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Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish recruiting target becomes a massive catch for improving SEC program

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 7:21 PM ET

The Notre Dame football program is putting together a tremendous 2026 defensive line recruiting class right now. With defensive ends Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade already in the class, the Fighting Irish are very strong on the edge. Add in Texas run stopper Tiki Hola, and they also have a solid foundation up the middle as well.

With the want to add one more quality defensive tackle in the group, Notre Dame has been working off of a short list of options. It was just a few weeks ago that Durham (N.C.) CE Jordan defensive tackle Noah Clark felt like a reasonable option for the program.

Heading into official visit season, things suddenly took an odd turn with Clark. Notre Dame opted to cool on him, and focus on other options. On Wednesday, Clark made his college decision. He opted for South Carolina over finalists NC State and Virginia Tech.

BREAKING: Four-Star DL Noah Clark has Committed to South Carolina, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’4 330 DL from Durham, NC chose the Gamecocks over NC State & Virginia Tech

“Throw the Spurs Up Gamecock Nation.”https://t.co/NX6l8uYMch pic.twitter.com/0ASo72tg3U
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 2, 2025

The 6-4, 330-pound run stopper is considered to be a consensus four-star player by every one of the major recruiting platforms. He ranks highest by 247Sports, who is currently rating him as the No. 126 overall player, No. 21 defensive lineman, and No. 8 player in the state of North Carolina. That is impressive considering that the state is developing a ton of talent recently.

Over 40 schools have offered Clark during his recruitment, valuing his size and athletic 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 he is 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.

You don’t find this combination of size and upside too often, and Clark is a tremendous grab for South Carolina. Keeping him close to home is a massive victory, quite literally.

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

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