The 27-10 victory over Michigan State wasn’t just important for Notre Dame because it moved the program to 3-0 for the season. It also served as a great recruiting tool for guys like Langston Pridgeon.
Pridgeon visited South Bend to see the Fighting Irish up close and personal again and to strengthen his relationship with defensive backs coach Aaron Henry. Regarding the latter, it appears the player and the coach were very successful.
"I got to meet Coach Henry," Pridgeon told Irish Sports Daily. "I was able to talk a little about his background, just his coaching philosophy and just getting to know him as a person. I liked everything I heard."
Langston Pridgeon is a 4-star cornerback in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-2½, 190-pound defensive back plays for DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, after transferring from Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia, ahead of his junior season. Pridgeon’s father, Mike, was a Rutgers player and alumnus, and while that might normally make the Scarlet Knights the frontrunners, the elder Pridgeon was there before head coach Greg Schiano. Without direct ties to the school’s current head coach, there may not be nearly as strong a draw.
Notre Dame football has Aaron Henry as secret weapon for highly-sought Langston Pridgeon
Pridgeon is ranked the No. 89 player in the 2028 class and the No. 8 cornerback in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He’s also listed as Maryland's No. 3 player.
In addition to Notre Dame, Pridgeon has an offer list that includes Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.
It’s easy to see why Pridgeon has more than 30 offers in total. As a sophomore in 2025, the 4-star prospect recorded 73 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, and 2 forced fumbles while playing for Stone Bridge. He earned recognition on both the MaxPreps and Rivals Sophomore All-America teams for his performance. Pridgeon helped the Bulldogs finish 10-2 and advance to the Virginia Class 5 regional playoffs before transferring to DeMatha.
With a performance like that drawing Notre Dame’s eye, what does the program offer that might help land Pridgeon when the smoke on his recruitment clears? He especially likes Henry's track record of developing NFL-caliber defensive backs. That looks like an early secret weapon in the race to secure his commitment.
"I know he coached Devon Witherspoon and then some of the lower-profile athletes coming out of high school, but now they've really blossomed in the NFL,” said Pridgeon. "I know that Coach Henry's definitely a developer. When I was talking to him, I could see that he's a genuine person."
Pridgeon also believes his long, lanky frame will fit what Notre Dame likes to do with its defensive backs. Guys like Leonard Moore have already convinced him that Henry knows that bigger defensive backs are a special kind of weapon that not every school knows how to use correctly.
The 2028 prospect has just started his game-day visits. Before watching Notre Dame beat down Michigan State, he visited South Carolina. More are almost certainly coming, but the Fighting Irish know they at least have a foot in the door.
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