Notre Dame Beats Penn State Yet Again: Freeman Continues to Outshine Franklin

Notre Dame has three major recruiting wins in the last week and all of them came at a major expense of James Franklin and Penn State. That's not to say Franklin has lost all of his big recruiting showdowns (like he has his almost all his biggest games), but Freeman and Notre Dame are riding more than a bit of a hot streak when going straight-up against the Nittany Lions.

Offensive lineman Kevin Brown of Harrisburg, Penn. was a player that Notre Dame wanted significantly, but that chose to stay home and play for Franklin and Penn State. Beyond that though, Notre Dame has been recording wins over the Nittany Lions with regularity this cycle.

Tyler Merrill, an interior offensive lineman from Mechanisburg, Penn. chose Notre Dame over a slew of suitors, Penn State included, in late January. He ranks as a four-star recruit and checks in at a massive 6-5 and 338-pounds.

Grayson McKeogh chose Notre Dame earlier in the week after having both Texas and in-state Penn State listed as his other finalists. The offensive lineman commit from Glenside, Penn. has seen his recruiting ranking move up significantly in the last six months and was a huge win for the Fighting Irish.

Khary Adams is an elite defensive back that hails from Towson, Maryland and chose Notre Dame over powerhouses Michigan and Penn State as well as Oregon on Friday afternoon. Adams is a blazer, as a high school sophomore being timed in the 100-Meter dash at 10.74 seconds. He's rated by 247Sports as the nation's third overall cornerback in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

Joey O'Brien is another Pennsylvania product and an elite safety prospect. He chose Notre Dame on Friday night over in-state Penn State. Comparisons can be a dangerous thing when you're looking at high school prospects but he checks in 6-4, 180-pounds, and reminds many in the know of former Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton upon his commitment.

Marcus Freeman, James Franklin, and Michael Jordan

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

All that comes to mind for me regarding Freeman and Franklin and that awkward press conference back in January at this point is Michael Jordan during The Last Dance documentary. Not that Freeman or Notre Dame needed it, but it would certainly appear that something extra has gone into trying to beat Penn State.

Freeman and Notre Dame are on an absolute recruiting role right now as they rank second nationally by most publications. The scary thing is, Notre Dame might not be done yet, with even more good news possibly coming before long.