2026 In-State LB Brady Ballart Visiting Notre Dame This Weekend

Brady Ballart‍ had been hoping to land on Notre Dame’s radar  and about a month ago, the 2026 Indiana linebacker learned that he had.

“Coach Dre Brown reached out to my head coach and invited us up about a month ago,” Ballart explains.

So, the South Dearborn High School standout will make his way up to South Bend for the Irish’s home finale against Wake Forest on Saturday. 

“I've always been a Notre Dame fan my entire life, so it's great to get this experience to go up there and meet all the coaches,” he says. “I've been up there a couple times for camps and whatnot, but just finally being noticed by Notre Dame means a lot to me. I'm just glad to be on their radar.”

Ballart has early offers from Miami-Ohio and Ball State.

“It is really early in the process, but having those two offers helps a lot,” he says. “I'm just trying to stay humble and just keep getting better every day and go out and make plays, because at the end of the day, if you want to play high Division-I football, you've got to be able to make plays on the field. That's what I try to do.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has been told his physical and mental abilities have attracted the attention of college coaches.

“What's really helped me get my offers and get noticed by all these big other schools is my size and my length,” he says. “I can cover, I can drop back in pass. I'm really football smart. I've got a big Football IQ. I've been around it since I was the age of four. My whole family has been involved in football. My grandpa's an Indiana State Hall of Fame coach for high school football. 

“So just having that football IQ and then my size and length and being able to cover field to field and be physical and just make those tackles and come up big when we need them.”

Ballart has already visited Purdue, Indiana, Louisville, Marshall, Ball State and Miami-Ohio this fall. Wisconsin invited him to its game this weekend, but he’s locked in with Notre Dame.

It’s early, but Ballart has an idea of what he’s looking for in a college.

“I really want to be somewhere where I have a connection with the coaches,” he says. “The trust goes both ways for me. 

“I don't care if it's all the way across the country or here in Indiana, but Notre Dame has always been one of my top schools. Being there will definitely help my perspective on where I want to go to school. I know Notre Dame will always be a top school for me. Just having that feeling of 'I can be here without my family,' and just having that relationship with the coaches would mean a lot.”