Notre Dame football officially misses out on a talented pass catcher to an SEC program ahead of his OV to South Bend
Notre Dame is hoping for a lot of good recruiting news in June, but that didn’t happen on Saturday. There was a tough blow to its 2027 class.
Notre Dame football is expecting to continue a lot of its 2027 recruiting momentum over the last several weeks, especially with official visits on the horizon. Oak Ridge (Tenn.) High School tight end Malik Howard had a return trip scheduled to South Bend on June 12-14, but that official visit is now off the table.
Heading into the middle portion of the offseason, this recruitment felt like a battle between the Fighting Irish and the Tennessee Volunteers. With that official visit on the horizon, most believe that head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish could get this one done if Howard made it back to South Bend.
Instead, the talented tight end made his college decision. On Saturday, Howard made his commitment to head coach Josh Heupel and the Volunteers. The Vols managed to beat out the Fighting Irish, Alabama, and Oregon.
Notre Dame currently holds a commitment from Choctaw (Okla.) High School Titus Hawk. Freeman and Co. did, however, have some interest in bringing in a second tight end in the 2027 class, and one that is more of a flex option. After missing on players like Jaxon Dollar, Seneca Driver, and Cooper Terwilliger, Howard became a very important remaining target.
With Howard now off the board, it’s uncertain if Notre Dame will try to pursue another tight end. For now, I imagine they will be okay with just taking one tight end in the class. That can change depending on how some players develop during this upcoming season.
Malik Howard’s recruiting background
Howard is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms outside of rivals. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Howard is currently rated as the No. 215 overall player, the No. 11 tight end, and the No. 9 player from the state of Tennessee for the 2027 recruiting class. ESPN is the highest on Howard, pegged as the No. 157 overall player.
If Howard’s recruiting rankings don’t excite you, his offer list probably will. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami, Florida State, Auburn, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Mississippi State, Maryland, Colorado, UNC, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Syracuse, West Virginia, Duke, and Purdue, among others.
As a junior in 2025, Howard put together a tremendous season for Oak Ridge. The 6-3.5, 231-pound pass catcher managed to haul in 53 receptions for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games. That is an average of 14.7 yards per reception, a healthy number for a tight end.