2026 DE Target McHale Blade Eyes Notre Dame Return
McHale Blade keeps in steady communication with Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington and defensive line assistant coach Nick Sebastian.
The message from the Irish staffers to the 2026 Chicago edge defender is a consistent one.
“Just that I'm a priority, how much they need guys like me and how I would fit well into their system,” Blade says.
The Irish don’t just tell Blade he’s a priority either, they show him.
“For sure,” the Simeon High School star says. “They definitely make me feel like a priority.”
And that matters to Blade, whose offer sheet includes the likes of Notre Dame, Georgia, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC among several others.
“That's definitely huge for me,” Blade says of being made a priority by Notre Dame. “I do have a lot of blessings, but to be able to feel that, that's something else.”
And the Irish are a priority for the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder too.
“I love the way they use their d-line and specifically their edge guys,” says Blade.
He’s made multiple trips to South Bend already and expects to return soon.
“For sure,” Blade says. “Nothing locked in just yet, but I'll probably be back down there, hopefully for spring.
He wants to continue strengthening those relationships with Washington, Sebastian and the rest of the coaches.
He’s also going to visit some other schools. He’s considering stops at Tennessee, USC, Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia but doesn’t have any of those locked in yet either.
“This spring will be really busy because that's when I'll be able to get out to the majority of the schools that I've been in contact with, including Notre Dame, so this spring and summer will definitely be huge for me,” he says.
Blade plans to narrow his list after his unofficials and take officials from there, although he doesn’t have a timeline for a final decision.
“I'm not really in any rush,,” he says. “Just whenever I feel like the time is right.”
He does know what will matter most.
“Definitely the relationships for sure. The relationship that I have with the coaching staff and the people at the school.”
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