Allen “Cinco” Kennett V has seen three different Notre Dame linebacker coaches involved in his recruitment. Still, his interest in the Irish hasn't changed much, even as the names recruiting him have. Now it looks like the talented defender is close to pulling the trigger on the school in South Bend.
Kennett has taken three trips to the Irish over the last few months. He’s built a strong relationship with Brian Jean Mary, and things have gone so well for the Irish in recruiting him that On3 analyst Greg Biggins recently predicted he’ll commit to Notre Dame soon.
Kennett V is a 4-star linebacker in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker plays for Servite High School in Anaheim, California. Kennett briefly transferred to Santa Margarita Catholic following his sophomore season before returning to Servite ahead of the 2026 season.
He’s ranked as the No. 147 player in the 2028 class, the No. 10 player at his position, and the No. 9 player in the state of California according to the latest Rivals Industry Rankings.
Notre Dame football early offer pays off in Cinco Kennett recruitment
Kennett has accumulated more than 20 scholarship offers during his recruitment. In addition to Notre Dame, he has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Sacramento State, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Washington and Wisconsin, among others. His recruitment took off after Notre Dame made him his first offer following his performance at the Irish Invasion camp in June 2025.
That Notre Dame got its foot in the door right from the very beginning clearly helped them work their magic on Cinco.
Looking ahead, Kennett is scheduled to visit Michigan on November 7 and Oregon on November 14. The Michigan trip would give him another look at the Wolverines after previous contact with the program, while the Oregon visit follows a summer trip to Eugene.
As a sophomore at Servite in 2025, Kennett recorded a team-high 69 total tackles, including 42 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. He also intercepted one pass and earned first-team All-Trinity League honors in his first full season at linebacker. As a freshman in 2024, Kennett primarily played quarterback, completing 18 of 29 passes for 133 yards and rushing 50 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns before transitioning to defense, according to MaxPreps.
Back in August, Kennett told Irish Sports Daily what he was most looking for in his future school. "Development. I want to get developed wherever I go. I want to be able to play early. I want to get a good education. That's big too."
It looks like he’s seen enough from Notre Dame that he might be close to joining the program.
Add us as a preferred source on Google