Lately, whatever Marcus Freeman has touched has turned to gold. In the dangerous territory of college recruiting that has turned into more of NIL slides, the Notre Dame head coach seems to be facing an unprecedented amount of success when it comes to impressing young talents. We’ve all seen it since he took over in 2021. And unsurprisingly, we still are, as another highly touted player seems to be inching toward the Fighting Irish—a fact that’s surely going to leave Texas Longhorns’ Steve Sarkisian with furrowed eyebrows.

But before we get to that, just to tell you about Freeman’s recent exploits: During last year’s incredible (almost) title run, the team produced an 11th-ranked class nationally. This year, the numbers are even projected to be better, as the Notre Dame roster was reportedly the 4th-ranked class nationally at the start of last week. Five-star prospects like Rodney Durham (Edge) and other blue-chip talents like Ebenezer Ewetade (Edge) have made the class exceptional to begin with. And then there’s the commitment from running back Javian Osborne (No. 106 recruit and No. 8 running back in the country, and the second-highest ranked commit of its 2026 class) and linebacker Kobe Clapper (No. 372 overall prospect and No. 30 linebacker nationally). But Freeman isn’t stopping here. He is preparing for the 2027 class way early.

Currently, the front office’s sight has squarely landed on Desert Edge High, Arizona, wide receiver Zerek Sidney, alongside Texas, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida State, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arkansas, Maryland, Kansas, Miami, Minnesota, and USC among others. Notably, the wide receiver is ranked 13th in his position by Rivals and stands at 6’0″ and 165 lbs. But Sidney is sought mainly because of his exceptional football IQ and comfort with running routes, along with hand security. The Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian offered the player recently in March, as he showed excitement over the prospect. But now with the level of praise the wide receiver is showering for Marcus Freeman, it may not take too much time for the commitment to come in.

In his recent visit to Notre Dame, Indiana, in April, the prospect spoke highly of the program. “The first visit didn’t feel like a first visit. Notre Dame felt natural. Nothing was forced. The great staff made sure I felt at home. Coach Dembrock, Coach Carter, Coach Dom, and Coach Jourdan all made my visit special,” the player told On3. The player even said that the program “shot up” on his list, and all of his fears were calmed as he “was surprised at how” the visit felt. Sidney even praised the academic reputation that comes with Notre Dame, ” I felt like it was something within my reach. I would love to have what comes with a Notre Dame education.”

Now, the player seems to be wanting a bonus package of academic excellence along with playing football. And, only a few programs can provide that, including Notre Dame. But still, the thing isn’t a done deal, and the Longhorns still stand third with a 12.3% chance (per On3) to land the WR, while Freeman’s team comes at fourth at 10.3%. Leading the list is Arizona State with 46.3%, (not closely) followed by USC at 14.4%. Yet, Freeman might just come up with that last-minute touchdown. Why?

Because he’s not a man to be taken lightly. With an approach that has often been described as aggressive and authentic, the HC seems to possess that perfect amount of magic needed to pursue young players. The numbers speak for itself. Since 2021, the team has seen an evident uptick in consistency when it comes to recruiting. As per Sports Illustrated, in the last six years:

Additionally, this year, the Irish are also boasting a class “score” of 92.673 (with a blue-chip ratio of 79%), while Ohio State is at 92.920.

Yet, with the level of praise Sidney is showing for the Irish, it could well be a pipe dream.

Marcus Freeman pulls in a dark horse for his QB room?

The quarterback room at Notre Dame just got interesting after Steve Angeli left for Syracuse recently, and Marcus Freeman decided to magically present a QB out of thin air. In came Tyler Buchner, who will be taking reps as a QB instead of WR. Tyler Wocjiak, the host of ‘Locked on Irish,’ provided the reason why.

“I think he’s going to move over and basically take Steve Angeli’s spot in the room. Because I don’t think the coaching staff wants Blake Hebert to play at any meaningful moment this season. So, if a disaster occurs and Carr and Minchey somehow end up getting hurt, at least, you know, when you bring in Tyler Buchner, he’s not going to be afraid of the moment“.

The multiple-sport athlete who also plays Lacrosse and earlier transferred to Alabama came back to Notre Dame. Now with 2 QBs at the helm, the player would be a stopgap solution. Since CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey battle it out for the QB1 spot, as a backup, Tyler would be well equipped too, as we have seen him produce more than 1,000+ passing yards in his career, to be a rotational option when required.