Notre Dame has a crucial opportunity to close on a priority recruiting target that the Fighting Irish are extremely high on
Top Notre Dame priority recruiting target continues to trend in a great direction for the Fighting Irish.
From very early on in the process for the 2027 recruiting class, Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice defensive tackle Brayden Parks has been a player that Notre Dame football has been extremely high on. Things have been in a great spot between the two sides, with head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish seemingly having solidified themselves as the leader for the Chicago native.
With Notre Dame being in such a great spot with Parks, trying to close the deal as quickly as possible is very important. Parks is busy solidifying official visits, according to Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith. That includes a trip to South Bend on June 12. He also has official visits scheduled to Ohio State (May 29) and Oregon (June 19) this offseason.
As of today, I love where Notre Dame is with Parks. He is a player that this Irish staff has loved for an extremely long time, and whenever you have a priority recruiting target right in your backyard, you need to be able to close on him. Parks, along with fellow Chicago star David Folorunsho, have quickly become two of the top targets on the defensive line board for Notre Dame, and the program hopes to close this offseason.
Brayden Parks’ recruiting background
Parks is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms right now. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Parks currently sits as the No. 179 overall player and No. 20 defensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class. He is also pegged as the No. 9 player in the state of Illinois, a very important area for the Irish. 247 Sports is actually the highest on Parks right now, sitting as the No. 128 overall player on their individual ranking.
The offer list for Parks is even more impressive than his recruiting rankings. Some of the top programs that have offered Parks includes the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Penn State, USC, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Arizona State, Iowa State, Minnesota, UNC, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Kansas, among several others.
The 6-3, 305-pound defensive tackle was a tremendous player for Brother Rice as a junior in 2025. In 13 games that he played in, Parks managed to record 44 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and two sacks. His impact is a lot greater than the box score might suggest, possessing an impressive blend of size, power, and movement skills. It is hard to miss big No. 98 on the field for Brother Rice.
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