Notre Dame moves one step closer toward continuing a unique recruiting trend for the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame football has made it a habit of recruiting the sons of former NFL players. That trend could continue in the 2027 class.
Notre Dame football recruiting has focused on genetics over the last few cycles, prioritizing the sons of former NFL players. That ideology has netted head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish talented recruits like Bryce Young, Elijah Burress, Jerome Bettis Jr., James Flanigan, Devin Fitzgerald, and Kaydon Finley.
In the 2027 recruiting class, there aren’t a ton of players that fit that description on the Notre Dame board. One that does is Collierville (Tenn.) High School athlete Erik Walden Jr., who goes by Tae. His father, who was a star at Middle Tennessee State, played 10 years in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans.
The Irish took a solid step with Walden this week by making his updated list of top schools. Notre Dame was joined in that group by Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Clemson, Auburn, and Missouri. That’s an impressive group of suitors, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise the more homework you do on Walden.
As of today, Notre Dame is not considered to be the leader for the Tennessee standout. It will be interesting to see where things go from here. Clearly, there is at least some interest in the Irish program, but whether it becomes more serious than that remains to be seen.
Erik Walden Jr.’s recruiting background
Walden is considered to be a four-star player or a three-star, depending on what major recruiting platform you look at, but his rankings have been trending up this offseason. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Walden currently ranks as a four-star, the No. 125 overall player, the No. 6 athlete, and the No. 4 player from the state of Tennessee for the 2027 recruiting class. The Tennessee native is rated highest by 247 Sports, currently pegged as the No. 63 overall player and the No. 3 athlete in the country.
Despite that inconsistency from a rankings perspective, Walden has been courted by some big-time programs so far. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Clemson, Auburn, Indiana, Florida State, Missouri, Louisville, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Maryland, and Purdue, among others.
As a junior, Walden put together a tremendous season for Collierville. In 13 games, the 6-2, 170-pound pass catcher managed to haul in 42 receptions for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was also a standout on defense, collecting 28 total tackles, five interceptions, and 17 pass breakups, while scoring four more scores on special teams. This is an all-around athlete who excels with the football in his hands.
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