Notre Dame made an early recruiting gamble, and it has paid off handsomely for HC Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame recruiting continues to hit high marks.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football have been recruiting on an extremely high level over the last few cycles. While the Fighting Irish have recruited some highly ranked players during his tenure, this staff has also made it a habit of trusting its evaluations of under-recruited talent. We just saw a great example of that trust in a recent 2026 Rivals ranking update.
At the top of the updated tight end rankings is Great Bend (Kan.) High School star Ian Premer, which isn’t much of a surprise. The 6-5, 225-pound pass catcher has been highly ranked for a long time, and his dominant senior season has allowed him to vault over USC commit Mark Bowman. The surprise, however, came from “the other” Notre Dame commit in Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic standout Preston Fryzel, who was No. 8 on the ranking, and the No. 195 overall player for the 2026 class. He is a player who has continued to rise during the process.
When Fryzel initially committed to the Fighting Irish on June 23, he was considered to be a three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. That caused some Notre Dame fans to question why the program was prioritizing him, along with Premer. It appears those members of the fanbase got their answers this week.
Preston Fryzel’s recruiting background
In 11 games as a senior, Fryzel has been an offensive force for Central Catholic. The 6-4, 220-pound tight end has managed to haul in 25 receptions for 658 yards and seven touchdowns. That is an average of 26.3 yards per reception, showcasing the big-play ability that Fryzel brings for a player of his size. While Fryzel has a lot of physical growth that is needed in front of him, there are clearly a ton of athletic tools to work with.
Despite that lower initial ranking, Fryzel was always a bigger get than most Notre Dame fans realized. He had a healthy offer list, with a ton of options. Some of the top programs that had offered the Ohio native included the Fighting Irish, Miami, Auburn, Iowa, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Pitt, UNC, Cincinnati, Arizona, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Maryland, Duke, Rutgers, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Northwestern. That is a healthy offer list for just your ordinary, everyday, three-star.
Fryzel is just your latest example of why programs have a recruiting department and do their own evaluations. Even before his senior season, Mike Denbrock and this staff saw a player with a tremendous skill set. They were just proven right with this latest recruiting update.
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Notre Dame football recruiting
