Notre Dame will host several 2026 targets and commits this month - in fact, the Irish already have.
But as the Irish are trying to shore up their current recruiting class, as always, they’re also at work on the classes coming behind them and will host dozens of prospects for this weekend’s Irish Invasion.
In advance, we’re taking a look at some of the prospects expected to participate in Friday’s showcase camp. This is not an exhaustive list.
We fully expect more newsworthy players to be added to the list before the end of the week and as always, we anticipate some last-minute scratches.
We’ve already looked at some of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends and offensive and defensive linemen expected to attend.
Now, let’s look at a few of the players on the back end of the defense who are scheduled to perform.
There are a couple linebackers who already have Irish offers who are among the most high-profile prospects of the entire event.
2027 Texas linebacker Cooper Witten (pictured above) picked up his Notre Dame offer on Pot of Gold Day back in March. The son of legendary Cowboy tight end Jason Witten has dozens of big-time offers, including offers from schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Oklahoma, USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU and Alabama. So yeah, quite the list. The in-state schools will provide a challenge as will his father’s alma mater, Tennessee, not to mention the other national powers from coast to coast. The Irish figure to be in as good of a spot as they could hope for at the moment, but they will want to capitalize on that with this weekend’s visit to try to solidify a spot on a list that will need to be cut down dramatically at some point.
2027 Georgia linebacker Jake Godfree has 40+ offers, including one from the Irish and his also reads like a “Who’s Who” of the sports top programs, Alabama, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and Oregon among many others. He’ll be busy this month with stops at Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and LSU also on the docket. Godfree told us he’s looking for the three C’s from a college; Culture, Community and Coaching. He feels confident Notre Dame has a chance to check all three boxes and the Irish surely believe they can as well.
There are also multiple intriguing 2028 linebackers, including Isaiah Grant. The California prospect already has a handful of Power-4 offers, including Arizona, Arizona State, Maryland and Minnesota. His father is former Ohio State linebacker Larry Grant, so location shouldn’t be a huge hurdle for Grant, although if the Buckeyes eventually enter the race, they could quickly become the team to beat. For now, though, getting a West Coast prospect to travel to South Bend this early in the process is a major positive for the Irish.
New Jersey’s Tahj Gray is another 2028 prospect with legit offers, including Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Boston College, Duke and South Carolina among others.
2027 North Carolina cornerback Xavier Hasan has scores of offers, including one from the Irish, which he received on Pot of Gold Day. The Cardinal Gibbons High School standout also has offers from programs like North Carolina, Duke, NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Wake Forest and Wisconsin among several others. Even among a lengthy list of quality suitors, the Irish have already seemed to surge toward the top along with Virginia Tech, a school he’s already visited this spring, as well as NC State and Tennessee.
2027 Kentucky cornerback Allen Evans may not have as long a list of offers as some of the other attendees and he may not have an offer from Notre Dame, but he’s one worth paying attention to this weekend. The Louisville native currently has offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. The Trinity High School star is the exact type of prospect who will be an enormous priority for Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm and his staff, but Notre Dame will have a chance to grab his attention this weekend.
2028 New Jersey defensive back Phoenix Evans will likely end up as one of the highest-profile recruits in attendance down the road. The Don Bosco Prep star already has dozens of offers from schools like Penn State, Pitt, Florida, North Carolina, Duke, Michigan State, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington among others.
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