Notre Dame football receives a commitment from a painfully underrated defender whose offer list tells the real story
The Notre Dame recruiting momentum continued on Friday when the staff landed a commitment from 2026 Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier linebacker Jakobe Clapper. The talented and versatile defender is a player that the Irish program has been a good spot with for some time. It was more a question of when Clapper would commit, than […]
The Notre Dame recruiting momentum continued on Friday when the staff landed a commitment from 2026 Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier linebacker Jakobe Clapper. The talented and versatile defender is a player that the Irish program has been a good spot with for some time. It was more a question of when Clapper would commit, than whether he would.
Clapper is considered to be a four-star on the 247Sports Composite ranking. He currently sits as the No. 398 overall player, No. 29 linebacker, and No. 19 player in the state of Ohio for the 2026 recruiting class. Every other recruiting ranking has Clapper pegged as a three-star prospect, but that hasn’t stopped some big time schools from recruiting him.
Despite those underwhelming rankings, Clapper has put together an outstanding offer list. Some of the premier programs that have extended offers include the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan State, Boston College, Minnesota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Duke, Illinois, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, and Purdue among others.
As a junior in 2024, Clapper was absolutely dynamic for St. Xavier. The 6-2, 210-pound linebacker managed to record 105 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Clapper also recorded a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two pass breakups, and hauled in a touchdown on the offensive side of the football.
Beating programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and Louisville for Clapper is a great grab. Clapper is a tremendous linebacker that brings some interesting versatility to the table. You could conceivably project him to a couple of different linebacker spots for the Irish long term.
Clapper joins Thomas Davis Jr. as the two linebacker commits in the class. All eyes are now set on a much smaller board, with Texas star Tank King being a key name to know. The linebacker recruiting under head coach Marcus Freeman has been on a stellar level since he came to South Bend, and Max Bullough is only continuing that momentum.
