Major commitments are underway this week in college football, and many will impact just how high Notre Dame's class can ultimately finish in the rankings.
Head coach Marcus Freeman during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The calendar might only read May 11 as I type this, but the week to come could end up being monumental regarding the future of Notre Dame football.
A couple of tent poles regarding the future of Notre Dame football are at stake in the world of recruiting, and Marcus Freeman appears to have the Fighting Irish in prime position to land both players. We'll get to who Notre Dame hopes to have as official commitments in its 2027 recruiting class by week end, but will start by noting who it missed out on from the Midwest on Monday.
Notre Dame has long been in the running and viewed as a favorite for Central Illinois product Cameron Wagner. The four-star offensive lineman prospect from St. Joseph announced Monday that he's committing to Oregon. Wagner seemed headed for Notre Dame for quite some time, but in slow-playing his recruitment a bit, Marcus Freeman's staff was also given more time to puruse other options.
So as much as the shock comes when you lose a Midwest kid to Oregon, reality tells a different story, one that hints Notre Dame will be just fine with a few pending recruits. Notre Dame's fall with Wagner seems not to be because Wagner lost interest in Notre Dame, as much as because Notre Dame caught the attention of a star rising senior.
Oluwasemilore Olubobola of St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey is rated as a five-star talent by the 247Sports composite, as he's the 15th overall player in the entire 2027 cycle, and announced Monday that he will be announcing his college commitment on Tuesday. Olubobola was on campus for the Blue-Gold Game a few short weeks ago and almost all of the arrows have seemingly.
The quick turnaround to announce his college choice only seems to enhance Notre Dame's chances of landing his commitment. Notre Dame has been plenty good in the middle of the defensive line of late, but nobody would consider it elite. Well, an elite prospect that could help Notre Dame make that jump is set to announce his college choice this week as well, with the Fighting Irish the favorite to get him.
NEWS: Five-Star DL David Folorunsho will announce his Commitment May 15th live on the Rivals YouTube Channel, he tells me forDavid Folorunsho, a five-star defensive tackle prospect from Chicago is set to announce his commitment on Friday. There is Texas Tech still to officially beat, but entering the week it certainly appears Notre Dame is the heavy favorite to land his talents. , soaring to a five-star rating across most of the major recruiting sites.
At 6-3, 285 pounds, he'll be expected to cause havoc at whatever program he ends up choosing. For whatever its worth , Folorunsho's head coach at St. Patrick is former Notre Dame star Tom Zbikowski.
Notre Dame is currently viewed as a having a top 10 recruiting class by the major outlets, as 14 players sit committed now. 247Sports composite rankings place Notre Dame with the sixth-best class while On3/Rivals gives Notre Dame the 10th best group. While I somewhat buy that Indiana forever changed the importance of recruiting rankings by doing what it did last season, I still see the value in landing as many mega-talented kids as possible each year.
It might not guarantee as much as a spot in the College Football Playoff even, but loading classes like these up on the regular is the key to keeping Notre Dame on the short list of national championship contenders for years to come. Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI.
Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.
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