Recruiting Expert Predicts Notre Dame Will Land Key Defensive Prospect

Notre Dame has been good on the defensive line, but could certainly continue to grow

Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington during Notre Dame Spring Practice on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Irish Athletics Center in South Bend, Indiana. | John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame has had a quality defensive line in recent years, but it wouldn't qualify as great by any measure. I'll examine that more in the coming days and weeks, but for now, the good news is that help may very well be on the way for Notre Dame.

The bad news is that it's going to be a while before it gets to South Bend; assuming it ever does.

Deven Robertson is a borderline three-star defensive tackle from Hattiesburg (Oak Grove), Mississippi. The 6-1, 320-pound defender might be listed as a three-star, but has an offer list more like a four-star talent.

Along with Notre Dame, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Missouri, SMU, Tennessee, and USC have all offered while Robertson. He's also gone as far as to make unofficial visits to Ohio State, Florida, Texas A&M, and Florida State, as well as Notre Dame.

@ChadSimmons_ @samspiegs @SWiltfong_

— Deven Robertson (@robertson_deven) July 13, 2025

Things seem to have gone well lately with Notre Dame, because On3 recruiting reporter Kyle Kelly has logged a prediction for the Irish to land Robertson. Kelly did so on Friday, giving Notre Dame a 60% chance of earning the commitment.

According to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine, Notre Dame has an 87.2% chance to win this recruiting battle, while Texas A&M checks in second at 3.8%.

Notre Dame has had some good players in the middle of the defensive line in recent years, but could certainly use improvement. Not since Jerry Tillery went at the end of the first round to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019 has Notre Dame had a defensive tackle or nose guard go in the first four rounds.

I'm not saying Robertson would ultimately change that, but it'd be getting a hard-to-move defensive tackle from a state Notre Dame doesn't traditionally have success recruiting.