Why Notre Dame Should be Worried About Michigan Moving Forward

Notre Dame has struggled against certain teams over the years -- Ohio State, Alabama, etc. -- but Michigan is also a team the Irish should be concerned about over the next few years.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alabama and Ohio State have had Notre Dame's number over the years, but neither should be the Irish's top concern moving forward. And no, it's not the reigning champion Indiana Hoosiers, either. It's Michigan.

I'm aware OSU has won seven straight against ND and that the Crimson Tide has spanked the Irish the last two times they played, but make no mistake about it: the Wolverines have caused some problems for ND over the last few months. And that's saying a lot, considering the two schools haven't played each other since 2019.

So, why is Michigan such a problem? Because it's landing a ton of recruits that Notre Dame used to get.

Breaking down the Chicago Catholic League

For quite some time, Notre Dame landed plenty of top recruits from the Chicagoland area, especially the Catholic schools.

It didn't matter what conference it was -- the Chicago Catholic League or the East Suburban Catholic Conference -- the best of the best always seemed to find their way to South Bend.

But that's not the case anymore, and that's a major problem considering the CCL/ESCC, which merged into one mega conference back in 2019, is arguably better now than ever.

CCL powerhouse Mount Carmel has won four straight state titles, and five of the eight champions this year in Illinois came out of the CCL/ESCC, and two of the runner-ups were also CCL/ESCC schools.

The problem is Notre Dame isn't landing these top recruits like it used to. But you know who is? Kyle Whittingham and Michigan.

Michigan continues to out-recruit Notre Dame

As of Saturday, Whittingam has a pair of four-star recruits out of the CCL who have committed to Michigan in Quentin Burrell and Tavares Harrington. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has only won in St. Patrick's defensive lineman David Folorunsho.

The bad news is the Irish were in the mix for both Burrell and Harrington, but both ultimately chose Michigan. And slowly but surely, the blue and yellow are marking their territory in an area Notre Dame had previously conquered.

And to make matters worse, Michigan flipped four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati (Salt Lake City, Utah), too. Lapati originally committed to Illinois and was someone Marcus Freeman and his staff had their eye on for quite some time, especially after he decommitted.

What Notre Dame must do

It's simple, focus more on the CCL/ESCC.

Six of the top 10 recruits in the state of Illinois for the 2027 class, per 247 Sports, are out of the CCL/ESCC, and two of them remain unsigned.

Both recruits -- Roman Igwebuike and Brayden Parks have offers from Michigan and Notre Dame, and Notre Dame needs to do everything it can to make sure they don't end up in Ann Arbor.

Obviously, time will tell, but for now, Notre Dame should remain very concerned about Michigan and the success it's had recruiting the Chicago Catholic schools.