No. 3 College Football OT Recruit Delivers Bad News to Five Major Programs

A five-star tackle recruit made his college choice and left some disappointed suitors.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin was one of the unfortunate finalists in the recruitment of five-star offensive tackle Olu Olubobola. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

As top prospects make their college choices, some unfortunate finalists are set for disappointment. One of the top offensive tackle prospects in the 2027 class made his pick and while he left Notre Dame happy, five other finalists weren't as lucky.

Top Tackle Picks

Five-star offensive tackle Olu Olubobola is a massive 6'6" standout who weighs nearly 300 pounds. The New Jersey prep prospect is currently the No. 3 offensive tackle and the No. 25 overall national player in the 2027 class per Rivals' Industry Rankings. After a series of unofficial visits in the spring, Olubobola announced his verbal commitment Tuesday morning to Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman.

Five Disappointed Suitors

With one of the top tackle prospects in the 2027 class now off the board, five major recruiting finalists are now moving on to their next players up. Olubobola's disappointed finalists were Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, and Miami. Several of those schools had recent visits from the prospect-- with LSU, Miami, and Florida all getting visits in late March and early April.

Notre Dame's class

Rivals analyst Steve Wiltfong termed Olubobola "the current jewel" of Notre Dame's 2027 recruiting class. The Irish jumped to eighth in Rivals' current team recruiting rankings, with Olubobola their first five-star commitments so far. The Irish do have three other top 100 recruits under commitment, including fellow offensive lineman James Halter, suggesting a priority to Marcus Freeman's squad up front. The Irish were believed to lead for top 100 recruit Layton Von Brandt at tackle, but Olubobola's commitment could shift that recruitment.

Other Olubobola finalists and their recruiting status

Olubobola's disappointed finalists still have plenty of irons in the recruiting fire. Texas A&M currently boasts the top class in the nation, with 13 verbal commitments. No. 1 offensive tackle recruit Mark Matthews is widely believed to be leaning toward the Aggies, so the potential replacement for Olubobola at A&M could potentially be an even bigger star.

Miami has the No. 5 class in the nation and features a pair of offensive line commits, but both are interior line prospects. Florida is at No. 7 under new coach Jon Sumrall and has already landed a pair of big-time line commits, with top interior line prospect Maxwell Hiller and top 100 tackle prospect Elijah Hutcheson.

LSU and Tennessee have been quieter in the early run of recruiting. Lane Kiffin's squad ranks 10th nationally, but has just five commits, with none on the offensive line. Tennessee is 24th nationally with seven commits, but that includes top 150 offensive tackle commit Princeton Uwaifo.

Olubobola's pick for the Irish is just another domino in the 2027 recruiting class. It's a move that helps the Irish, but certainly won't bury a host of other top programs, even if they do have to shift their attention elsewhere.

Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame nabbed a five-star OT target on Tuesday. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images