Feb 19, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman and team are honored in the first half of the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the SMU Mustangs at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Why It's Time to Rethink How Everyone Views Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated May 12, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Change is the name of the game

The modern college football game has undergone significant changes in the last few years. From CFP and conference expansion, NIL, to no sit-out transfer rules, there's a lot to stay on top of.

These changes have also impacted the recruiting world, and it is up to schools and fans to adjust the way they think about the modern recruiting process as a whole.

Notre Dame has stepped up its style. It figured it out.

Committing doesn't mean what it used to

When it comes to adjusting the thought process when it comes to recruiting, the biggest change needed is in regards to the verbal commitment.

In each of Freeman's years at the helm in South Bend, the top players from each recruiting class who had verbally pledged Irish backed away from Notre Dame in the 11th hour, defecting to another school, leaving the Irish in a tough spot late in recruiting cycles.

This applies to players like Peyton Bowen, Keon Keeley, and most notably, star QB Deuce Knight. The entire Notre Dame ecosystem must adapt the way we think about this entire process.

What needs to change from a fan and staff perspective

For Irish fans and media, verbal commitments need to be taken with a grain of salt. Until a player officially signs with Notre Dame, they are a free agent, even if and while verbally committed to the Irish, and content should responsibly reflect that.

The most important change in all of this needs to come from Notre Dame's staff. They cannot afford to stop recruiting Irish committed players or positions in which they have an adequate number of verbal commitments - and it's working.

Always keep pushing, always keep working - players who decide to flip away from the Irish late in the process, relationships with the next highest rated target at said position are strong, and Notre Dame always need more players to turn to.

This issue has burned Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame throughout his early Irish tenure, and it will be incumbent on the newest iteration of Notre Dame's recruiting operation to protect against this "commit then flip" dynamic as much as possible moving forward, and this starts with a collective change in how we think about the entire recruiting process and how we define "commitment".

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This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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