Notre Dame Recruiting: How a Deep Playoff Run Boosts the Irish

A deep College Football Playoff run could be a game-changer for Notre Dame recruiting. Here’s how it impacts the Irish.

Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Recruits coming out of high school, for the most part, want to be playing on the biggest stage and in college football, that means the College Football Playoff.

Making the playoff regularly is a massive boost in recruiting and Notre Dame has the capability to be in the 12-team playoff every single season. Making deep runs and winning national titles will be the next step, and that will help Marcus Freeman and company tremendously on the recruiting trail.

Notre Dame has already reaped the rewards of being a playoff team, landing commitments from cornerback Chaston Smith and offensive lineman Sullivan Garvin recently.

As it pertains to the 2026 cycle, all eyes with any sort of interest in attending Notre Dame will be watching as the Fighting Irish take on Indiana on December 20th in Notre Dame Stadium.

The Irish have a real chance to make some noise in this year's edition of the playoff, with it largely being wide-open with no true overwhelmingly dominant team. There might be a lot to showcase for the talented prospects.

WR Trent Mosley, WR Connor Salmin, DL Simote Katoanga, DL McHale Blade and SAF Blaine Bradford are names to keep an eye on.

Notre Dame, somewhat unfairly, has established a brand of losing games on the big stage and many of these recruits have not seen the Irish win in crucial moments.