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Massive Notre Dame defensive line target sets commitment date, but it’s not a good sign for the Fighting Irish and their chances

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 6:44 PM ET

The 2026 Notre Dame defensive line recruiting class is entering a closing period, and it has a chance to be an elite group overall. They received outstanding commitments from five-star defensive end Rodney Dunham and toolsy pass rusher Ebenezer Ewetade, which is a tremendous EDGE duo.

On the interior, the Fighting Irish also got another strong commitment from Texas defensive tackle Tiki Hola. There are still spots open for one to two interior players, and the board is already pretty small. It appears like it is going to get one player smaller very soon.

It was announced on Monday that Durham (N.C.) CE Jordan defensive tackle Noah Clark will be making his decision on July 2nd. Notre Dame has been a school pretty high on Clark’s list, along with South Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia.

Decision day a month away.@ACoachKing @jsc613 @JordanFalconsFB @247recruiting @AnnaH247 @clintbrew247 pic.twitter.com/HYh8c1rZdX
— Noah Clark (‘26) (@NoahClark_90) June 2, 2025

As of today, Notre Dame is not viewed as the leader to land Clark, and I don’t expect that to change. Head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington will continue to push for players such as Alister Vallejo, Khary Wilder, and Elijah Golden.

The 6-4, 330-pound run stopper is considered a consensus four-star player by every one of the major recruiting platforms. He ranks highest by 247Sports, who is currently rated as the No. 126 overall player, No. 21 defensive lineman, and No. 8 player in the state of North Carolina. That is an area that the Fighting Irish staff continues to try to tap more into.

Over 40 schools have offered Clark, valuing his size and upside. Some of the top schools that have offered Clark include Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Miami, Florida State, Missouri, UNC, Indiana, South Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia, Duke, and Stanford among many others.

Although a very raw player, Clark was extremely dominant in 2024 for C.E. Jordan. In 13 games, Clark managed to collect 75 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Clark had another seven quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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