Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame Predicted to Suffer Recruiting Loss to Big Ten Powerhouse

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 1:34 PM ET

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman have put together a strong 2026 recruiting class, consisting of 16 total commitments, ranking No. 4 in the nation, according to On3.

Despite already having a handful of talented players, it's clear they aren't done yet and one name they've been making an impression on is EDGE McHale Blade, whom they've hosted six times and have an official visit scheduled for June 20.

They could certainly come out on top, as he's down to his top seven schools, choosing between the Michigan Wolverines, Wisconsin Badgers, Purdue Boilermakers, Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans, Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame

Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, though, on Monday, On3's Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for Blade to land with the Wolverines, which he just took an official visit with on Friday.

This would no doubt be unfortunate for Notre Dame, but a big win for Michigan, as On3 Industry Rankings have Blade as a four-star recruit, the No. 21 EDGE, the No. 4 player in Illinois and the No. 155 player in the nation.

In his sophomore season for Simeon High School, he put up decent numbers, appearing in seven games, accumulating 22 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six hurries.

Of his other top schools, he has also already taken official visits with the Boilermakers (May 24) and the Badgers (May 30), while having one scheduled with the Trojans (June 13), so his options are wide open.

If Blade does end up with Michigan, though, he could prove to be a key piece to its recruiting class, which ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 17 in the nation with a total of seven commitments.

Luckily for Notre Dame, though, no matter what, they have already secured several other talented EDGE recruits, including five-star Rodney Dunham and four-star Ebenezer Ewetade.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: