Notre Dame Coaches Hitting the Recruiting Trail | 1.18
Notre Dame’s coaches will continue their recruiting travels on Thursday as the Irish look to make impressions on the class of 2025 and 2026.
Head Coach Marcus Freeman, Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock, Quarterbacks Coach Gino Guidugli, Receivers Coach Mike Brown and Cornerbacks Coach Mike Mickens
The group will have two big stops in the Las Vegas area on Thursday. One will be to powerhouse Bishop Gorman (Nev.) to visit with 2025 receiver offer Derek Meadows. Notre Dame was the team to beat coming out of the fall, but then the Irish changed receiver coaches. This will be a good opportunity for Brown and Meadows to get a feel for each other.
Gorman also has several highly-ranked offensive linemen in the 2025 class like Seuseu Alofaituli, Douglas Utu and Alai Kalaniuvalu. 2024 linebacker Landon McComber also holds an offer from Notre Dame and visited last spring.
Meadows Offers: BYU, Colorado State, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan State, Nevada, Notre Dame, UNLV, Utah and Washington
Meadows Junior Highlights
The group will also make a stop in Phoenix at Brophy College Prep before coming back to South Bend to check in with 2025 cornerback commit Cree Thomas. Thomas will be back at Notre Dame for Junior Day this weekend.
Junior Highlights
Running Backs Coach Deland McCullough
McCullough will head west from St. Louis to Kansas City on Thursday to do more area recruiting. KC is home to a couple of nationally coveted big men.
St. Thomas Aquinas is the home of 2025 defensive lineman Juju Marks, who committed early to Missouri, but backed his pledge fairly quickly. The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder visited Notre Dame in the summer for the Grill and Chill event. Georgia offered earlier this week, so that might change his top 11 of Alabama, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and USC.
Offers: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami, Miami (OH), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Toledo, UNLV, USC, Washington and Wisconsin
Junior Highlights
McCullough could also check on 2025 Blue Valley Northwest (Kans.) offensive lineman Andrew Babalola. The 6-foot-7, 275-pounder has quietly blown up, including USC last week.
Offers: Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Tulsa, Vanderbilt, Washington and Wisconsin
Junior Highlights
We expect McCullough to make a stop to check on 2026 Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) running back DeZephen Walker. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had set a visit to Notre Dame for the fall, but plans ended up falling through. As a sophomore, Walker ran for a team-high 671 yards and five touchdowns.
Offers: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee and Wisconsin
Sophomore Highlights
Offensive Line Coach Joe Rudolph
Rudolph will head to Western PA to do some area recruiting around Pittsburgh.
Defensive Coordinator Al Golden
Golden will do some area recruiting in the DMV and one stop we expect him to make will be to see 2025 Baltimore City College (Md.) receiver Vernon Allen III. The 6-foot-2, 193-pounder has been offered by just about every East Coast program and now is looking to get some national offers.
Offers: Boston College, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia
Junior Highlights
Defensive Line Coach Al Washington
The DMV will also host Washington, who has recruited the area hard at Notre Dame and other schools.
Washington will stop by Gonzaga Prep (D.C.) to see 2025 four-star safety Kelvin Winston (Kainoa). The Irish haven’t been able to gain too much traction there, but he’s definitely worth the drop in. Notre Dame offered early, but he’s yet to visit campus. 2025 cornerback Devenchi Arnold II is an under the radar name to watch as he holds offers from Boston College, Marshall, Maryland and Virginia Tech, but fits the Mike Mickens profile at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds.
Arnold Junior Highlights
Friendship Collegiate Academy (D.C.) is expected to host Washington. 2025 defensive lineman Bryce Jenkins holds a national offer list, but the Irish have yet to offer the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder. Jenkins is considered a defensive tackle by most services, but he does hold offers to play guard at the next level too.
Offers: Alabama, Boston College, Charlotte, Florida A&M, Kent State, LSU, Marshall, Maryland, Miami, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin
Junior Highlights
Washington will also make a trip to Rock Creek Christian Academy (Md.) to see 2025 defensive lineman Nahsir Taylor. The Irish offered seven months ago, but he didn’t make to campus in the fall, so we’ll see where Notre Dame stands following this visit.
Offers: Boston College, Charlotte, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kent State, Maryland, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Toledo, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin
Junior Highlights
2026 offensive lineman Jeremy Davis is another name to watch at Rock Creek Christian Academy. The 6-foot-3, 330-pounder holds early offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Syracuse, Temple and Toledo.
Safeties Coach Chris O’Leary and Special Teams Coordinator Marty Biagi
O’Leary will continue working his way through Tampa while Biagi will hit up DMV area, including a stop at powerhouse DeMatha Catholic.
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