Notre Dame football is on a quest to put together an elite 2027 recruiting class. The next several weeks will be vitally important for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish to do just that. One of the more important remaining targets on the board is Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, who is an elite player in the 2027 group.

Fakatou kicked off his official visit season a couple of weeks ago by heading to Ohio State, the school that many believe is the slight frontrunner heading into a very important month of June. Fakatou then made the trip down to Georgia for an official visit last weekend, and will head out to Eugene to check out the Oregon Ducks in a couple of days. The California native will finish his OV tour in South Bend on June 15-17.

With the next several weeks being so important in Fakatou’s recruitment, it feels like a good time for a slight update following two official visits in the books. Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has a potentially elite defensive line class on his hands, already holding commitments from David Folorunsho, Aidan O’Neil, and Jackson Vaughn. Fakatou could take this group from elite to historic, potentially.

Here is where things stand with Fakatou and the Fighting Irish.

The latest with Fakatou and Notre Dame

Georgia received a good review from the Fakatou camp following his official visit to Athens. Based on some conversations I have had, I think they are a firm top-three team with the talented defender, and I see Oregon riding fourth going into their pitch. Kirby Smart and his Bulldog program are an easy sell for talented defensive linemen, so you certainly can’t count them out.

I do, however, still believe that Notre Dame and Ohio State are the top two teams for Fakatou. His trip to Columbus went extremely well. Not only did the Buckeyes sell tradition and a proven track record of defensive line development, but they also sold their attention to detail and appreciation for him as a person. I do believe that Ohio State is the leader right now, so the Irish will have to close at a high level.

We did see last offseason that Freeman and Co. closed at an extremely high level during official visits. Having the final visit could be huge for them, especially since I don’t see Fakatou closing down his recruitment before that trip. That will give Notre Dame the chance to push ahead of the Buckeyes, but I could see this recruitment going either way right now.

The best bet is that he ends up in Columbus, but that final official visit could determine it.

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. 33 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 many 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 recorded 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 5 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.