A hated Notre Dame football rival just beat out the Fighting Irish for a fast rising defensive recruit

The USC Trojans just got the best of Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman for a 2027 recruiting target.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football recruiting is on fire lately, locking down commitments from star 2027 running backs Lathan Whisenton and Isaiah Rogers over the last week. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have reset the standard of recruiting for the program. They are well on their way to putting together another elite group in the 2027 class.

The Irish did have a slight miss this week when Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout linebacker Josiah Poyer opted for the USC Trojans. He chose Lincoln Riley and Co. over Notre Dame, Michigan, and Cal, among others. Poyer was a player that the Fighting Irish had made a lot of progress with since offering him a couple of months ago.

As soon as Notre Dame offered Poyer this offseason, they quickly made a nice move. While it is a talented player off the board, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary still has plenty of interesting targets that are on the 2027 recruiting board. They already have a commitment from IMG Academy star Amarii Irvin, which is a great baseline to build off of.

As of today, the Irish hold nine commitments in the 2027 class. The 2026 group was considered the best class that Notre Dame has signed in a very long time. The odds for the Irish to replicate that type of group are against them, but we all know that Freeman will do his best to do just that.

Josiah Poyer’s recruiting background 

Poyer is currently considered to be a three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the California native is rated as the No. 741 overall player, the No. 60 linebacker, and the No. 63 player from the state of California for the 2027 recruiting class. Poyer’s recruiting rankings are expected to continue to climb, especially heading into his senior season.

Over the last couple of months, Poyer’s offer list has continued to expand. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Florida State, Texas Tech, Washington, Arizona State, Arizona, and UCLA, among others. If the offseason has been any indicator, everyone should expect that offer list to continue to populate heading into next season.

As a junior in 2025, Poyer became a really important player for a talented defense. The 6-1, 225-pound defender managed to collect 54 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Poyer was also able to record two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

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