Many around Notre Dame football are extremely high on Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb quarterback Teddy Jarrard, who opted to reclassify to the 2026 recruiting class a few weeks ago. Along with fellow signal caller Noah Grubbs, the 6-3, 200-pound passer will be enrolling in South Bend soon. There’s a strong chance that Jarrard ends up being the heir apparent to star quarterback CJ Carr. 

With that decision from Jarrard, it offers head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish a unique opportunity. They now don’t hold a quarterback commit in the 2027 class, which means that the offensive staff can once again be in the hunt to bring in more talent at the position. And in the age of NIL and the transfer portal, they need to. 

Before the staff settled on offering Jarrard and Louisiana signal caller Peyton Houston, 2027 Arlington Heights (Ill.) Montini Catholic quarterback Israel Abrams was a player of interest. Based on some conversations I’ve had, it appears that interest could once again spark with the recent Jarrard news. 

The work that Notre Dame did on Abrams took place before his junior season, which ended up being an elite showing. With Abrams playing right in the program’s backyard, trying to keep a talent like this “at home” would be a wise play. I’ll have my eyes closely on Abrams to see if the Irish make a push moving forward. 

Israel Abrams’ recruiting background 

Abrams is considered to be a four-star player by every major recruiting platform. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Abrams is rated as the No. 62 overall player, the No. 5 quarterback, and the No. 5 player in the state of Illinois for the 2027 recruiting class. The individual 247 Sports rating has Abrams even higher, currently sitting at No. 22 overall. 

The Illinois native has continued to garner interest from notable programs around college football in recent months. Some of Abrams’ top offers so far include Tennessee, Ole Miss, Auburn, Indiana, Michigan State, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Mississippi State, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Purdue, among several others. 

As a sophomore in 2024, Abrams put together a tremendous season for Montini Catholic. The 6-4, 180-pound passer threw for 2,033 yards and 29 touchdowns. Abrams added another 335 yards on the ground while only throwing three interceptions. 

Abrams went from good to potentially elite as a junior. In 14 games, Abrams threw for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns, completing nearly 69 percent of his passes and throwing just six interceptions. The talented signal caller also rushed for another 224 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

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