Notre Dame football is predicted to land yet another top-100 player after another tremendous recruiting weekend

Notre Dame appears poised to land yet another top-100 player. That comes after another successful recruiting weekend.

Ryan Roberts National College Football Writer
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman waits to take the field with his team before a game against Wisconsin on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Notre Dame won the game, 41-13.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman waits to take the field with his team before a game against Wisconsin on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Notre Dame won the game, 41-13. Tork Mason/Green Bay Press-Gazette

Notre Dame football followed up a dominant 52-0 home opener against the Rice Owls with what could be an equally significant recruiting victory. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish coaching staff used the blowout win to host several key 2028 recruiting targets, and one name stands out above the rest: 2028 Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic offensive tackle Wyatt VanBoening.

The 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle camped at Notre Dame earlier this offseason, and like we’ve seen repeatedly under offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, players who camp and impress him in person typically become players the staff pushes hard for. VanBoening fits that mold perfectly.

Why VanBoening is an easy sell for Notre Dame

From a full-scope perspective, VanBoening checks every box for this Fighting Irish program. He possesses the size and length that Rudolph and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock typically covet in their offensive tackle prospects.

He is also a local product right in Notre Dame’s backyard, which only strengthens the program’s pitch. On top of that, he is a highly ranked recruit with a continuously expanding offer list from some of the best offensive line developers in all of college football.

Wyatt VanBoening’s recruiting background

VanBoening is considered a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Illinois native currently sits as the No. 80 overall player, the No. 11 offensive tackle, and the No. 7 player from the state of Illinois for the 2028 recruiting class.

Aside from the Fighting Irish, schools like Auburn, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, UCLA, Wisconsin, and Northwestern have offered and shown major interest.

Notre Dame in strong position to land VanBoening

Since Notre Dame offered him several months ago, they have been putting themselves in a great position. For a while now, I have been predicting the Illinois standout to eventually land in the 2028 Fighting Irish class, and it appears my pulse may have been very good on this one.

From all indications, the visit this past weekend went tremendously well. So much so that Steve Wiltfong, a national recruiting expert from On3, has logged an expert prediction for VanBoening to end up with the Fighting Irish.

Based upon things that I’ve heard, been told, and discovered over the last several months, I do believe Notre Dame has put itself in a great spot.

If this recruitment ends anytime soon, Notre Dame will be the pick for VanBoening. Right now it’s all about closing whenever he chooses to make a decision, but the confidence and the momentum are firmly in Notre Dame’s favor coming out of this most recent visit.

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