Marcus Freeman has proved that he is a great recruiter since becoming the head coach at Notre Dame. Freeman's 2026 recruiting class is ranked No. 4 in the nation, according to 247Sports, and he is already making good work with the 2027 recruiting class, which is also already ranked No. 4 in the country.
Even though a lot of players in the Class of 2026 have been committed for a while, that doesn't mean they aren't susceptible to being flipped by another school. On the Cover 3 Podcast, host Bud Elliot and 247Sports Director of Scout Andrew Irvins talk about some players that are or could be on flip watch soon.
There is one five-star quarterback that Elliot and Irvins believe could be on flip watch, but it all depends on what happens with Steve Sarkisian at Texas first.
Marcus Freeman could flip 5-star QB Dia Bell from Texas if Steve Sarkisian leaves
Five-star quarterback Dia Bell has been committed to the Longhorns since before his junior year of high school. The No. 2 quarterback in the Class of 2026 has made it pretty clear he is sticking with Texas and Sark, especially with the number of camps and visits he has made to Austin.
There is one twist here, though, that could change everything. With one NFL coaching job already open and more likely to follow shortly, Sark's name has been one floating around quite a bit for any opening at the higher level. While Sark tries to deny that he is leaving Texas for an NFL job, it is hard to think that he isn't entertaining the idea at all.
If Sark were to leave, that could prompt Bell to look elsewhere with his recruitment, and that is where Freeman can swoop in for the taking. Notre Dame does already have a quarterback in the Class of 2026, four-star recruit Noah Grubbs, but Bell could be more successful under Freeman.
"Marcus Freeman seems to have taken Notre Dame's talent acquisition to a different level," Irvins said. "I think Dia Bell has a higher ceiling, has a higher floor than the guy they already have committed in the 2026 class."
There are a couple of dominoes that have to fall in order for this flip to happen, but Freeman can keep trying, especially because if the Sark domino does fall, this is a kid everyone is going to want to get.