Notre Dame football is predicted to land a top-100 recruiting target just ahead of his commitment date
Just ahead of a very important commitment date, even more confidence was cast in the favor of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a priority recruit.
Notre Dame football is hoping for a lot of good 2027 recruiting news on Friday. It starts with Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep defensive end Aidan O’Neil, who is set to make his college decision at 10 AM Eastern time, live on the 247 Sports YouTube channel. O’Neil will be selecting between the Fighting Irish, Penn State, and Kentucky.
Viewed as the heavy frontrunner going into the announcement, head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge have done a tremendous job in this particular recruitment. The Irish staff has made O’Neil feel like a priority lately, which is a big reason for the recent momentum. It would be viewed as a pretty massive upset if either Penn State or Kentucky won out on Friday morning.
To continue feeding into that confidence, both Steve Wiltfong and Allen Trieu from Rivals have logged expert predictions for O’Neil to land with Notre Dame. While it’s pretty lame to have these predictions come in so close to the decision being announced, there isn’t much of a secret about where this decision is most likely going.
All the momentum sits with the folks in South Bend.
If Notre Dame does land O’Neil tomorrow, they are getting an extremely physical defensive end who is equally as impactful in the run and pass game. He also has the frame to eventually transition inside, depending on how his body develops. O’Neil is considered a top-100 player for a reason, possessing every physical tool needed to become a difference maker on the next level.
The Irish staff is still in a great spot with 2027 defensive ends Abraham Sesay and Jackson Vaughn. If Notre Dame is able to land all three of them, which they are favored to do right now, it would be the best trio of defensive ends they have signed in one class in quite some time.
Aidan O’Neil’s recruiting background
After beginning the process as an underrated recruit, O’Neil has now seen his rankings continue to trend upward, now considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the New Jersey native rates as a four-star, the No. 140 overall player, the No. 15 EDGE, and the No. 3 player from the state of New Jersey for the 2027 recruiting class. 247 Sports is the highest on O’Neil right now, pegged as the No. 73 overall player and the No. 9 EDGE in the country.
The 6-5, 240-pound pass rusher has a long and impressive offer list currently. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Nebraska, Florida State, Indiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, NC State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Washington, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Minnesota, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Duke, and Northwestern, among several others.
As a junior in 2025, O’Neil put together a tremendous season for Don Bosco. In 12 games played, O’Neil managed to collect 54 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. The talented defender also forced two fumbles for one of the best programs in high school football.