2028 DL Caleb Tucker Grateful for Notre Dame Offer & Looking to Visit South Bend

Notre Dame isn’t a program that offers prospects super early, so it’s notable when a freshman in high school picks up an opportunity to play for the Fighting Irish. 

Last week, 2028 Mount Carmel (Ill.) defensive lineman Caleb Tucker‍ became the third prospect Notre Dame has offered in the class and the 6-foot-5, 355-pounder understood the magnitude immediately. 

“The Notre Dame offer is pretty cool,” Tucker told ISD. “I got the offer from my head coach and it's something special when Notre Dame offers you.” 

Following the offer, Tucker made a call to defensive line coach Al Washington. The call allowed Tucker and his grandmother to get a feel for who will likely be in his life for the next few years. 

“I called him and he seemed like a pretty good guy,” explained Tucker. “He talked to my grandmother and they have a bond now. Coach Washington seems pretty cool. He understands the bond and the athlete's perspective.” 

Notre Dame’s coaches building relationships with the recruit and family of a recruit isn’t new. For Tucker, it’s vital to have his family involved, which made Washington’s time stick out. 

“My grandmother, my mom and all of them, it’s super exciting right now,” said Tucker. “My name is getting out to different places and I have Division I offers. They’re proud of me, but I told them the job isn’t finished.” 

Auburn, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, Syracuse, USC, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin have also extended offers to Tucker, which means he’ll be a high-profile recruit before he even gets to this sophomore year. 

“Honestly, it feels good,” stated Tucker. “I’ve been working for it ever since I was younger. I have to keep striving to be better and moving forward. The job isn’t finished.” 

In December, Illinois became the first program to offer Tucker and it’s been a wild month since that moment. 

“No,” Tucker said when asked if he expected to be in his position as a freshman. “I didn’t expect to be on varsity. It showed me I had the potential to be the No. 1 recruit in Chicago in my class.” 

Tucker doesn’t have to look far to find an example of how to handle a national recruitment. 2026 USC defensive line commit Braeden Jones‍ is his teammate and has been in the spotlight for the last year, and Tucker has taken notes on how he’s handled his recruitment. 

“That’s my brother,” Tucker stated. “He’s taught me a lot. I just have to keep learning from him.” 

As for what’s next, Tucker plans to make a stop in South Bend in the coming weeks. 

“I’m planning to visit Notre Dame,” said Tucker. “I’ll be there in spring. I was planning on visiting another school in the summer before camp starts.” 

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