2025 LB Dom Hulak Enjoys Notre Dame Return, Will Be Back Again

Dom Hulak‍ has made a few stops in South Bend since landing his offer from the Irish back in March, including for last month’s Grill & Chill.

“It was awesome,” the 2025 Illinois linebacker tells Irish Sports Daily. “We saw pretty much everything. We saw a bunch of stuff they did. I was able to talk to a bunch of the coaches and get closer with all of them.

“We did these games with the coaches that involved us, so we also got close that way. I also got close with a bunch of other players and a bunch of the commits who were there. CJ Carr‍ was down there too. I've been able to talk to him and see how he views committing there and stuff and how to take the process right now.”

The Immaculate Conception High School standout believes he’d fit in with the other recruits who were in attendance.

“I could definitely see it because I know a few of the guys,” he says. “I know Joseph Reiff‍, he goes to York. There's a bunch of other Chicagoland kids there too. I know all of them and I've met them before, so I think I can easily connect with them.”

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder said he got a chance to get to know some of the staff members better, including Al Washington and Al Golden.

“Definitely Coach Washington, I talked to him a few times,” says Hulak. “Coach Golden.

“I've gotten even closer with Chad Bowden and just pretty much really everybody really because everybody was part of whatever we did. Even if it wasn't my specific coach, I also got closer with them either way.

“I definitely like all of them. They're all great guys. I can definitely see how dedicated they are to coaching there, how much they can see me fitting in there too.”

The Irish see Hulak as a hybrid linebacker/defensive end.

“It's called a Vyper there,” he says. “I guess that's like a standup d-end.”

It’s a position he’s confident he can handle.

“I played d-end my grade school years and I played linebacker throughout high school and grade school too,” he says. “So, I could definitely fit in both of those positions.”

Hulak also has offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas and Louisville.

He’s planning to return to South Bend next month.

“Next step would be a game day visit,” he says. “I think I'll be down there for the Ohio State game. I haven't been down there for a game day visit yet, so I want to see how they perform and the energy in the building and stuff and see how everything goes.”

He’s also expecting to hit games at Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Hulak has a good idea of what he’s looking for in a college.

“Football overall, but it also comes down to education,” he says. “If I don't take the football route, how I could get a job and how I can just evolve in that way? And if I do take the football route, how far is that going to be?”

But he isn’t going to rush anything.

“Final decision, I'm not 100 percent sure yet. I know I've still got plenty enough time. I don't know when I'll narrow it down, probably after the football season as things slow down. That's really just an estimate right now.”

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