Former Notre Dame commit is ready to announce his new home, choosing between multiple programs from the Southeast
A former Notre Dame commit is set to make his second college decision. The talented defender will be landing in SEC country.
For those who forget, Notre Dame’s first commitment in the 2027 class was Swannanoa (NC) Asheville Christian Academy long snapper Sean Kraft. The second commitment for the Fighting Irish was 2027 Mobile (Ala.) Williamson linebacker Ellis McGaskin, who eventually ended up decommitting from the program. The McGaskin recruitment was bizarre from the very beginning.
Once the Alabama native opened his recruitment back up, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish staff opted to pursue several other linebackers. Notre Dame currently holds a commitment from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defender Amarri Irvin and are also continuing to pursue talented players like Kaden Henderson and Roman Igwebuike. There is still a lot of work to be done by linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary.
After months of a second chance at the recruiting process, McGaskin is now set to make his college decision on Saturday, June 6th. The talented linebacker will be deciding between LSU, Florida, and Florida State.
There was a prediction for McGaskin to land with the Florida Gators from Tyler Harden of 247 Sports a couple of days ago. It appears that they could be the team to beat heading into that announcement.
Ellis McGaskin’s recruiting background
When McGaskin committed to Notre Dame last June, it took many by surprise. At that time, the Alabama native was considered to be a consensus three-star player. McGaskin now ranks as a four-star player on the 247 Sports Composite ranking, sitting as the No. 353 overall player, the No. 28 linebacker, and the No. 16 player from the state of Alabama for the 2027 recruiting class. His rankings have continued to mostly go up throughout the process.
The offer list for McGaskin has continued to populate, especially after he decommitted from Notre Dame. Some of the top offers for the talented linebacker include the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, Miami, Florida, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Missouri, Florida State, Nebraska, Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and UCF, among several others.
The 6-1, 190-pound linebacker put together an outstanding season as a junior in 2025. In 13 games played, McGaskin managed to collect 160 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and four sacks. The Alabama star also made another 15 quarterback hurries, one interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and four blocked kicks. McGaskin’s combination of explosiveness and tenacity makes him a potentially high-impact defender on the next level.