Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are duking it out with two other programs for dynamic defender

What Notre Dame has been doing in the secondary in recent years is nothing short of remarkable. Mike Mickens has developed into one of the very best secondary coaches in college football, both for cornerbacks and now safeties. Combine his resume with the recruiting impact from the Fighting Irish staff, and that excellence shouldn’t end any time soon.

With an already elite five-man class for 2026, the Notre Dame staff can now turn their attention to the 2026 group. One early name to know is Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco safety Jailen Hill, a player who already has a high opinion of the Fighting Irish. 

In a recent interview with Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney, he spoke with the former Inglewood standout. Hill had plenty of great things to say about Notre Dame. 

“Coach (Marcus) Freeman is a great human being,” Hill said. “He’s been letting me know what’s going on after football, education-wise and what I can do at Notre Dame just being prestigious. It would be great going there.”

In the article, Gorney also mentioned the two biggest programs that Notre Dame is competing with right now for Hill. That includes the USC Trojans and Texas A&M Aggies. Each program has had a unique pitch to the talented defensive back. 

For USC, the allure is pretty easy. Staying in the state of California to play for the Trojans is a dream for many with a similar background as Hill. That early fandom and allegiance can certainly sway some talented players to stay home. 

As of today, however, it appears that the Aggies are actually the team to beat for Hill. Don’t take my word for it. The 6-2, 170-pound defensive back said it word for word. 

“Texas A&M is ahead right now of everybody,” Hill said.

With Hill being a 2027 recruit, however, things are far from over. Leaders mean something, but not always this early. Counting out head coach Marcus Freeman and Coach Mickens for a talented recruit feels like a poor decision. The Fighting Irish will continue to fight, and hard. 

Hill transferred over to St. John Bosco this offseason, and comes with some high expectations. He is considered a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Hill is currently rated as the No. 212 overall player, No. 25 cornerback, and No. 19 player in the state of California for the 2027 recruiting class. 

It isn’t overly surprising to see a long list of impressive suitors already pursuing Hill. Some of his top offers includes the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Texas, Michigan, USC, Florida, Miami, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida State, Arizona State, Michigan State, Arizona, UCLA, Washington, Maryland, and Purdue among others.