Notre Dame football set to make a strong push for a dynamic five-star pass rusher from a once-troubling recruiting area

Notre Dame is looking to pluck a high upside pass rusher from a tough recruiting area of the past.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Anthony Sweeney, Our Lady of Good Counsel defensive end soaks up the atmosphere of the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.

Notre Dame football has had a tremendous offseason from a defensive line perspective. Outside of retaining star pass rusher Boubacar Traore, as well as defensive tackles Jason Onye and Armel Mukam, the team also welcomes three players via the transfer portal: Keon Keeley (Alabama), Francis Brewu (Pitt), and Tionne Gray (Oregon). That doesn’t even include adding Charlie Partridge or welcoming a stellar 2026 class that is led by five-star defensive end Rodney Dunham.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have really upped their game on the recruiting trail for defensive linemen recently, and they aren’t afraid to battle with anyone. That includes battles in the 2027 recruiting class, where the staff extended an offer to Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel five-star pass rusher Anthony Sweeney this week. With upwards of 40 offers, everyone and their mother is pursuing the Maryland star, and that now includes Notre Dame.

It is way too early to tell if Notre Dame will have a legitimate chance at Sweeney in the end, but for the first time in a long time, it feels silly to count the Fighting Irish out for anyone. Trying to get Sweeney to visit South Bend will be priority No. 1. The program has had a ton of issues in the prominent Maryland Catholic schools in the past, but perhaps Sweeney could end up being a part of continued change in that area.

Anthony Sweeney’s recruiting background

Sweeney is considered a consensus top-40 overall player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Maryland native is currently considered to be a five-star, the No. 18 overall player, the No. 3 EDGE, and the No. 1 player from the state of Maryland for the 2027 recruiting class. We are talking about an elite football player with all the upside in the world.

While Sweeney’s recruiting rankings are elite, his offer list might even be better. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Miami, Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Clemson, USC, Indiana, Florida State, Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Boston College, Minnesota, UCLA, UNC, Maryland, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Rutgers, among several others.

Over the last two seasons, Sweeney has become a tremendous performer for Good Counsel. During that stretch, the 6-4, 230-pound pass rusher has managed to collect 83 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. Sweeney has been named an All-Metro selection by the Washington Post during both years.

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