Notre Dame has top targets and a commit littered inside the updated Top-50 247 Sports 2028 recruiting class ranking
Notre Dame football is off to a strong start in the 2028 recruiting class. The Fighting Irish have a ton of top targets at the top of the group.
The 247Sports updated 2028 recruiting rankings dropped with a brand new top 50 overall players in the class, and Notre Dame football already has a member of that elite group.
Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School EDGE Darieon Prescott came in as the No. 7 overall player after recently committing to head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, giving the program a massive 5-star addition to their 2028 recruiting class.
Beyond Prescott, Notre Dame continues to push hard for several players inside the updated 247Sports top 50. The Fighting Irish have their sights set on a long list of elite talent across the country and in their own backyard.
Kameron McGee headlines Notre Dame’s top targets
At No. 1 overall in the updated rankings sits Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice defensive end Kameron McGee. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound pass rusher has Notre Dame in his top group right now, but the Fighting Irish need to be ready for an all-out war. McGee is an elite player in their backyard, and Freeman will do everything he can, along with defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, to close on the talented defender.
At No. 5 and No. 6, Notre Dame continues to pursue Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School EDGE Asher Ghioto and Louisville (Ky.) Christian Academy defensive lineman Kellan Hall.
Ghioto is considered a lean to Miami but will be in South Bend for Notre Dame’s game against the Hurricanes this fall. Hall, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, is going to be another hard pull for the Irish, but he has said a lot of great things about Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff and has already visited South Bend in the past.
Skill position and secondary targets
At No. 8, one of Notre Dame’s top overall targets is Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek wide receiver Jaylen Addai. He is the son of former LSU and Indianapolis Colts first-round running back Joseph Addai, so those LSU ties could help the Tigers in the end. The Fighting Irish are not deterring from pushing for one of the more dynamic wide receivers in the class.
Notre Dame is also pushing hard for Newark (NJ) Malcolm X Shabazz cornerback Nasir Richardson, who comes in at No. 13 overall. The same can be said at No. 17, where Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton cornerback Keaton Fields checks in. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound defensive back reminds me a lot of Leonard Moore, and he has a high opinion of Notre Dame so far.
James Foster III checks in at No. 18 out of Lancaster, Texas. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound safety is being pursued by some of the elite programs in all of college football, but Notre Dame continues to be in a pretty good spot early on. They will need to do a great job in this recruitment, but Foster is the all-around talent at safety that Notre Dame is valuing at a high level so far.
Offensive line recruiting remains a strength
At No. 25, Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) JSerra Catholic offensive tackle Lincoln Fa’alafi checks in. The 6-7½, 350-pound offensive lineman has a high opinion of Notre Dame early on, and the Fighting Irish, along with UCLA, seem to be setting the tone in that recruitment so far. Notre Dame has recruited the offensive line as well as anybody under offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. They hope to continue that with the California native in the 2028 class.
At No. 35, Carbondale (Ill.) High School offensive tackle Joseph Frierdich checks in at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds. He is another player to watch for Notre Dame right in their backyard. There is no assumed top pecking order of schools for Frierdich so far, but Notre Dame has kept in close contact.
Defensive upside and backyard recruiting
At No. 36, RJ Wyms out of The Woodlands (Texas) College Park checks in. He is an undersized defensive tackle at 6-foot-1 and 255 pounds, but Notre Dame has taken a high liking to him so far. Partridge appreciates the explosiveness and the NFL background of his father, Ellis Wyms, who played in the league for eight seasons. Wyms is also scheduled to visit Notre Dame this upcoming season.
At No. 40, Montvale (NJ) St. Joseph’s Regional linebacker Tahj Gray stands at 6-3½ and 233 pounds. Gray is a close personal friend of 2027 Notre Dame defensive end commit Jackson Vaughn and is an attack-style player who can also play on the ball at times. Notre Dame is hoping to continue its presence in New Jersey in the next class.
At No. 46, Belleville (Ill.) Althoff Catholic cornerback Logan Thompson is one of the more talented corners in the 2028 class. Notre Dame is hoping to lock down some of their top talent in the state of Illinois, and Thompson is right near the top of that list.
At No. 47, Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton wide receiver Lorenzo McMullen Jr. checks in at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds. Notre Dame is arguably the leader so far for McMullen, who is an incredibly smooth route runner with a ton of length. This would be a great addition to the 2028 class as Notre Dame tries to continue to trend upward in wide receiver recruiting.