Notre Dame football is predicted to miss out on a dynamic passing game weapon in favor of an elite SEC program
Notre Dame football was hoping for some good recruiting news at tight end this week. That does not appear to be coming.
It wasn’t too long ago that it looked like Notre Dame football was in a great spot with several top tight end targets in the 2027 recruiting class. That board has slowly thinned out as talented options have chosen elsewhere. Based on some recent recruiting buzz, it appears that head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish could be receiving some more bad news this week.
2027 Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln tight end Jaxon Dollar is the top target on the board for Notre Dame, and he is set to make his college decision on Thursday. The Irish have been battling it out with Georgia for the dynamic pass catcher, but from the sounds of it, the Bulldogs have captured the late momentum. Confidence is building even more in Athens this week.
Both Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons from Rivals logged expert predictions for Dollar to land with Georgia. If they are correct, which I also believe to be the case, it would be a tough loss for the Irish. Since the very beginning, Dollar has been arguably the top tight end target for Notre Dame, and losing out on an elite player like this isn’t ideal.
If Dollar chooses the Bulldogs this week, expect Freeman and Co. to really turn up the heat on Tennessee star Malik Howard. They are also in a great spot with Choctaw (Okla.) High School standout Titus Hawk. Those are the two names to know now for the program’s efforts moving forward, at least for now.
Jaxon Dollar’s recruiting background
Dollar is considered to be a top-100 overall player by multiple of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Dollar currently ranks as a five-star, the No. 33 overall player, the No. 2 tight end, and the No. 2 player from the state of North Carolina for the 2027 recruiting class. That is a state that is more and more regularly putting out high-level talent. Notre Dame has continued to take notice, even if they miss on the talented tight end.
If Notre Dame is somehow able to pull a last-minute upset for Dollar, they would be doing so against an extremely impressive offer list. Some of the top programs that have offered Dollar include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Miami, Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina, Missouri, NC State, UNC, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, and Purdue, among others.
As a junior, Dollar was a dynamic pass game weapon for East Lincoln. The 6-5, 222-pound managed to haul in 54 receptions for 1,190 yards and 20 touchdowns in 12 games. That is an average of 22 yards per reception, an absurd number for a tight end at his size. On top of completing a 63-yard pass, Dollar has also recorded 38 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick on defense.