Notre Dame Fighting Irish news: Fourth highest OVR, recruiting wins and losses, more

Defensive tackle Segun Alexander became Notre Dame’s third commit of the week on Tuesday. The 4-star defender out of North Carolina picked Marcus Freeman’s squad over Clemson and Texas A&M, among others.

What made the commitment even better is that he laid out exactly why he picked Notre Dame, and it’s the kind of quote that illustrates how the school in South Bend always manages to stand out from the pack.

"For me, I would say the dealbreaker was the people," Alexander said shortly after his commitment. "I feel like when I go there, I won't be just developed on the field, but off the field. I'll become a better man, a better human being, and a better father. I also know that the education there is great, so I'll be set for life after football, which is really important to me. I just felt at home when I visited. I feel like it was like a second home to me that I could be there and thrive in."

Notre Dame quarterback target announces school on Thursday

2028 4-star QB Neimann Lawrence is set to announce his college commitment live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel at The Opening Finals. Lawrence is down to Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, and Texas A&M. However, it doesn’t seem like the Irish are really in the running.

That’s too bad because the American Heritage (Plantation, Florida) gunslinger put up incredible numbers in his 2025 season. Lawrence was 131-of-185 passing, 1,971 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, and 1 interception.

The Texas Longhorns are the odds-on favorite to get his commitment, with Ohio State and Miami in distant second and third place. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish might be listed as his Top 5, but it appears they’ve been out of the running for quite a while.

More Notre Dame Fighting Irish news

• As release day for EA Sports College Football 27 moves ever closer, the developers are releasing little tidbits of information. On Tuesday, it was the overall ratings of every team in the sport. Unsurprisingly, Notre Dame scored a high 89 rating. That’s tied for fourth in the country behind only Oregon (91), Ohio State, and Indiana (both 90). Texas is the other 89-rated team.

• While Notre Dame scored a third commitment on Tuesday, it also lost a recruiting battle to Texas. Tyler Alexander was a 3-star defensive lineman who recently took an official visit to South Bend. However, Segun Alexander's commitment blunted the impact of this recruiting loss.

• Neimann Lawrence isn’t the only Notre Dame target announcing his commitment this week. 5-star offensive lineman Albert Simien is also slated to announce his school of choice. Like Lawrence, the Irish are among his final teams, but not expected to score the win. This time, it’s Texas A&M’s turn to score a recruiting win over Marcus Freeman and Co. Unfortunately, it would be the second win in two weeks for former ND defensive coordinator Mike Elko.

• Markus Burton was one of the best Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball players to come through South Bend in decades. Then he moved on to Bloomington and the Indiana Hoosiers. Earlier this week, he talked about what drove the decision to transfer: “It was just time for something different, new scenery, just new people,” Burton told the Indy Star. “I felt like it was the right time for me to do it. It's all love for those people up there in Notre Dame. Those are my guys. I love those guys to death. I just wanted to see who I really was.”

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