The Gold Standard: Five 2026 recruits who Notre Dame is trending for
On Sunday, Notre Dame landed a pledge from defensive lineman Gordy Sulfsted, bringing their number of commitments to 21 in the 2025 class, and this weekend, the Irish could add cornerback Mark Zackery, who seems to be leaning towards Marcus Freeman‘s program. Spots are very limited for Notre Dame in the 2025 class, which has allowed the staff to get off to a strong head start in the 2026 cycle.
Blue & Gold spoke with sources to compile a list of five prospects who Notre Dame looks to be trending for in the 2026 class.
Lake Mary (Fla.) High QB Noah Grubbs
For the past few weeks, the sense has been that Grubbs is the most likely quarterback to join Notre Dame’s 2026 class. That feeling has only grown stronger and stronger in the past week or so. Miami and North Carolina are the biggest contenders in the recruitment, but the Fighting Irish look to have the lead, and based on what Grubbs told Blue & Gold earlier this month, he’s not looking to stretch his recruitment out much further.
“I’ll probably make a decision late spring or early summer,” Grubbs said. “I’ll take time, talk with my family, pray about it and make the decision.”
The Irish staff has done a tremendous job in Grubbs’ recruitment since offering him last summer. He’s been a priority for them, and their efforts may pay off in the near future.
Cincinnati St. Xavier LB Jakobe Clapper
The aforementioned Sulfsted is Clapper’s high school teammate, which only helps Notre Dame in this recruitment. But that note aside, the Irish look to be the early team to beat for Clapper per ND sources. The four-star linebacker recently added Ohio State to his offer list, and the Buckeyes will certainly be a major contender in his recruitment, but from what Blue & Gold is told, the Irish staff believes they have the lead for Clapper, who loved his trip to South Bend a month ago.
“I had a really good time with Coach Bullough,” Clapper said. “I could see where I fit in and how my game relates to their defense. Also, I got to see how they structure their base defense. It was great to watch the film and see how he thinks I’ll translate to the next level.”
Aledo (Texas) High WR Kaydon Finley
Admittedly, Finley is not a prospect I’m overly familiar with just yet, but Notre Dame sources are buzzing about the top-100 overall prospect. He visited Notre Dame in early April, and he had a really good trip. SMU, Texas, Arkansas and Penn State are among the other contenders for Finley. He’s one for Irish fans to get familiar with.
Matthews (N.C.) Weddington LB Thomas Davis Jr.
I’ve only heard really good things about where Notre Dame stands with the son of former 16-year NFL linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. Sources in South Bend believe that ND leads for the four-star prospect, and other people we talk to with knowledge of the recruitment agree with that sentiment. He’s aware of the strong NFL lineage on Notre Dame’s roster and commit list, and Davis is interested in joining it. He loved his campus visit in April.
“There is a big interest there,” Davis said. “I’ve always seen Notre Dame as a big, historic school. It’s always been considered one of the dream schools, pretty much for everybody. I just love their program, and it was great being able to get up there.”
Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College DB Joey O’Brien
When Notre Dame offered O’Brien in March for Pot of Gold, the four-star recruit only held offers from Duke and Toledo. And since then, he’s added the likes of Penn State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Michigan, Michigan State to his scholarship sheet. The Nittany Lions are typically tough to beat for prospects in Pennsylvania, but Notre Dame believes it has the early lead for the versatile defensive back.
“There were a lot of cool things that happened on the visit,” O’Brien told Blue & Gold about his March visit. “From watching practice, seeing the facilities and riding around the campus with Carter Auman — I could feel the energy of the whole school. While watching the players compete at practice, it showed me how hard you need to work at this level.”
Three more prospects who Notre Dame sources have been raving about when it comes to where the Irish stand with them are Chicago Mount Carmel’s Braeden Jones, Davison (Mich.) High’s Ben Nichols and Portage (Mich.) Northern’s Gregory Patrick.
The post The Gold Standard: Five 2026 recruits who Notre Dame is trending for appeared first on On3.
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