Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Inks Elite 2026 Recruiting Class To Lock In Elite Status

The Irish hit their stride on the recruiting trail, confirming elite program status
John Kennedy|
Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (right) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (right) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame lands consensus top three recruiting class

Notre Dame Football has just inked by far the highest-rated recruiting class in the modern era of college football. After signing 27 players, this Notre Dame group ranks as a top-three class in the nation, regardless of which recruiting service you reference.

This is the kind of class Irish fans have been clamoring for, and the kind Irish detractors said couldn't be had for a multitude of reasons.

This class now sets the standard for future Irish classes to come under Marcus Freeman. After taking a few years to build up, this Notre Dame program is hitting its stride as Freeman hits the prime of his career. We now live in a world where the Irish have a higher-rated recruiting class than the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia. This, my friends, is progress!

Notre Dame's new recruiting approach seems to be working wonderfully

Once former Irish GM Chad Bowden took off to USC, Notre Dame switched gears and hired the Lions' Mike Martin as his replacement. With this change came a more polished, direct, and professional recruiting operation.

This was a risk for Freeman and Notre Dame at the time. Could this more "adult" and aggressive version of recruiting work at a place like Notre Dame? Early evidence suggests the answer to this question is a resounding yes.

What I like most about this recruiting class is that Notre Dame just signed one of the best groups in the country and suffered no late defections. This is such a huge sign of just how stable this recruiting operation is at the moment.

No tricks were being played, no 11th-hour defections, no drama, just 27 athletes who are bought into Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman's mission. The Irish are hitting their stride under Marcus Freeman, and the college football world is on notice.

Notre Dame is in national title territory

Notre Dame proved last year that it now has a roster that, for the first time in the "modern era", can physically hang with any team it matches up against. Want more good news? Each Irish roster from here throughout the rest of Freeman's tenure will become deeper and more athletic.

Marcus Freeman has spent four painful and stressful years building the Notre Dame program out to fit his vision. That reconstruction is about complete; now it's time to win the national title. This is the next goal for the program. Is it lofty? It is indeed, but the Irish have earned the right for the bar to be raised.

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John Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY

Founder and content creator of the Always Irish LLC Notre Dame Football social media, podcast, and radio show brand since 2016 covering all things Irish football daily from the fan's perspective. Previously Notre Dame Football staff writer for USA TODAY Fighting Irish Wire before joining Notre Dame On SI. Known as the “voice of the Irish fan.”

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