2026 Texas LB Tank King Impressed with Notre Dame's Defense, Excited for Return Visit
It’s been a busy fall for 2026 Port Arthur Memorial (Texas) linebacker Tank King. The four-star prospect has had a big junior season on the field, but King’s also been busy off the field as he’s made game day visits almost every weekend.
King has stayed in-state with his trips, as he’s been to Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M (twice) for games. He’s set to make another big one in November, as he’ll return to Notre Dame for the Florida State game.
“Visits have been good,” King told ISD. “I haven't had a chance to visit out of state because of my football schedule, so I have been staying local with the visits. I knew ND played on my bye week, so I made sure to visit and got lucky that it was a home game.”
Notre Dame hosted King for the Blue-Gold Game in April and the Texas native left impressed with what the program had to offer on and off the field. Those relationships continued into the fall as King has maintained consistent communication with the Irish staff.
“Notre Dame is family,” said King. “We have stayed in touch since I came the first time. They are always checking on me and my family and grades. The relationship is a real one.”
King has now had the opportunity to see the Irish in two unique settings. The spring game was a chance for him to see how the program prepares and runs. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was also in College Station to see Notre Dame’s win over Texas A&M, which also made another big-time impression.
“The spring game was good,” King explained. “It was good to see how they matched up against each other. I also got to see them play vs. Texas A&M. That was a good game. The linebackers were flying around the ball. The defense was so disciplined.
“I'm ready to see how they play in front of the home crowd. I also want to see how Coach (Al) Golden handles the defense in such a big game.”
The Port Arthur Memorial star might have been on the Aggie side, but he was also paying close attention to Notre Dame and saw much more than a defense flying around.
“Both teams played a good game,” stated King. “Notre Dame came to play and they didn't let the loudness of the crowd be a distraction. That win showed me how determined and focused the entire team was and how they were able to build strength to take the win.”
When it comes to his recruitment, King isn’t in a rush to make a decision, but a top group is coming sooner rather than later.
“I'm getting close to narrowing it down to a top group,” said King. “Notre Dame is in that group because of the direction the program is heading. Plus, Notre Dame is family.”
Offers: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Central Florida, Florida, Houston, Incarnate Word, Lamar, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, UTEP, UTSA and Washington
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