Head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph will welcome another national offensive line target to campus later this month when Albert Simien returns to Notre Dame for the program’s Junior Day.
The 2027 Louisiana offensive lineman confirmed plans to visit March 21 as he works through a spring schedule that will help shape the next phase of his recruitment.
“They’re great coaches and well educated within football,” Simien told Irish Sports Daily. “We’ve just had great conversations about outside factors, family, religion and everything that makes a person who they are.”
Notre Dame’s message has centered on the environment inside the program and how Simien might fit within it.
“Just the people that are in the building currently and what’s been produced in that building,” Simien said. “Real factors that allow my personality and what they currently have going on for themselves.”
The upcoming trip will be an opportunity for the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder to study how the program operates day to day.
“I’ll mainly be looking at the transition of the incoming freshmen and the campus lifestyle,” Simien said. “Seeing how they maneuver around and intertwine with the community.”
Understanding that transition is a priority for Simien as he surveys potential schools.
“It’s important because college is way different than high school,” Simien said. “You have to understand what you’re really putting yourself into and what you’re buying into when you decide to go to a school.”
Simien has already crossed paths with one of Notre Dame’s incoming offensive linemen.
“Big Ben,” Simien said, referencing 2026 offensive lineman Ben Nichols. “He was at the Under Armour All-American Game with me and the first time I went on a visit he was there.”
The two have stayed in touch through social media since those meetings.
The Sam Houston High School standout holds offers from Alabama, LSU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, TCU, Tennessee and West Virginia among others.
The Moss Bluff, La., native is expected to continue evaluating programs throughout the spring before moving toward a decision timeline later in the year.
Simien is working through several visits this spring, including a stop at Nebraska this past weekend.
LSU and Texas A&M remain firmly involved as well as the process moves toward the summer.
Simien plans to trim his list after completing his spring trips before scheduling official visits ahead of a potential summer decision.
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