With latest four-star pledge, Notre Dame has nation's No. 1 2025 class

To say that Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry and his staff are faring well on the recruiting trail these days is a massive understatement.

Over the past week or so, the Fighting Irish have secured four verbal pledges in their 2025 class — one five-star prospect and three four-star players.

The latest verbal commitment for Notre Dame comes from 2025 four-star center Tommy Ahneman, who selected the Fighting Irish over four other finalists, all of which are Big Ten Conference schools: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Ahneman, who received more than 15 scholarship offers throughout his recruiting process, is a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in Saint Paul, Minn. Currently, On3 is the most bullish on Ahneman, placing him at No. 58 overall, No. 8 at center and No. 1 in Minnesota within the 2025 cycle.

As a junior while starring for Sheyenne High School in West Fargo, N.D., Ahneman averaged 20.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.9 assists per game in helping lead his team to the Class AA state championship in the 2023-24 campaign.

Named the 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year in North Dakota, Ahneman announced in mid-June that he would spend his senior year at Cretin-Derham Hall.

Regarding his college decision, Ahneman said in part to On3 national reporter Joe Tipton, "I chose Notre Dame because of what they have - a great atmosphere, great people, and a great recruiting class that I now get to be a part of."

Speaking of that Fighting Irish 2025 cycle, since Sept. 23, Shrewsberry and his assistants have hauled in a quartet of talented 2025 prospects. Joining Ahneman are five-star guard/small forward Jalen Haralson of the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., four-star wing Ryder Frost of the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. and four-star power forward Brady Koehler of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

Haralson, rated as high as No. 10 nationwide in the 2025 class by ESPN, is the highest-ranked commit for Notre Dame since recruiting services began ranking high school prospects via the internet.

Following this latest pledge by Ahneman, the Fighting Irish's 2025 cycle is currently rated No. 1 across the country, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

Notre Dame, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has had its share of struggles in recent seasons. The Fighting Irish have finished with an overall record at or below .500 in four of the last six campaigns.

However, Shrewsberry and his staff are doing their part on the recruiting trail to hopefully propel Notre Dame back into the ACC's top tier.