Notre Dame gets one step closer toward landing a fast rising top-100 recruit trending quickly to the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is positioning themselves with a top recruiting target fresh off a visit to South Bend.
Notre Dame football is riding a ton of recruiting momentum after a successful overall event last weekend. That includes a commitment from four-star 2027 Waco (Texas) Midway running back Lathan Whisenton, who opted for the Fighting Irish over Florida and Texas Tech, among many others. That is just the beginning of an impending recruiting avalanche for head coach Marcus Freeman and the program.
The Irish received some more good news when 2027 Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep defensive end Aidan O’Neil released his top 7 schools list. Notre Dame managed to make the list for the talented defender. They were joined by Texas A&M, Tennessee, Penn State, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The New Jersey star has been considered one of the biggest risers in this class this offseason.
O’Neil is fresh off an unofficial visit to Notre Dame this past weekend. Based on the feedback following that trip to South Bend, the Irish are trending in a very good direction with the talented pass rusher. Defensive line coach Charlie Patridge has done a tremendous job building the relationship. I do believe that Notre Dame has a chance to position itself as the team to beat going down the stretch.
Aidan O’Neil’s recruiting background
After beginning the process as an underrated recruit, O’Neil has now seen his rankings continue to trend upward, now considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the New Jersey native rates as a four-star, the No. 127 overall player, the No. 15 EDGE, and the No. 3 player from the state of New Jersey for the 2027 recruiting class. 247 Sports is the highest on O’Neil right now, pegged as the No. 73 overall player and the No. 9 EDGE in the country.
The 6-5, 240-pound pass rusher has a long and impressive offer list currently. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Nebraska, Florida State, Indiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, NC State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Washington, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Minnesota, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisonsin, Rutgers, Duke, and Northwestern, among several others.
As a junior in 2025, O’Neil put together a tremendous season for Don Bosco. In 12 games played, O’Neil managed to collect 54 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. The talented defender also forced two fumbles for one of the best programs in high school football.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Notre Dame football named the early favorite for an elite 5-star defender that every premier program wants
Notre Dame looks like they are in a great early spot for an elite 2028 recruiting target.
