Notre Dame will be taking on the Pitt Panthers this weekend, welcoming several recruits to campus for the game. For the third time, the staff will be welcoming star 2025 Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange safety Ivan Taylor on a visit.
Heading into the trip, it’s hard not to feel great about where Notre Dame is with Taylor, who is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Ike Taylor. The Irish staff has made Taylor a priority, and has really separated themselves.
"The relationship with the Notre Dame coaches has been really good,” Taylor told Irish Breakdown. "I can talk to them about everything. It doesn’t have to be just about football. It can be about everyday things.
"As a program, I think they’re definitely growing,” he continued. "They have been thriving since Coach (Marcus) Freeman got there and the best is yet to come.”
This will be Taylor’s first game day in South Bend. That offers a unique perspective for the Florida native, who is excited for his return.
"For the visit, I just can’t wait to see the coaches and the staff overall,” Taylor explained. "I’m also excited to see how the atmosphere is during a game.”
Every time a player makes this many visits back to campus in a shorter amount of time, there is some obvious momentum. Taylor isn’t looking to rush the process, but there is a timeline for him to make his college decision.
"Right now, I’m thinking about committing after the season,” he stated. "I want to make sure I have all the info I need and make a great decision.”
Taylor is already a consensus four-star by every major recruiting platform. He is ranked as a top 40 national recruit by both 247Sports (No. 38) and ESPN (No. 31). Both of those outlets rank Taylor as a top five safety in the class.
The 6-0, 170-pound safety is being courted by some of the top prospects in all of college football. Taylor currently holds offers from the Fighting Irish, Alabama, Michigan, USC, Penn State, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Pittsburgh among several others.
In only nine games as a sophomore, Taylor made his full impact on the back end. He finished the season with 65 total tackles, five tackles for loss, half a sack, three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Taylor has forced a ton of turnovers as a junior. In eight games, the talented defender has intercepted three passes and forced six fumbles. Taylor has also broken up another pass as well. Disruption is the name of his game.
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