Monday morning. 

A recruiting snag 

When 2027 Middletown (Del.) Appoquinimink offensive tackle Layton von Brandt announced a commitment date for Monday morning, there was a lot of optimism on the Notre Dame side. The Irish had been the perceived team to beat for the 6-6.5, 281-pound blindside protector for several months, but things shifted on Sunday. All of a sudden, Auburn became the top contender. 

Without getting too specific, Auburn made some promises that Notre Dame was just not willing to match. While it’s unfortunate for von Brandt to land elsewhere, it’s also understandable why the Irish staff chose not to go all in on his demands. The fit just wasn’t as seamless as many, including myself, thought. 

With the loss of von Brandt, Notre Dame just got some increased pressure to close this 2027 offensive line class strongly. The target board is very much understood. There is only one target to know. 

The elite target remaining 

2027 Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston offensive lineman Albert Simien is a player that Notre Dame was going to pursue heavily, even if they had landed von Landt. The 6-4, 280-pound behemoth is set to take an official visit to South Bend next month, and the Irish need to close well down the stretch. While Simien is still technically a luxury, the von Brandt situation did just up the importance. 

While Simien grew up in Louisiana, he did not come from a household that grew up loving LSU football. That has allowed Notre Dame and Texas A&M to remain in this battle, and either program has a chance to win in the end. There is confidence on the Notre Dame side that they can win out later this summer. 

If the Irish staff is able to land Simien, this would become one of the better offensive line classes that Notre Dame has landed in 30 years. Both Olubobola and Halter are considered to be top-100 overall recruits in the 2027 class, while Hill and Flanigan are developmental swings. If you can land one more elite-level talent to continue to raise the ceiling of the class, we are talking about a truly special group. 

Albert Simien’s recruiting background 

Simien is considered to be at least a four-star and top-50 overall player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Simien currently ranks as a five-star, the No. 13 overall player, the No. 2 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 2 player from the state of Louisiana for the 2027 recruiting class. 

Just like his recruiting rankings, Simien’s offer list is elite. Some of the top programs that have offered him include the Fighting Irish, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida State, Nebraska, TCU, West Virginia, Arkansas, UNC, Baylor, SMU, and Houston, among others.