Notre Dame football has continued their momentum on the recruiting trail, landing a commitment from 2026 Carrollton (Ga.) Central running back Jonaz Walton. Combining Walton with fellow running back commit Javian Osborne makes for one of the best duos in the backfield we have seen for the Fighting Irish in some time now. It’s hard not to be excited about what head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff are doing right now. 

Now that Walton is in the class, let’s take a look at the next key targets to know on the board. Here are the five players I could see joining the 2026 class moving forward. It’s, once again, an extremely talented group of playmakers. 

TE Evan Jacobson – Waukee (Iowa) High School

At 6-7 and 220 pounds, you are going to blink your eyes, and Jacobson is going to be over 250 pounds. His game is very reminiscent of former Irish star Kyle Rudolph. Notre Dame is the team to beat currently, and has a chance to close this one in the near future. I love where things are with Jacobson overall. 

S Nick Reddish – Charlotte (N.C.) Independence 

The Fighting Irish offered Reddish after his sophomore season at Independence, and things got serious quickly. If not for a junior season injury, I believe Reddish would already be in the class, but expect him to end up in it regardless. The 5-11, 185-pound safety is a really versatile player on the back end. 

CB Joey O’Brien – Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College 

The Irish staff loves O’Brien as a cornerback,  but he could also play both safety or wide receiver. The 6-4, 190-pound athlete is a tremendous talent, and offers a ton of upside. Penn State has been the main competitor against Notre Dame, but Oregon has made a late push. This is going to be a battle. 

WR Kohen Brown – Waxahachie (Texas) High School

Brown was offered by Notre Dame last week, and quickly decommitted from USC a couple days later. The Texas speedster has already set up an official visit to South Bend, and is friends with Irish running back commit Javian Osborne. Things are heating up quickly. 

EDGE McHale Blade – Chicago (Ill.) Simeon 

Notre Dame has been after Blade for some time now. He got injured during his first season with Simeon, but the talent is undeniable. At 6-4 and 245 pounds, Blade has the perfect frame to be a big end for the Irish. He would be a tremendous compliment to Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade. 

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