2025 DE Caden O'Rourke Talks Notre Dame Camp, Recruitment

With double-digit scholarship offers from schools like Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa, Caden O'Rourke‍ finds himself in that surreal state of finding it hard to believe something he’s been working and waiting so long for is happening so fast.

“It's unreal,” the 2025 Illinois defensive end says. “It really is. It just feels like I've been waiting for this all my life and watching my brother go through.

“It's finally happening for me now.”

O’Rourke’s older brother, Devin, was a recruit in the Class of 2018, who ended up playing his college ball at Northwestern.

Late last month, the younger O’Rourke was in South Bend for one of Notre Dame’s Evaluation Camps.

“Everything went good,” the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder says. “We did a few drills and we were just working hard. It seemed like the coaches really liked me there.

“They were just giving me a lot of attention. They were telling me I was doing good and all that.”

The Lincoln-Way East High School standout spent most of his time with Irish defensive line coach Al Washington.

“He seemed like a really smart guy,” O’Rourke says of Washington. “He knew what he was doing.”

O’Rourke also had a chance to look around campus in South Bend.

“The campus was beautiful,” he says. “Everything was gold. It was just all amazing.”

He’s hoping to establish relationships with the Notre Dame staff.

“The next step is just getting in touch with the coaches now and just making sure to keep that connection going,” he said.

He has an idea of what he’s looking for in a college.

“Obviously good education, smart coaching staff, and just a hardworking team.”

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