ISD Intel | Behind The Scenes Of Notre Dame Recruiting
News has dictated the need for us to move up our weekly ISD feature a couple of days. The latest on virtually every prospect remaining on the Irish's 2026 recruiting board.
The Latest | 2026 DL Dre Quinn
As we hinted at earlier this week, 2026 Buford (Ga.) defensive lineman Dre Quinn will not take his official visit to Notre Dame this weekend. The four-star prospect will make his decision on Thursday between Clemson and Texas. It was one of those recruitments where I'm not sure Notre Dame lost it by anything they did other than take commitments from Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham. Quinn wants to play edge and while that likely won't happen at the next level regardless of where he picks, the bodies obviously didn't help there. That said, I do believe Quinn was very open with Notre Dame after Dunham and Ewetade committed and told the staff to continue to recruit him because he liked the school, staff, etc. You win some and lose some. Notre Dame won by landing the top of its board early. Cutter & Buck Notre Dame Fighting Irish Traverse Stretch Eco Camo DryTec Tri-Blend Quarter-Zip
ISD Intel | Behind The Scenes Of Notre Dame Recruiting
In-depth notes on where the Irish stand with every uncommitted recruit taking an official visit this weekend and previews of where they stand with the prospects schedule to come in next weekend.
ISD Intel | Behind The Scenes Of Notre Dame
A couple updates on some crucial 2026 prospects as well as important notes coming into Friday's Irish Invasion.
No Intel This Week
Sorry, I was out a bit this week dealing with some minor health stuff. Everything is good, but it did cripple my ability to compile and produce Intel this week.I did come across some info though and wanted to get it out there in quick hitter fashion for you.- As Matt has alluded to recently, I too believe there have been some winks and nods when it comes to 2027 quarterback offers. I don't know for sure who has been given a wink and nod and who hasn't, but it would certainly fit considering the current offer lists of some of the quarterbacks who have agreed to visit South Bend this June. Georgia's Teddy Jarrard, for instance, already has offers from schools like Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami and Auburn among several others. It's difficult to imagine Jarrard scheduling a trip to Notre Dame without some reason to believe the Irish will end up being a real option for him down the road.Speaking of Jarrard, we have reason to believe he would be a real option for the Irish down the road. Jarrard and his family still need to learn more about the school and the program, but based on what they know so far, they see the potential for a real fit, like potentially, the best fit for Jarrard in the end. Still a long way to go there, but he's certainly one we have our eye on.- In last week's Intel, we mentioned "an increased confidence level with regard to defensive line recruiting." We feel like that confidence level has grown even higher with the news that Texas defensive lineman Alister Vallejo will announce his college decision on June 10th. Two weeks ago, we mentioned that we expected to see Vallejo "on campus multiple times next month." That was a nod to a previously-unannounced unofficial visit in addition to the official he had scheduled already. Vallejo is set to be in town on Sunday. It'd be unlikely for him to return for the official visit on June 20th if he chooses another one of his finalists - Kansas or Michigan - instead of Notre Dame. But, we still expect him to be on campus multiple times in June.Landing Vallejo would further set the Irish up on the defensive front. With commitments already from Tiki Hola, Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade, Notre Dame would be able to turn even more of its focus onto guys like Elijah Golden, Khary Wilder and Dre Quinn. - We too are sensing an increase in confidence coming from Texas' side of things with regard to 2026 receiver Kaydon Finley. That would be a huge blow to Notre Dame's Target List, but it's far from over yet. The Irish will still get a chance to host Finley for an official visit and remind him why he's been so high on Notre Dame for so long. This one could still be essentially a toss-up, but for the first time in a long time, Texas sources don't necessarily see the Longhorns as the underdogs.- Conversely, sources continue to label Notre Dame as the team to beat for Texas receiver Kohen Brown. And, as we reported last week, we see the Longhorns and Ole Miss as Notre Dame's biggest competition here despite a lengthy list of official visits.We also continue to hear that Notre Dame is among the top schools for Florida's Brian Williams Jr. In fact, additional sources have reaffirmed that this could be a battle between the Irish and Florida. It's not clear exactly how hard the Gators are pushing at the moment, but it does sound like head coach Billy Napier has started to get involved, suggesting additional emphasis.