2026 LB Tristan Phillips Excited About Notre Dame Offer

Tristan Phillips‍ didn’t downplay his excitement about the offer the 2026 California linebacker received from Notre Dame on St. Patrick’s Day.

“That's a big one,” the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. “It means a lot to me.

“Growing up, I've always watched Notre Dame and they've always had a fierce defense and have always been a national powerhouse. They're always in the top 25 and it's just a huge school. The culture there is crazy I've heard. I'm excited to come visit this spring and see what's around it and see the campus and everything like that.”

The Ventura High School standout is scheduled to be in South Bend on Wednesday. 

Phillips, whose offer sheet also includes Arizona and Arizona State among others, had been in communications with linebackers coach Max Bullough and defensive coordinator Al Golden leading up to the visit.

“I think they're really great people,” he said of the Notre Dame assistants. “They're very easy to talk to. They have energy when I'm on the phone with them. They're excited to talk to me and they cover a lot of good stuff with me. 

“They ask me a lot of good questions and just overall really great guys. You can tell they know what they're talking about. They're very fun to talk to and easy to talk to and just make you feel welcomed.”

He’s also planning trips to Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State and San Jose State.

“I haven't really thought about narrowing things down yet because I still have a lot of time,” he said. “I feel like there will still be a lot more opportunities to come, so I'm just trying to get as much as I can so I can narrow it down later in the future.”

While he isn’t in a rush, he does have an idea of what will matter most to him when he is choosing.

“I feel like is going to be the coaching and the education,” he said. “By coaching, I mean how much do these guys know about the game and how are they going to treat me as a person and player? 

“Having that relationship with the coaches and being at a place that I feel healthy at with everyone there. And then just being able to go to a school with a great education.”

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