Marcus Fakatou once had Notre Dame at the top of his list.
Now, the 2027 California defensive lineman is heading back to South Bend to see if the Irish can get back to that spot.
Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge will be a key part of that evaluation following the departure of former defensive line coach Al Washington.
“Just meeting Coach Partridge and trying to get to know him as a person,” he said. “Because with Coach Washington gone, I don't know where my relationship with Notre Dame stands.”
Fakatou has been to Notre Dame multiple times, but this visit comes with a different focus as he looks to build a relationship with Partridge and the rest of the Irish staff.
“I've been talking to them, but you can only talk to people so much over the phone and you can't tell if they're being genuine or not,” he said. “So I can't wait to see them in person.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his assistants have expressed excitement about getting him back on campus to experience the current shape of the program.
“They've been emphasizing me coming out there and just seeing what it's like now that Coach Washington's not there,” he said. “Not to say that he wasn't a good coach, but just to get a feel for it.”
The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder is also looking to evaluate how he fits within the scheme moving forward.
“I just want to see if I'll fit under the playing scheme of Coach Partridge,” he said.
The Sierra Canyon High School standout is entering a critical stretch in his recruitment as this will be his final unofficial visit before releasing his top five.
He’ll take official visits to his top five and some schools, including Notre Dame, seem like locks to make the cut since he already has an official visit set for June.
Ohio State also appears to be a lock, as the Buckeyes are currently holding the top spot in his recruitment.
“Coach Larry Johnson, when you hear that name, it's just like, ‘OK, he’s the real deal,’” he said.
Fakatou acknowledged having multiple leaders throughout his recruitment, including Notre Dame at different points.
“Since day one, they've been my number one spot, but obviously now they’re not, just because I've been to all these colleges and seen what they have to offer,” he said. “Now that I'm going to be up there this weekend, I feel like it's going to remind me why I had them on my one spot, if that makes sense.”
He also confirmed the only thing that matters is who is at the top of his list in the end.
“It’ll probably just come down to the head coach, the type of head coach that I kind of want a defensive head coach,” Fakatou said. “I feel like Coach Freeman kind of fits that a little bit, if that makes sense.”
“That, and just the development part of it. Like I said, Coach Larry Johnson, it just speaks for itself. And then Coach Partridge too. He coached one of my favorite players, JJ Watt.”
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