Since Monday was St. Patrick’s Day, it was also Notre Dame’s Pot of Gold Day, when the Irish extended dozens and dozens of offers to the best candidates. Here are ten that might have the biggest influence:
Although Oregon has been the clear favourite to get the four-star running back from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic, it is still possible that he will sign with the Ducks. However, a new offer from Notre Dame is undoubtedly significant and should be carefully watched. In addition to being thrilled to establish a contact with Notre Dame, Fa’alave-Johnson stated that the Irish offer “will definitely shake things up” and that it is undoubtedly one of the universities he will be staying in touch with in the future.
Is there anyone more Notre Dame material than Flanigan, an Irish child whose brother James was a four-star tight end in the 2025 class and whose father Jim played in South Bend? The Irish have extended an offer to the defensive tackle from Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Notre Dame De La Baie Academy, who has a double Notre Dame legacy. Given that Duke, Illinois, and Wisconsin are now his other offers, it wouldn’t be shocking at all if another Flanigan ended up in South Bend.
The four-star linebacker from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit will be wooed by Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, and numerous other schools, but now that Notre Dame is involved, South Bend may feel a strong tug. Henderson, a four-star who is already arranging a visit to college “soon,” told Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. that since he and his family are Catholic, this offer means much more.
Hobbs already speaks as like he is networking in the corporate sector and has a LinkedIn account. The 2027 safety from Louisville (Ky.) Christian Academy might be very interested in a new Notre Dame offer, which wouldn’t be remarkable. Hobbs told Greg Smith, the national recruiting analyst for Rivals, that he grew up watching Notre Dame attentively and that the school embodies his ideals of being “well-rounded and excelling both on and off the field.” Not only should one keep an eye on Kentucky, Louisville, and Oklahoma, but Notre Dame is also very competitive.
If Johnson-Cook maintains his 6-foot-3, 220-pound running back size, Notre Dame has successfully used big backs behind a large offensive line in the past. There aren’t many institutions that are better at producing linebackers, if he decides to go to defence. For the DeSoto, Texas, standout who has led the way at Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, this is an intriguing proposition.
The 2027 top four-star receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s St. Thomas Aquinas has finally received an offer from the Irish, after his father, who shares the same name, played at Notre Dame. Jones has been looking forward to this for a while, and now Notre Dame is included along with other important schools like Miami, LSU, and others. Before being selected in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft, his father was a running back for the Irish.
The four-star defensive tackle from Chicago (Ill.), Brother Rice, has previously been to Notre Dame in April. This week, he will return to South Bend. Parks is being pursued by other Midwest schools and an increasing number of national teams, but the Irish are obviously interested, and for the 6-foot-3, 295-pound four-star who lives less than two hours away, receiving an offer is enormous.
The four-star running back from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been committed to Penn State since August. This past season, Nittany Lions running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen rushed for more than 1,000 yards. However, this offseason, position coach Ja’Juan Seider left Penn State for Notre Dame, and now Spell has an offer from the Irish, who also have a strong running tradition.
The Tuihalamaka clan may send another member to play for the Irish as his brother, Junior, is already a student at Notre Dame. Westlake Village, California’s four-star defensive tackle, Oaks Tuihalamaka has seen his brother grow for the Irish—he had 33 tackles, three sacks, and two fumble recoveries this past season—and that could be a big lure to follow him to South Bend as well. Christian has received early offers from Arizona State, Cal, Louisville, and USC.
In the 2016 class, Notre Dame previously went to Chesterfield, Virginia, L.C. Bird for four-star safety Jalen Elliott, who is currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Irish are returning for Whitehead, a four-star edge rusher with almost 20 offers. Whitehead’s first three standouts were Penn State, Florida State, and Tennessee; but, a recent offer from the Irish is significant, as may the relationship with Elliott at his school.
