Notre Dame football predicted to land one of the most underrated defenders in the 2026 recruiting class

Arguably the most underrated player left on the defensive board for Notre Dame is 2026 Charlotte (N.C.) Independence safety Nick Reddish. He is a player who first came on the Fighting Irish radar following his breakout sophomore season. Since then, he is a player that they have been keeping close tabs on. 

Unfortunately Reddish wasn't able to play much as a junior due to an injury. That slowed down his recruitment a bit, but he is back healthy, and Notre Dame is back pushing hard for him. Reddish is fresh off of his official visit to South Bend this past weekend, and things are trending in a great direction.

There was a crystal ball put in over at 247Sports for Reddish to end up with the Fighting Irish. Based on the people I have spoken to, I agree that is how things are trending. 

Reddish looks like he was poised for a huge recruiting ranking rise after his tremendous sophomore season, but an injury ruined his junior year. He is currently considered to be a three-star player by every major recruiting platform. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Reddish sits as the No. 660 overall player, No. 56 safety, and No. 30 player in the state of North Carolina for the 2026 recruiting class.

Despite that missed time, Reddish has still managed to put together a nice offer list. Some of the top programs that have offered him include the Fighting Irish, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, NC State, UNC, Louisville, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, UCF, West Virginia, Duke, and Wake Forest among others. 

As a sophomore, Reddish was a tremendous player for Independence. The 5-11, 185-pound defensive back managed to collect 95 total tackles, four interceptions, and 10 pass breakups. Reddish also managed to make three tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, and recovered another four fumbles. 

While Reddish isn't the biggest defensive back of all time, he is a very diverse cover man on the back end. Reddish can work from depth, as well as playing down in the box, as well as in the slot. That flexibility is a huge sell for secondary coach Mike Mickens.