Notre Dame has recruited Brayden Parks aggressively from the start of the cycle.
Now the Irish are heading into official visit season still battling near the top for one of the Midwest’s most important defensive recruits.
The 2027 Chicago defensive tackle continues sorting through dozens of scholarship offers, but Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oregon currently stand alone as the only programs with official visits scheduled.
“Those are just the ones I’ve got officials set up with,” Parks told Irish Sports Daily when asked if the trio represented his final group.
The relationships the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder has built throughout the process helped separate those schools from the rest so far.
“I think the relationship piece,” Parks explained. “They kept giving me the time and effort and they gave me the plan for me being there.”
Ohio State continues standing out because of defensive line coach Larry Johnson’s long track record of development.
“Coach Larry’s been doing it for a long time so he knows what it looks like,” Parks said. “That’s the thing I like from them.”
The Brother Rice standout hopes to learn more specifics about his long-term fit when he returns to Columbus for his official the final weekend of May.
“The thing I want to see more of from them is my plan in more depth, more details,” he said.
The third official visit he has planned will be to Oregon on June 19. The Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning have also remained firmly in the mix throughout the process.
“I like the trajectory of the program,” Parks said. “Ever since Coach Lanning’s been there, they’ve been trending upwards.”
Still, Notre Dame continues carrying significant weight in the recruitment.
“I think tradition,” Parks said of what stands out about the Irish. “Notre Dame has a great history.”
The Chicago native heads back to South Bend for his official June 12.
He pointed toward Marcus Freeman and the recent additions to Notre Dame’s coaching staff as reasons optimism surrounding the program continues growing.
“With Coach Freeman and adding some new coaches to the staff, I think it’s only up from here,” Parks said. “They’re trying to bring Notre Dame back to where it was back in the day.”
Parks has already visited Notre Dame multiple times throughout the process and acknowledged the Irish have become something of a measuring stick as he evaluates the rest of the field.
“Nothing really,” Parks said when asked what else he still needs to see from Notre Dame. “I’m always comparing things to Notre Dame, seeing how everybody else does it.”
Notre Dame recently added another major defensive line piece when fellow Chicago prospect David Folorunsho committed to the Irish on Friday, although Parks downplayed any significant recruiting pressure from him or any other current commits.
“I talked to some of them just telling them congrats on their commitment and their success,” Parks said. “But nothing like that.”
Parks said he has no decision date set yet.
When the time eventually comes, the biggest factors in his decision will be the school that his parents are most willing to trust with their son and the program that convinces Parks they have the best plan to help him reach the next level.
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