With the commitment of 4-star wide receiver Brayden Robinson on Sunday, the Notre Dame football team's coaching staff accomplished something nearly unheard of in their 2026 recruiting class.
No, it's not that the Irish went 3-for-3 over the July 4th weekend, though that is plenty impressive as Robinson is joined by Devin Fitzgerald and Kaydon Finley in the 2026 class. That's quite impressive for sure. But there's something even more remarkable that Marcus Freeman and his staff pulled off on Sunday.
Robinson is the second commit from the state of Texas that the Notre Dame football team has landed this weekend. He and Finley are some of the best talent the Lone Star State has to offer. However, what's truly impressive is that the Irish have secured four commitments from Texas in the 2026 class.
Notre Dame football lands 4-star Texas WR Brayden Robinson to cap July 4 recruiting hat-trick
For teams anywhere near Texas, for teams in the SEC or the Big 12, that's not all that big a deal. Even the Big Ten tends to make inroads into the Longhorns' backyard a decent amount.
However, a private school in South Bend, Indiana, recruiting four players from Texas is almost unheard of, although Marcus Freeman has undoubtedly made it less unlikely.
The four commits from Texas in the 2026 class are tied for the most since at least the 2015 class, though Notre Dame also had four Texas commits in its 2023 recruiting class.
In 2025, not a single commit originated from Texas; the same holds true for 2021, 2020, 2018, and 2016. The Irish have landed as many as two Lone Star State commits three times in the last decade (2024, 2019, and 2017).
This year, in addition to Finley and Robinson, the Notre Dame football team has landed Javian Osborne and Tiki Hola. While Marcus Freeman hasn't officially opened up a pipeline from South Bend to the Rio Grande, he's getting closer. Not only has it been a long time since anyone came this close, if they ever did, it's not remotely surprising he's the one doing it.