Is Notre Dame About to Land a Surprise Five-Star Commitment?

Notre Dame has been red-hot on the recruiting trail, but is that about to get even hotter?

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman arrives prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2027 recruiting class may have started somewhat slow for Notre Dame, but it has poured commitments over the last few weeks and is now seen as a top-five group nationally.

That group could be getting a massive boost as well, as one of the top offensive linemen in the cycle appears to be extremely high on the Fighting Irish.

Top Offensive Tackle Receives Crystal Ball to Notre Dame

Much of the focus as to who Notre Dame's next commitment in the 2027 class may be has been on the likes of wide receiver Julius Jones, Jr. and defensive linemen David Folorunsho and Brayden Parks, but one of the top offensive linemen in the country appears in on Notre Dame.

Oluwasemilore Olubobola, a five-star offensive tackle from St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey, has received a crystal ball pick to ultimately choose Notre Dame.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn predicted on Thursday morning, and usually when Dohn makes such a pick, it ends up being true. Dohn has hit on 19 of his 21 predictions for players in the 2027 class to date.

Olubobola Recruiting Information

Olubobola is about as highly regarded as an offensive tackle gets. He's rated as a five-star prospect on the 247Sports composite ratings, and as the 15th overall player in the entire 2027 cycle.

Although he has weight to put on and strength to build, Olubobola is desired by pretty much every team in the country. He has 42 scholarship offers listed to his name, with the likes of LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington, and Wisconsin among them.

All of this has happened fast for Notre Dame, as it hadn't even offered Olubobola until late March.

Blessed to receive an offer from Notre dame!!#agtg @CoachRichHansen@KinslerLatish @SeanBarowski@CoachOFlaherty @SPPFootball @joeRteacher @tyler_calvaruso @RyanSnyderOn3 @ChadSimmons @CoachJoeRudolph pic.twitter.com/kHOK5oH3Xz

— Oluwasemilore Olubobola (@52_olubobola) March 19, 2026

Currently listed at 6-6, 295 pounds, Olubobola won't likely be someone who arrives on campus and immediately threatens to start but would be someone who would have sky-high potential once he puts on some of that needed weight.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

When I follow Notre Dame recruiting, I'm guilty of assuming that whatever offensive linemen end up committing, the Irish will be plenty good with them.

History says as much, as Notre Dame regularly puts out NFL talent on the line, and position coach Joe Rudolph has been strong in the role.

That doesn't mean there aren't exceptions to that, though.

When Will Black committed, that was an exception, and he appears set to start at left tackle this coming fall. The same goes for when Guerby Lambert announced his college choice.

If Olubobola is to choose Notre Dame ultimately, his commitment would bring me that same type of excitement, and it'd be clear that Marcus Freeman would again be aiming for not just a top 10 class, but one of the truly elite recruiting hauls nationally.

In the wake of landing what Notre Dame has recently in recruiting commitments, getting one from
Olubobola would feel like finding a $50 bill in a sports coat you hadn't worn in ages.