Notre Dame Recruiting's Six-Week Heater

Brenden Duffy
May 30
2 min read

Earlier this month, Notre Dame staff wrapped up a recruiting hot streak that featured nine commits, seven of which are nationally ranked, in just 39 days. We recap the April and May heater that pushed the Irish 2026 recruiting class to second-ranked in the country.

Photo by The Irish Tribune

Note: All rankings per 247 Sports

Irish Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash and Defensive Line Coach Al Washington got the party started with a duo of edge rushers committing in early April. On April 5, Ebenezer Ewetade committed to Notre Dame while on a visit in South Bend over Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina State. The North Carolina native ranks as a four-star and top-25 edge rusher in the class.

Less than a week following Ewetade’s commitment, the Irish received a pledge from another North Carolina edge rusher in five-star Rodney Dunham. The 15th-overall recruit in the ‘26 class chose Notre Dame over Duke, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee on April 10. Dunham is currently the clear-cut headliner of the Irish’s young class.

Next, Notre Dame received offensive commitments on back-to-back days starting on April 13 with Offensive Tackle Gregory Patrick. The four-star Michigan native chose the Irish over Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Patrick became the fourth Offensive Line commit of the class and is currently the highest-rated of the group, ranking as the 17th-overall tackle.

The following day, the Irish got faster when receiver Bubba Frazier announced his pledge to the Irish over Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Georgia, and North Carolina. The speedy slot-man ranks as a four-star and joins Dylan Faison as the Irish’s current ‘26 receiver commits.

After a quiet 12-day window, Safety Ayden Pouncey announced his commitment to Notre Dame over Miami, Syracuse, and LSU on April 26. The four-star ranks as the 12th-overall safety and became the second Defensive Back to join the ‘26 Irish class with Cornerback Chaston Smith.

The Irish kicked off May with another set of days with back-to-back commitments. On May 2, it was Linebacker Jakobe Clapper announcing his pledge to Notre Dame over Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon. The three-star, Cincinnati native joins Thomas Davis Jr. as linebackers in the class.

The next day, Running Back Javian Osborne picked the Irish over Michigan. The four-star ranks as a top-ten back. This was the first of two high-end running back commitments in May, largely credited to new RB Coach Ja’Juan Seider.

Coach Washington struck again on May 10, securing the commitment of Defensive Lineman Tiki Hola over SMU and USC. The three-star joins Osborne as Texas natives set to join the Irish.

Coach Seider put the cherry on top of this 39-day heater with the commitment of RB Jonaz Walton over Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and others. The four-star Georgia native is ranked as the 12th-overall RB in the class, marking two top-12 backs set to join the Irish in ‘26.