Notre Dame Set For Key Recruiting Weekend
Notre Dame is just over a week away from putting a stamp on spring football, which also means time is running out for recruits to check out the Fighting Irish on the practice field.
The Irish staff has done a great job of getting top talent on campus over the last month and Notre Dame is now preparing to close hard over the next two weekends by hosting more top-tier prospects.
Safety is a key position for Notre Dame this cycle and there will be two important targets making their way to South Bend this weekend. 2024 Chandler (Ariz.) safety Kennedy Urlacher will be joined by Samuel Clemens (Texas) star Paul Mencke Jr on campus this weekend and both will arrive on Friday.
Urlacher earned his offer at the end of January and the Irish immediately became a major player for his commitment. Marcus Freeman made a stop by Chandler High School in January and his presence in the school made a lasting impression on the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder. The three-star prospect has taken recent visits to Kansas, Kansas State and Miami.
Mencke was offer in late March and wasn’t little time setting up his visit to Notre Dame. He was also recently named DB MVP at the Under Armour camp in Dallas. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder visited Kansas in March and Stanford last weekend.
Urlacher Junior Highlights
Mencke Junior Highlights
Notre Dame will also be hosting 2024 Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.) offensive lineman Styles Prescod on Saturday as he told ISD he’ll be on campus for the third time since September.The last time the 6-foot-6, 280-pounder was on campus, Prescod left with an offer and his offer list has quickly grown. In fact, Prescod now holds offers from Alabama, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin to name a few.
Prescod will once again by joined 2024 Notre Dame offensive line commit Peter Jones. The two were on campus together in January for Junior Day, so it’ll be a positive for Prescod to continue to build his relationship with a potential teammate.
Staying with the 2024 recruiting class, Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) cornerback Samuel Madu told ISD he’ll be on campus for a visit on Friday. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder doesn’t hold a ranking from any of the national recruiting services, but his offer list reflects that he should probably have one sooner than later. Madu currently holds offers from Akron, Boston College, Buffalo, UConn, Duke, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, Purdue, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Temple, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
Madu Junior Highlights
Notre Dame will also be hosting top 2025 prospects this weekend and it starts with tight end as Washington (Okla.) tight end Nate Roberts, Southlake Carroll (Texas) tight end Jack VanDorselaer and Alpharetta (Ga.) tight end Ethan Barbour will all be on campus. That means five of Notre Dame’s six tight end offers in the class have been on campus in the last month, including two visits from Ryan Ghea.
Roberts holds offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, North Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Florida, TCU, Tennessee, Texas Tech, UNLV and Wisconsin. He’s taken visits Baylor and Wisconsin in the last month.
VanDorselaer comes from a Texas powerhouse that most recently produced Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers among man others. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder has built a solid offer list of Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Incarnate Word, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Purdue, South Florida, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Wisconsin.
Barbour might have the most impressive offer list for his position in the country and he’s been making the rounds at SEC powerhouses over the last month with stops at Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and South Carolina.
2025 Catholic Memorial (Wis.) offensive lineman Owen Strebig tells ISD he’ll also be on campus this weekend. The massive 6-foot-8, 290-pounder is a prospect the Notre Dame staff “loves” and is starting to develop a national offer list. Strebig holds early offers from Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin, a school he visited at the end of March.
Strebig Sophomore Highlights
A source also tells ISD 2025 Brophy College Prep (Ariz.) cornerback Cree Thomas will make the trip out to South Bend. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder was offered on St. Patrick’s Day as the Irish joined the race with Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado State, Nevada, Oregon and Purdue. While Thomas’ recruitment will be different, it’s worth noting he hails from the program that produced Notre Dame freshman All-American Benjamin Morrison.
Sophomore Highlights
Notre Dame is also expected to host a couple of interesting 2025 prospects to keep an eye on. That list starts with 2025 IMG Academy (Fla.) linebacker Gavin Nix. The four-star prospect holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Central Florida, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
2025 Brother Rice (Ill.) linebacker Christian Pierce tells ISD he’ll be on campus on Friday. The 6-foot, 210-pounder has been offered by Akron, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin.
The Brunswick School (Conn.) will have a couple of its top players on campus at Notre Dame for a weekend visit. 2025 safety Ethan Long, 2025 offensive lineman Matty Augustine and 2024 athlete Blaine McClure.
Long has early offers from Boston College, Dartmouth, Duke, UMass, Pitt, Rhode Island and Villanova, while Augustine holds offers from Boston College, UConn, Duke, UMass, North Carolina, Penn, Pitt, Temple and Vanderbilt.
2026 Dearborn Divine Child (Mich.) athlete Marcello Vitti will make the trip down to South Bend on Saturday. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder is a name to definitely watch as he already holds Power Five offers. Akron, Central Michigan, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Toledo and Western Michigan have offered.
Long Sophomore Highlights
Augustine Sophomore Highlights
Vitti Freshman Highlights
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