Notre Dame football has a crucial opportunity on the horizon to close the deal on a borderline 5-star recruiting target
There is an important recruiting visit on the horizon for Notre Dame football and HC Marcus Freeman.
While some Notre Dame fans still have their questions about offensive line coach Joe Rudolph as a developer and decision maker, there is no debating that he is one heck of a recruiter. There is a reason why so many in the Fighting Irish fanbase enter each season with high expectations for the offensive line as a whole. That offensive line is an embarrassment of riches as a whole.
In the 2027 recruiting class, head coach Marcus Freeman, Rudolph, and Co. already hold commitments from James Halter and Richie Flanigan. That is a great start, but now the staff has their eyes on some big fish in the class, including Middletown (Delaware) Appoquinimink offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt. The former Penn State pledge quickly became a priority for Notre Dame when he opted to decommit following the firing of head coach James Franklin, although they have to now fend off some other elite suitors.
Von Brandt will be heading back to South Bend on April 11, and it will prove to be a crucial opportunity for the Notre Dame staff. The Delaware native will also be checking out Virginia Tech (March 21), Florida (March 24), Auburn (March 26), Tennessee (March 28), and Penn State (April 28). That stretch of visits will be pivotal for Von Brandt to make a decision prior to his senior season.
As of today, I really like where Notre Dame sits with Von Brandt. Penn State getting the final visit is a bit unsettling, as well as Franklin and Virginia Tech getting a visit. Rudolph and the Fighting Irish are arguably in pole position for him. How well they do on the visit, and in general over the next few weeks, will be key.
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-50 player, including sitting as the No. 38 overall player, the No. 5 offensive tackle, and the No. 1 player 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 is bordering on five-star status.
Even before Von Brandt committed to the Nittany Lions in November of 2025, there was a long list of impressive suitors who had been pursuing the talented offensive lineman. The 6-6, 275-pound offensive tackle has an extremely impressive offer list.
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 many others.