Elite 2028 DT Zylen Little Planning Notre Dame Visit After Irish Offer

Notre Dame has been hitting Florida hard this spring and the Irish made a stop at powerhouse Carrollwood Day earlier this week. 

2028 defensive tackle Zylen Little‍ was offered shortly after practice and it had him fired up. 

“Estatic,” Little told ISD. “I was super excited because Notre Dame is a huge offer. The aura and it’s a prestigious school and everything.” 

Little admitted he still wants to dive deeper into the program, but he already understands the significance of receiving an offer from the Irish.

“I still have to do a little bit more research,” stated Little. “I know Notre Dame is a very prestigious school. They just don't go around offering anybody. I know this offer means a lot.” 

The offer was far from Little’s first. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle already holds more than 30 offers from programs across the country.

Despite the early attention, Little is staying grounded and focused on the bigger picture.

“It’s a blessing, but I just gotta remember to remain humble and stay grounded,” explained Little. “I just gotta be who I say I am. That's going out there on the field, working hard and acting like I don't have anything. That's the mentality I have.” 

“To be honest, this is what I worked for, so I expected it,” said Little. “

Little wasn’t the only Carrollwood Day player to receive an offer from Notre Dame this week. The program is loaded with talent and the Florida native believes the team has the pieces to make a deep run this fall. 

“We're loaded,” said Little. “We have a whole bunch of young talent on our team. We’re just built around dogs and we all want to get to the same place. We all have the same goals.” 

The daily competition at Carrollwood Day is also shaping what Little wants at the next level. Little believes constant competition is essential for growth as an individual and as a team. 

“Competition is important,” Little explained. “I want to be able to face adversity. I want to be able to face challenges and face competition because that's what made me better and the people around me better.”

When it comes to recruiting, Little already has a strong sense of what matters most to him. Over the last few months, he’s taken a massive spring tour around the country to evaluate programs firsthand.

“I went to Auburn, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, UCLA, Georgia, Florida, UCF and Indiana,” said Little. “It was pretty busy.” 

While the visits featured plenty of impressive facilities and presentations, Little focused heavily on the fit within each program.

“I was seeing how I fit into their system,” stated Little. “How could I look in their system against competition? I was able to see all those things from the coaches and what each college had to offer.” 

One factor already standing out in his recruitment is the opportunity for early playing time. Little believes he can make an immediate impact at the college level.

“The main thing I want is to go somewhere where I have an opportunity on the field and in the rotation as a freshman,” Little said. “I feel like that's a big thing for me. I feel like I'm good enough to be able to do so and I want to be prepared. So just getting that opportunity to be able to do that is a major thing for me.” 

And now that Notre Dame has officially entered the picture, a trip to South Bend is already on the horizon.

“I definitely plan to get to Notre Dame now that they have offered,” said Little. 

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