Notre Dame football is eyeing a potentially monumental 2027 recruiting win on Friday when five-star Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston offensive lineman Albert Simien announces his college decision. The Sam Houston High School standout will choose between the Fighting Irish, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU, and Nebraska in what has become one of the most closely watched recruitments in the cycle. Viewed as one of the top front-runners for Simien for several months, Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman have been working hard to close the deal on the talented lineman.

The vibes appear to be strong heading into Friday’s expected early afternoon announcement. Multiple national recruiting analysts have logged predictions for Simien to land in South Bend, and the Fighting Irish are considered the assumed leader going into the decision.

Where things stand with Simien’s recruitment

Throughout this recruitment, Texas A&M and Notre Dame have been the two assumed leaders for the talented offensive lineman. There has been some LSU smoke in recent weeks, but the source of that hype has remained unfounded. For the last month or two, LSU has felt like it was running third for Simien despite his Louisiana roots.

With him not growing up in a pro-LSU home, the Tigers were never considered the favorite throughout this process. That allowed the Fighting Irish and the Aggies to assert themselves at the top.

Notre Dame hosted Simien for an official visit last weekend, a trip that appears to have gone incredibly well based on the recruiting momentum that has followed. With how fluid recruiting can be, Texas A&M will be fighting hard down the stretch to close on Simien. But as of today, the Irish hold the edge.

A brewing rivalry with Texas A&M

Texas A&M and Notre Dame have now been locked in multiple significant battles in the 2027 recruiting class. There is clearly a rivalry being built between Freeman and Aggies head coach Mike Elko. If Notre Dame can get the last laugh in the Simien recruitment, it would be a major win for Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph.

The two programs have gone head-to-head on several high-profile recruits, and landing Simien would represent a statement victory for the Irish staff against one of the SEC’s most aggressive recruiters.

What Simien would mean for Notre Dame’s offensive line class

Notre Dame already holds a potentially elite offensive line group even without Simien in the class. Olu Olubolola is a five-star player in the 2027 class, while James Halter is also considered a top-100 player. Both Richie Flanigan and Jackson Hill bring some intrigue as developmental players, but Simien has been viewed as the cherry on top for what could be their best offensive line class in a very long time.

Under Rudolph, the Fighting Irish have been recruiting at an all-time high on the offensive line, and they are hoping that trend continues on Friday. Getting an elite player out of Louisiana is no small feat for anyone, including programs in the Southeastern Conference. For a school like Notre Dame, this would be a monumental victory and another sign of the recruiting improvements the program has made under Freeman.

We will know where the Irish stand on Friday afternoon.