Irish Breakdown

Breaking Down Notre Dame's Two Latest 4-Star Football Recruits

Notre Dame offered a pair of four-star prospects on Wednesday in Tae Walden Jr. and Aidan O'Neil. Here's the breakdown of both.
Jared Shlensky|
Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after the game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after the game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Notre Dame already has six 4-star recruits in its 2027 class, and hopefully the Irish will have two more after Marcus Freeman and his staff offered two more om Aidan O"Neil (Don Bosco Prep) and Tae Walden Jr. (Colliersville High School) on Wednesday.

Aidan O'Neil, Edge (Don Bosco Prep High School)

Year in and year out Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey produces half a dozen or so Division 1 football players, and O'Neil looks like he's one of them. The junior edge rusher helped the Ironmen reach the State Finals in 2025, and college programs are taking notice.

O'Neil has 27 total offers, and at times was a one-man wrecking crew for the Ironmen. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive lineman finished with 54 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, and is lightning quick off the ball.

O'Neil predominantly played defensive end in Don Bosco's 3-man front, and that's exactly how I see him being used in South Bend if he commits to Notre Dame. O'Neil could move inside to defensive tackle if he continues to grow, but for now, let's assume he stays at defensive end.

Notre Dame loves to ease its defensive linemen into the mix, and O'Neil could be a guy who gets his feet wet as a third-down pass rusher before potentially developing into a starting defensive lineman.

O'Neil hasn't visited any schools yet, per 247 Sports, but don't be surprised if ND tries to get him on campus soon.

Tae Walden Jr, Athlete (Colliersville High School)

Walden Jr. plays both wide receiver and defensive back at Colliersville High School in Tennessee and put up gaudy numbers on both sides of the ball. As a receiver, Walden caught 42 passes for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns, and on defense, recorded 28 tackles, 17 pass breakups, and five interceptions.

The 6-foot-2. 165-pound junior is the 11th-ranked "athlete" in the nation, per 247 Sports, and while he may get an opportunity to play both ways in college, my best guess is he'll play cornerback in college.

Walden Jr. has excellent height and length for a cornerback, and everyone knows how Marcus Freeman loves to utilize defensive backs in the Irish's 4-2-5/3-3-5 scheme. The Irish have a strong track record of developing defensive backs, and Walden could be what ND is looking for based on his versatility.

And don't sleep on Walden Jr. as a return specialist either, he's just as dangerous as a return man too.

Walden Jr. also has 26 other scholarship offers and has visited seven of them, so if ND has a real shot at landing him, they need to get him on campus for a visit soon.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster

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