Notre Dame Fans React to Losing Recruiting Battles To Michigan

Notre Dame missed out on a few key recruits. Is it time to panic, or is this an overblown issue?

Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Summertime Madness

This time of year in the college football calendar is tough for die-hard fans. We are too far past spring football for people to still care about it, but we aren't close enough to the season for the masses to get fully engaged in football mode.

Where does that leave the diehards? Focused solely on recruiting.

The 2026 cycle for Notre Dame has been interesting thus far. Notre Dame currently sits in the third spot in 247's class rankings, with 15 four-star prospects. While this is a great start to the class, the last week has been rough as the Irish have lost two recruiting battles to Michigan, who landed defensive linemen McHale Blade and Allister Vellejo over Notre Dame.

Intense reaction, but is it justified?

Losing two targeted recruits to any school hurts a fan base. Losing two targets to Michigan, a rival school currently riddled by scandal and potential incoming sanctions, if you are Notre Dame or a Notre Dame fan, really stings.

But what is the proper reaction to this news? No, the sky isn't falling. Notre Dame is still in position to log a top ten class, but there is fair concern about recruiting at certain position groups, such as DL and WR, areas of need for Notre Dame.

The middle ground is an unpopular place to be these days. It's completely fair to think the following two things at once. The program is trending in the right direction overall, but it'd be great if the recruiting operation could hit more home runs at key positions of need.

While fans may have disagreements about the severity of these recent recruiting losses, there is one thing everyone can agree on.

The football season can't get here quickly enough.

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