Notre Dame is in the process of wrapping up most of their 2027 recruiting class, but the 2028 class has just started to roll. They landed kicker Owen Davies and followed that up with a commitment from Notre Dame legacy Andre Jones.
Today they secured a pledge from their 2028 quarterback. Trey Tagliaferri is another recruit out of Bergen Catholic (New Jersey). He plays in the same offense that produced Steve Angeli, but Tagliaferri is a more talented passer than Angeli was at their same stage of development.
He’s a top prospect who averaged 10.5 yards per attempt and threw 29 touchdowns against only three interceptions as a sophomore.
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190
Projected Position: Quarterback
ISD Grade: 92 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 90.0 (4-star)
What he does best:
His completion percentage isn’t just being propped up by throwing a ton of bubble screens. Tagliaferri is capable of making every throw asked of him and he throws with great touch as well.
He’s strong with his mechanics. There are so many young quarterbacks who have happy feet in the pocket where you see things break down for them fundamentally when moved off of their first read. That’s not the case with him.
He does a nice job of keeping his eyes down the field and not being rattled by the rush.
Bergen Catholic head coach Vito Campanile was extremely complimentary of Tagliaferri’s army strength. It shows because of the throws he has to make in their offense.
"He's got incredible arm talent. We've had an unbelievable run of quarterbacks and he's probably got the most arm talent out of any guy I've ever coached."
He can fit the ball into tight windows. He also knows how to layer the football against zone coverage.
Tagliaferri’s pocket movement is impressive. He does a great job of navigating things without stepping into pressure.
What he needs to improve:
As his head coach Vito Campanile told ISD’s Christian McCollum, Tagliaferri can take a step with his understanding of coverage and anticipation. That’s certainly true for all quarterbacks at his age, but I also think he is far ahead of the curve in terms of throwing with anticipation. There’s throws that a lot of young quarterbacks wouldn’t make where he puts it on his receiver.
He’s not a dual-threat. Though he shows some escapability from the pass rush, he’ll likely never be a Houdini from the pocket who makes a lot of plays through improvising.
Can he add that to his game? If not then he’ll have to be great in other areas to compensate.
What’s his ceiling?
It’s obvious he is well-coached. Campanile worked as a graduate assistant at New Hampshire under coach Chip Kelly when Ryan Day was the quarterback. Campanile has played the position and also developed Angeli at Bergen.
When a player like Tagliaferri gets matched up with this kind of coach, it’s not hard to understand why he’s a player that Notre Dame, Alabama, and Penn State wanted.
I always prefer a great athlete at quarterback in the modern game. That doesn’t mean I’m not a believer in someone who can win from the pocket like Tagliaferri can. He has the potential to be elite from there.
I think he is going to be an advanced player when he arrives at Notre Dame because of the offense he plays in and his work ethic. It’s also why he’ll be a great fit in Notre Dame’s quarterback room.
His size and athleticism might limit him in some respects. He can develop into a great quarterback if he’s surrounded by the right talent, though. He’ll be surrounded by plenty of it at Notre Dame.
I think he’s a very similar prospect with his ability to process from the pocket to former Washington quarterback Jake Browning, who won 39 games and won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. The big difference between the two is that Tagliaferri has much greater arm talent.
Who he could be:
Former Washington QB Jake Browning with a stronger arm
Men's Colosseum Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish Arch & Logo Crew Neck Sweatshirt
