Elite 2028 DL Marcus Fakatou Recaps Multi-Day Notre Dame Visit

2028 Orange Lutheran (Calif.) defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou‍ already holds over 20 offers from the top programs in the country. 

Notre Dame doesn’t make a habit of offering kids early, but Fakatou is the exception. Al Washington offered the 6-foot-7, 265-pounder last summer following camp and before Fakatou played a high school snap.

Fakatou was back at Notre Dame for the second time this week for a multi-visit and he gave it high reviews. 

“It was great,” Fakatou told ISD. “It was an amazing trip. I didn’t come with my aunties like last year, but I came with my coaches. It was a great experience.” 

The California native being on campus for multiple days provided Notre Dame the opportunity to show him all aspects of the program and the university. 

Fakatou was able to see practice, have meetings, see old friends and also take a deep dive into how Notre Dame sets its athletes up for success off the field. 

“The academic side really stood out to me,” explained Fakatou. “Last year, we didn’t get to dive into that. Getting to know more about Notre Dame’s academics was great. Having only 20 kids for class is definitely different than have 100 kids. You get to be more engaged and get to know your teacher more. They are all in-person classes instead of online, which is good for me.” 

The opportunity to see practice was also significant for Fakatou. He was able to see how Notre Dame went to work, while Washington was able to show exactly where Fakatou would fit into the Irish defense. 

“It was different,” said Fakatou. “We do some of the drills at my school, but they did it at a different level. It was intense.

“I could see myself fitting into that pretty well. He told me what my role would be and I’d be playing off the edge a lot. With my size, I could hold my own in the middle playing three-tech.” 

Washington and Nick Sebastian were able to work with Fakatou during camp last June, so the Orange Lutheran star already had some familiarity with both coaches, but this trip confirmed what he had felt in the summer. 

“I love that they like to bring the energy,” explained Fakatou. “Besides talking football, they really got to try to get to know me. Usually when I go to colleges, we only talk about football. With them, we really got to know each other on a different level than just football. They have great personalities.” 

Fakatou was also able to spend quality time with head coach Marcus Freeman. 

It was also clear Freeman’s message hit home with Fakatou as it was a different interaction than he had previously had with other coaches. 

“Coach Freeman’s message was about the process and to take my time going on visits,” stated Fakatou. “He wasn’t just trying to sell me on Notre Dame. He told me to pick wisely, which means a lot to me. When you go to colleges, they try to make you buy into their college. With Coach Freeman, he told me to keep my options open.

“That built a lot of trust knowing the staff isn’t trying just to sell.” 

The trip to South Bend allowed Fakatou to catch up with three of his friends in Junior Tuihalamaka, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Madden Faraimo. All chose to leave Southern California for Notre Dame and made sure Fakatou knew why they left the West Coast.

“Getting to hang out with all three of them was amazing,” Fakatou explained. “They all told me why they chose Notre Dame. They told me to pick a college that doesn’t make me feel comfortable. It’s good to be uncomfortable sometimes. It’s a struggle to move away from home, but it will also help build your character more and with them being Cali bred, it meant a lot to hear that from them.” 

Fakatou, like most 2028 recruits, isn’t close to making a decision, but it’s very evident Notre Dame gave him plenty to think about in the present and down the line. 

“I haven’t really narrowed it down,” said Fakatou. “Like Coach Freeman said, I want to keep my options open and don’t want to close any doors. I’m going to take my time on all of this.” 

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