Notre Dame Left at Altar for Star Recruit, Must Reexamine Offensive Tackle

Things have been going extremely well for Notre Dame on the recruiting trail.

Friday saw the Fighting Irish land what could be one of its most important recruits in some time, and the feeling was high that more good news would soon be on the way.

Everything appeared to be coming up Notre Dame in the recruitment of star offensive tackle Layton von Brandt over the weekend.

Crystal ball picks by multiple experts were given with Notre Dame appearing to be the landing spot for the top-five offensive tackle.

But by late Sunday night that vibe had changed and on Monday morning the bad news was officially revealed as von Brandt announced his commitment to Auburn over Notre Dame.

This comes after von Brandt had reportedly been a silent commit to Notre Dame for roughly a week.

Instead of wrapping up a class with a pair of top-five tackles, Notre Dame now heads back to the drawing board for more help up front.

How Did Notre Dame Miss in the Final Hours?

Have you ever been in the start of a relationship and thought you liked someone, but that you didn't really like them?

Not that you disliked them, but that you weren't as wild for them as perhaps you wanted to be?

The best description I have for what happened is that Notre Dame liked von Brandt and made that clear.

However, Auburn really liked von Brandt, and showed up to his bedroom window while holding a boom box over its head that was blarring "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.

Make no mistake, this is a significant recruiting loss for Notre Dame.

At the end of the day Auburn liked von Brandt more and was willing to let him know that. Now it's up to Notre Dame to rebound from the loss.

What's Next for Notre Dame Offensive Line Recruiting?

For Notre Dame, life in the deep end of the recruiting pool will continue.

The name to keep an eye on for the Fighting Irish is elite offensive tackle Albert Simien of Lake Charles (Sam Houston), Louisiana.

One of the nation’s top 5 offensive lineman for 2027 is Albert Simien 6’4” 300 Lake Charles Sam Houston HS, LA.. Possesses all the tools. Great size, high IQ, can play any position along the O-line, redirects quickly showing good movement skills.⁦@Albert_Simien33⁩ 4.0 GPA. pic.twitter.com/CVY0pB6Mql
— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) October 14, 2025

Simien comes with a five-star rating according to the 247Sports composite and is rated as the 13th overall player in the class.

While Notre Dame is set to host Simien for a visit in June, it'll have work to do to beat out both LSU and Texas A&M for his talents.

Notre Dame's Current 2027 Offensive Line Recruiting Class

Notre Dame currently sits with the third overall recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports, trailing just Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

Of its 17 current commitments, three play offensive line (ratings according to 247Sports):

Olu Olubobola: 6-6, 295 pounds, Jersey City (St. Peter's Prep), New Jersey - four-star

James Halter: 6-5.5, 270 pounds, Pittsburgh (Central Catholic), Pennsylvania - four-star

Jackson Hill: 6-5, 280 pounds, West Hills (Chaminade), California - three-star

Add us as a preferred source on Google