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Notre Dame may have just gotten a massive recruiting boost for a top visitor this weekend, and they weren’t even the home team

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Nov 17, 2025 3:09 PM ET

When we talk about recruiting during the college football season, typically the conversations center around top targets visiting campus. In the case of Notre Dame football, they may have just made a massive impression during their game against the Pitt Panthers, and they weren’t even hosting any recruits in South Bend. They did, however, get to showcase their talented Irish squad in front of a talented 2026 recruit.

During Notre Dame’s victory over the Navy Midshipmen a couple of weeks ago, 2026 McDonald (Pa.) Fort Cherry four-star safety Matt Sieg made the trip to campus for a visit. The Penn State commit has been keeping his options open since James Franklin was fired about a month ago. The Fighting Irish are viewed as a top contender for Sieg right now.

Sieg saw Notre Dame once again in person over the weekend, this time visiting Pittsburgh, another program high on his list. Despite being the road team, the Irish put on a strong showing during their 37 to 15 ranked victory. There shouldn’t be much question about how talented a team that the Irish are for Sieg, and the more he gets to see them in person, the better.

4-star Ft. Cherry star Matt Sieg is here. pic.twitter.com/mTmaySyeZy
— stephen thompson (@stephenethom) November 15, 2025

With only a few weeks until National Signing Day, the Pittsburgh native is going to need to start making some decisions here soon. Notre Dame is believed to be in a strong spot, but they will need to try to close the deal. He could be the missing piece to an already elite secondary group for the 2026 class.

Matt Sieg’s recruiting snapshot

Sieg is considered to be a four-star player by the 247 Sports and ESPN rankings currently, while On3 has him rated as a three-star player, for whatever reason. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Sieg sits as the No. 180 overall player, the No. 16 safety, and the No. 5 player in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2026 recruiting class. Pennsylvania is a state that the Irish staff has been getting into a lot in this class so far, and hopes to do so one more time.

Outside of the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, Sieg has been pursued by a long list of impressive programs during his recruitment. Some of his other top offers include Alabama, USC, Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Rutgers, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Stanford, Syracuse, and Purdue, among others.

As a senior so far in 2025, Sieg is putting together a tremendous season on both sides of the football. On top of his work on defense, the 6-0, 190-pound athlete has also been dynamic for his offense. Sieg has been an outstanding running back and quarterback throughout his career, having rushed for 5,295 yards and 90 touchdowns coming into the year.

Sieg has also thrown for 3,176 yards and 39 touchdowns as a passer in his career. Fort Cherry has also utilized him as a return man and a stellar defensive player. His versatility should allow him to become a defensive weapon on the next level. There are several positions Sieg could make an impact playing.

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Nov 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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

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