Former Notre Dame recruiting target lands with SEC program to pair with a long time Fighting Irish commit turned headache
A former top Notre Dame recruiting target ends up in the SEC
Early on in the 2026 recruiting class, it felt like Notre Dame was going to be a major player for Flowood (Miss.) Hartfield Academy safety Bralan Womack. Ranked as a five-star player on the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Womack is one of the better natural athletes in high school football on both sides. It’s easy to see why the Irish staff values him so heavily early on.
There was even some feedback, and predictions early on for Notre Dame to land the Mississippi standout. That momentum quickly shifted, and soon the Fighting Irish turned their focus to other players on the back end. Ohio State, which has been viewed as the unquestioned favorite since, felt like they would be the selection whenever Womack decided to make his decision.
On Thursday night, Womack finally did make his commitment. The 6-0, 195-pound athlete opted instead for the Auburn Tigers. There had been buzz around head coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers staff over the last couple of weeks, and they were able to close in the end. One interesting, and unique pitch that Auburn could give to Womack was one that Notre Dame actually had early on as well, his relationship with 2025 quarterback signee Deuce Knight.
If Irish fans think back to the early portions of the Womack recruiting, former 2025 commit Deuce Knight was mentioned frequently. Both being from the state of Mississippi, Womack and Knight had a strong personal relationship, and that was another huge additional pitch to Womack in this recruitment. While Knight isn’t the main reason why Womack chose Auburn on Thursday, it is pretty interesting that duo did end up together. Knight wasn’t a bad ticket to have in your back pocket.
Luckily for Notre Dame, they were able to pull in an elite secondary class even without Womack. The five-man group of Joey O’Brien, Khary Adams, Chaston Smith, Ayden Pouncey, and Nick Reddish is an outstanding one. The future of the back end under secondary coach Mike Mickens is in a very good place, and is only getting better.
For Auburn, Womack is a tremendous grab, especially winning out against the Buckeyes, which he was a fan of growing up. The Mississippi native is currently rated as the No. 15 overall player, No. 1 safety, and No. 2 player from the state of Mississippi in the 2026 recruiting class. Mississippi is a state that has consistently been putting out more and more talent over the last several years.
From an offer list perspective, you won’t find many better than Womack. His top offers included the Fighting Irish, Tigers, Buckeyes, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Penn State, Florida, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Florida State, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Washington, Oklahoma State, Duke, Oregon State, Syracure, Vanderbilt, UCF, and Mississippi State among others.
As a junior in 2024, Womack was selected as the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year. He helped Hartfield Academy to go 12-2 and win its second-straight MAIS Class 6A championship. Womack was able to collect 39 total tackles and eight interceptions. On offense, Womack also managed to haul in 54 receptions for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also being a difference maker on special teams.
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