Notre Dame moves one step closer toward stealing a 5-star defensive lineman away from a hefty list of elite programs
Notre Dame football is in a fierce battle for one of the elite recruits in the 2027 class.
Notre Dame football is recruiting on an all-time level under head coach Marcus Freeman, especially with what they were able to accomplish with the 2026 class. With the attention already on the 2027 recruiting class, most Fighting Irish fans are curious to see if this staff can outdo itself once again. With a solid start to that group already, the priority recruiting targets are beginning to separate themselves.
That includes on the defensive front, where elite Orange (Calif.) Lutheran defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou has been a priority for the Notre Dame staff for quite some time. Originally a member of the 2028 class, Fakatou has become an even bigger priority once he opted to reclassify a couple of months ago. This is a talented player that Charlie Partridge and Co. want badly.
While Notre Dame was considered the heavy favorite early on, several big-time programs have been making strong pushes recently. The Fighting Irish did take a solid step toward landing the California native in the end, landing inside of his top 10 schools list. Notre Dame was joined on that list by Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, and Miami.
As of today, I still like where Notre Dame is with Fakatou. Partridge, Freeman, and the rest of the Irish staff will need to maintain consistency and attempt to close hard down the stretch. There is no reason why they can’t win out in the end. We have seen this Notre Dame program close well on top targets from California in recent years.
Marcus Fakatou’s recruiting background
Fakatou is extremely well-liked by the major recruiting services so far. In the early 247 Sports ranking for the 2028 recruiting class, the California native was rated as the No. 3 overall player, No. 1 defensive lineman, and No. 1 player in the state of California. Even with Fakatou reclassifying to the 2027 class, he is still considered to be an elite-level prospect. On the Composite ranking, he is rated as a five-star recruit, the No. 35 overall player, the No. 2 defensive lineman, and the No. 3 player from the state of California.
Even though Fakatou made that reclassification jump, a long list of impressive programs has already been pursuing him. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, SMU, BYU, Arizona State, Missouri, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Syracuse, and Cal, among others.
Even as a “freshman” in 2024, Fakatou made a lot of plays for a very talented Orange Lutheran squad. The 6-6, 275-pound athlete managed to record 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He was even better in 2025, finishing the season with 69 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and eight blocked kicks. The inside-out versatility is tremendous.
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