Talanoa Ili

- Notre Dame catcher Carson Tinney is having an All-ACC season as a sophomore, which is impressive considering he tore his ACL last spring. Tinney is batting .367 with 14 home runs, 12 doubles, 47 RBI, .789 slg% and boasts a fielding percentage of .989.Tinney went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and 3 RBI against No. 17 Louisville on Friday night to help Notre Dame win 10-3.Freshman Bino Watters is also coming into his own and that gives Shawn Stiffler two key building blocks. Watters is batting .311 with nine home runs and 38 RBI. I'm not sure Notre Dame is going to make a run to postseason play as they still stand 25-19, 11-15, but there are signs the Irish could be a tough out next year. Notre Dame has won 9 of its last 11 games, which includes sweeping Cal and Stanford. - The commitment of 2026 St. Xavier (Ohio) linebacker Jakobe Clapper is a significant one for the program. Entering the recruiting cycle, Notre Dame wanted two linebackers, and they have achieved that with Clapper and Thomas Davis Jr. Notre Dame isn't done. It's time to go big game hunting. 2026 Texas linebacker Tank King and 2026 Hawaii linebacker Talanoa Ili will be the focus moving forward. Both have set official visits and will be on campus next month. Notre Dame will send Max Bullough to Hawaii this month to see Ili. It's a long trip for one player, but we've seen that work before. That said, USC does have a lead at the moment, but it's worth investing the effort as Notre Dame can really set the position up well. For King, Notre Dame entered the spring as the leader, but others have made up ground. He's been to Notre Dame multiple times, so his official visit will be a chance to remind him why he had the Irish out in front. - 2026 running back Javian Osborne will make his decision this evening between Michigan and Notre Dame. The Irish have risen from the dead in this recruitment as Ja'Juan Seider hit the ground in a full-out sprint. Michigan has hosted him a ton over the last year, so if Notre Dame can pull this one off, it likely won't sit well in the football offices in Ann Arbor. It's also funny how recruiting works. Osborne was a Texas lock until running backs coach Tashard Choice left Austin for the Detroit Lions. It opened the door for every school in the country and now Osborne will be playing his collegiate ball at a Midwest program over an in-state school. Under Armour #1 Kelly Green Notre Dame Fighting Irish Premier Football Jersey