Linebacker recruiting is getting a little odd for Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame football recruiting for the 2027 class is doing a fantastic job right now, and they are definitely lining up the real possibility of another top five class. And yet… linebacker recruiting is kind of confusing right now.

At one point, the Irish had two 4-Star linebackers in the fold with Ellis McGaskin and Amarri Irvin. McGaskin, however, eventually flipped to the Florida Gators and remains committed to them as of right now. At the time of his decommitment, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal as there were a number of top targets left on the board, and Irvin was still in this class.

But the landscape has changed quite a bit since then. Many of Notre Dame‘s targets have committed elsewhere, and their top target on the board (Kaden Henderson)I currently predicted to commit to the Miami Hurricanes on July 1 — but that’s still a long ways away. Still, the lone LB commit for Notre Dame is likely to be its next decommitment.

We reported on Amarri Irvin’s visit to Michigan State, and I was surprised Notre Dame was allowing him to remain in this class given their history of not allowing commits to visit elsewhere. Notre Dame talked to him and he cancelled a visit to see the Texas A&M Aggies — but then it was reported that he took a visit to see James Franklin and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

I can’t offer any more insight concerning the visit, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s little reason to think Irvin will be in Notre Dame’s recruiting class very much longer.

While it would be easy to be worried about Notre Dame’s LB situation, I’m not entirely sure that any0ne should be. The Irish use the nickel as its base defense, and there are 7 linebackers that should return to the roster in 2027 and 6 for 2028. I’m confident the Irish still land a linebacker this cycle, but unless the player is an absolute beast (like Henderson) I’m not convinced that it matters.

The recruitment at this position as been odd this cycle for sure, but it’s hardly Notre Dame’s biggest need — or even its 5th biggest need.