Notre Dame has a chance to make another recruiting statement against hated rival with priority recruit heading toward a decision
Notre Dame football has been riding a lot of momentum for defensive line recruiting for the 2026 class. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff already hold commitments from five-star defensive end Rodney Dunham, toolsy pass rusher Ebenezer Ewetade, and Texas run stopper Tiki Hola. They now have a chance to solidify a […]
Notre Dame football has been riding a lot of momentum for defensive line recruiting for the 2026 class. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff already hold commitments from five-star defensive end Rodney Dunham, toolsy pass rusher Ebenezer Ewetade, and Texas run stopper Tiki Hola. They now have a chance to solidify a great overall defensive line class, and heading back down to the Lone Star State could be the key.
Over the last couple of months, defensive line coach Al Washington has been pursuing Liberty Hill (Texas) High School defensive tackle Alister Vallejo heavily. He has quickly become a priority recruit for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has put themselves in a strong position for the talented defender, and they have a battle with a hated rival in the future.
Vallejo announced that he will be making his commitment on June 10th. Notre Dame is among the finalists, joined by the Michigan Wolverines and Kansas Jayhawks. The Texas star actually has both the Fighting Irish (June 27-29) and Wolverines (June 13-15) scheduled for official visits after the commitment, but it appears he doesn't need those final visits to make a decision.
As things stand, this is a Notre Dame versus Michigan battle. Both sides feel positively about their chances to close the deal, while I favor the Fighting Irish right now. Kansas has done an admirable job, but they are going to finish third in this recruitment.
When Notre Dame initially offered Vallejo back in April, none of the major recruiting platforms had even had him rated yet. His rankings have been trending upward the last few weeks, ranked as at least a three-star by every major recruiting platform. 247Sports is especially high on Vallejo, currently ranking him as a four-star player. He sits as the No. 203 overall player, No. 32 defensive lineman, and No. 31 player in the state of Texas in the 2026 recruiting class.
His offer list has been expanding more and more this offseason. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, SMU, Kansas, Oregon State, Cal, Houston, Memphis, and Sacramento State. If Vallejo chose to let the process play out more, there is a very good chance that his offer list could expand substantially.
The 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle is coming off of a strong season for Liberty Hill as a junior. In 11 games, Vallejo managed to record 51 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and seven sacks. He also posted another 16 quarterback hurries and four blocked kicks. Vallejo carried a modest recruiting profile until recently, but he continues to climb the rankings the more attention he gets this offseason.
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