No. 2 Ranked College Football DL Recruit Heavily Linked to Three Elite Programs

David Folorunsho, the St. Patrick High School defensive lineman out of Chicago, is the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 defensive lineman in the country per the latest Rivals 300 update, and he is doing so with a commitment still pending.

Few prospects have had a bigger spring than Folorunsho, who debuted in the Rivals 300 just two months ago and has since earned five-star status. The ascent has been steep, and the offer list that has followed is exactly what you would expect for a prospect trending toward a top-10 national ranking.

As a junior, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman recorded 55 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks. His production, paired with the versatility to line up across multiple alignments, has made him one of the most discussed uncommitted defenders in the country.

Notre Dame, Miami and Texas Tech battle for No. 2 DL

On the Wiltfong Whiparound podcast, On3/Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong laid out the stakes plainly.

"If Notre Dame is going to finish with a second straight top-five class after finishing number two in the Rivals industry rankings last year, this defensive line haul and how they finish is going to have a lot to do with that," Wiltfong said. "Notre Dame is in a dogfight with Miami and Texas Tech, but they are in the thick of it and could certainly still land Folorunsho."

The Notre Dame connection runs deeper than football. His head coach at St. Patrick is former Irish safety Tom Zbikowski, a Notre Dame legend from the early 2000s. Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has also made a strong impression, with Folorunsho saying, "You can tell Coach Partridge is a technician. He's big into development and really making the players the best player they can be."

Folorunsho has already locked in an official visit to South Bend on June 12, with trips to Georgia and Miami also set.

Rivals prediction machine favors Irish, but Texas Tech is surging

The data reflects Notre Dame's standing as the favorite. The Rivals recruiting prediction machine gives Notre Dame the best chance, at 76.1%, to land his commitment, with Texas Tech sitting second at 19.2%.

Still, Folorunsho is measured in his description of the race. "If there were to be a leader. I wouldn't say there is a leader," Folorunsho said. "I would just say these four or five schools are all different. I'm still trying to figure out the process right now."

Season didn’t end the way we wanted, but I’m still extremely grateful for my teammates and coaches. Couldn’t have asked for a better group to play ball with 🫶🏾. #thankyouseniors #trenchdogs

Full season film — it speaks for itself‼️👇🏾 https://t.co/o2cspqKBRC pic.twitter.com/5opY6UzYwf
— David Folorunsho ‘27 🇳🇬 (@DavidFolorunsh0) November 9, 2025

After his most recent Notre Dame visit, he offered a telling quote about the program's culture. "Coach Freeman is a defensive-oriented guy and you can tell that his players all love playing for him," Folorunsho said.

"You can tell everyone cares about one another and it really is more than football over there." That kind of feedback is encouraging for South Bend, but Texas Tech made a real impression during his Lubbock visit, and Miami remains firmly in the picture.

Folorunsho is expected to be on campus for Notre Dame's spring game this weekend.

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