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St. Patrick’s Day was Monday which meant Notre Dame’s Pot of Gold Day happened as well where the Irish sent out dozens and dozens of offers to top prospects. Here is a look at 10 that could be the most impactful:
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Oregon has been considered the far-and-away leader for the four-star running back from San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic – and it still might be the case that he ends up with the Ducks – but a new offer from Notre Dame is definitely big and should be monitored closely. Fa’alave-Johnson said the Irish offer “will definitely shake things up” and not only is he excited to build a relationship with Notre Dame but that it’s definitely one of the schools he will be keeping in touch with going into the future.
Is anyone more Notre Dame material than Flanigan, an Irish kid whose dad, Jim, played in South Bend and whose brother, James, was a four-star tight end signee of Notre Dame in the 2025 class? The Green Bay (Wisc.) Notre Dame De La Baie Academy defensive tackle is a double Notre Dame legacy and now has been offered by the Irish. It would be no shock at all if another Flanigan ends up in South Bend as Duke, Illinois and Wisconsin are his other offers at this point.
Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee and many others are going to be involved with the four-star linebacker from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit but now Notre Dame is in the mix and there could be a significant pull to South Bend. Henderson told Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. that he and his family are Catholic and so this offer definitely means a lot more as the four-star is now planning a trip to campus “soon.”
Hobbs already talks like he has a LinkedIn account and is networking throughout the business world. It wouldn’t be shocking if a new Notre Dame offer heavily interests the 2027 safety from Louisville (Ky.) Christian Academy. Hobbs told Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith that he has always watched Notre Dame closely as a kid and that it represents what he wants to be in life – “well-rounded and excelling both on and off the field.” Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma and others should be watched but Notre Dame is right up there as well.
If Johnson-Cook stays at running back at his size of 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Notre Dame has utilized big backs before behind a massive offensive line and it’s worked out well. If he moves to defense and plays linebacker, there aren’t many schools better at developing players at that position. This is an interesting offer for the DeSoto, Texas standout who’s had Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oregon leading the way.
His father by the same name played at Notre Dame and now – finally – the 2027 high four-star receiver from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas has been offered by the Irish. Jones has been anticipating this one for a long time and now Notre Dame is in the mix with other serious considerations like Miami, LSU and more. His father played running back for the Irish before becoming a second-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
The Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice four-star defensive tackle has already visited Notre Dame in April. He’s headed back to South Bend this week. A host of Midwest programs and a growing list of national teams are coming after Parks but there is clearly interest in the Irish and now having an offer is huge for the 6-foot-3, 295-pound four-star who lives less than two hours away.
The McKeesport, Pa., four-star running back has been committed to Penn State since August and then Nittany Lions running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton rushed for over 1,000 yards this past season. But position coach Ja’Juan Seider left Penn State for Notre Dame this offseason and now Spell has an offer from the Irish, who have a great tradition of running the ball as well.
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His brother, Junior, already goes to Notre Dame so the Tuihalamaka clan could be sending another one to play for the Irish. The four-star defensive tackle from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian has Arizona State, Cal, Louisville and USC as his other early offers and while there will be a significant pull to stay closer, Tuihalamaka has watched his brother develop for the Irish – he had 33 tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries this past season – and that could be a major pull to follow him to South Bend as well.
Notre Dame has gone to Chesterfield (Va.) L.C. Bird before for four-star safety Jalen Elliott in the 2016 class as he’s now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Irish are back for Whitehead, a four-star edge rusher who has nearly 20 offers. Penn State, Florida State and Tennessee have been the three early standouts for Whitehead but a new offer from the Irish is big and so could be the connection to Elliott at his school.
