2028 LB Isaiah Grant Building Relationship with Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

2028 Archbishop Riordan (Calif.) linebacker Isaiah Grant‍ was back in familiar territory earlier this month as he camped at Notre Dame and Ohio State. 

Grant’s father, Larry, started at linebacker for the Buckeyes alongside current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, making the visit to South Bend more than just another recruiting stop.

While Grant hadn’t spoken much with Freeman prior to the trip, that changed at Irish Invasion.

“I was here and was able to talk to him,” stated Grant. “Hopefully, that relationship keeps growing. I've heard about him. I've seen him a lot on TV. He's a really good guy and a good coach.” 

The 6-foot, 185-pounder put together strong performances at both camps, walking away confident in his ability to compete at a national level.

“I proved that I can compete at any level,” said Grant. “I was over at the Ohio State camp, came here, did what I had to do.” 

Irish linebackers coach Max Bullough had a chance to evaluate Grant in person and was impressed by the California native's performance.

“They told me I was a pretty smooth player,” Grant said. “And they can't wait to see the growth that I have over this recruitment process.” 

Grant also took in the BBQ following camp, which proved to be a valuable experience for him and Notre Dame. 

“It means a lot,” explained Grant. “It just shows that this school has tradition that separates themselves from other schools that are D1. I was hanging out, getting a view of what the school is like and what the staff is like.” 

Despite growing up in a Buckeye family and having Ohio State as his dream school, Grant admits he’s always had his eye on Notre Dame. 

“It's always appealed to me just because everybody knows Notre Dame,” Grant explained. “They have a chance to go to the natty every year. The tradition that they have, the coaches that they have - it's always been on my sights.” 

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