The Notre Dame football team has a ton of competition for the services of 2028 linebacker Kaiden Buchanan. However, despite holding nearly 60 scholarship offers and making more than 40 reported unofficial visits — including nine in June alone — the 4-star linebacker standout left South Bend with a different feeling than he did after most trips this spring and summer.
In fact, it appears that his latest trip to South Bend went a long way in moving Marcus Freeman and Co. into a position where it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if the defender eventually pulled the trigger for them. The defensive coaches especially seemed to strike a real chord with Buchanan, even if attending the school would mean a decent hike away from his hometown.
“I’d say after visiting Notre Dame,” Buchanan told Rivals analyst Kyle Kelly recently. “They definitely moved up on my list. They left a strong impression on me.”
That’s incredibly good news for the Irish, who would love to be the final landing spot for the talented high school player ahead of his junior season. The 6-foot-0, 220-pound four-star linebacker from Tupelo High School (Tupelo, MS) is ranked as the No. 207 player in the 2028 class, the No. 20 player at his linebacker position and the No. 5 player in the state of Mississippi according to Rivals Industry Rankings.
Tupelo (Miss.) High 2028 four-star LB Kaiden Buchanan made his way to Notre Dame last month and added an offer from the Irish ☘️
— Kyle Kelly (@ByKyleKelly) July 16, 2026
“I’d say after visiting Notre Dame, they definitely moved up on my list. They left a strong impression on me.”
Read: https://t.co/U7Wb0FoIGW pic.twitter.com/WKME6b1903
Kaiden Buchanan says Notre Dame moved up after impactful South Bend visit
In addition to Notre Dame, Buchanan has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, BYU, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC, among many others.
It’s not hard to figure out why he’s become such a highly sought-after prospect in this class. The linebacker was one of the most dominant players in his state, recording 75 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and one blocked punt during his 2025 sophomore season. He was even more dominant in his first season, when he posted 108 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery as a freshman in 2024, giving him 183 tackles and 18 sacks through his first two varsity seasons.
At the moment, Notre Dame has two commits in the 2028 class. Defensive back Andre Jones is the son of former Irish running back Julius Jones. Owen Davies was the first pledge the team scored from the class. That he’s a kicker shows Freeman and his staff aren’t taking chances at the position in the near future.
Add us as a preferred source on Google