Just ahead of one of the Notre Dame football team's top quarterback prospects announcing his commitment, it appears the Irish are out of the running. Neimann Lawrence cut down the teams he is still considering to five on Wednesday. On Thursday, On3 analyst Steve Wiltfong delivered one of his "bombs," and, according to the expert, the Texas Longhorns are the team to beat.
The Irish have a small group of 2028 quarterback recruits that they are pushing for a commitment from. The Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage quarterback is one of the most talented in that group, and ND is technically among his final schools. Lawrence visited South Bend multiple times over the last year, and Marcus Freeman and Co. were once thought to be the clear frontrunners. However, something apparently changed in the race this week. In addition to Wiltfong Inside Texas' Justin Wells also picked the UT to win this race.
If Lawrence does land with Texas, Notre Dame is still in a good spot to land a dynamic signal caller in the 2028 class. Notre Dame has also extended offers to Kingston Preyear, Lukas Prock, and Trey Tagliaferri. The Irish are viewed as the early team to beat for Preyear, so odds are that their strong quarterback momentum will continue.
It also seems the Irish are aware they've fallen behind the Longhorns in the race for Lawrence, as their push for Tagliaferri is extremely recent. The offer to the Bergen Catholic gunslinger felt like it came both because he's quite talented and also because the coaching staff knew it suddenly had an opening on its recruiting board.
FONG BOMB: Rivals' @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Texas to land 2028 4-star QB Neimann Lawrence🤘
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 4, 2026
Read: https://t.co/uSEBfPgG8d https://t.co/l5GVohxdxS pic.twitter.com/EQyjKKbmSe
Neimann Lawrence has Notre Dame football facing a sudden Texas problem
Lawrence is considered a 4-star, top-100 player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Lawrence is currently rated as a four-star, the No. 53 overall player, the No. 5 quarterback, and the No. 7 player from the state of Florida for the 2028 recruiting class. Each site views him as a potentially elite signal caller when all is said and done.
Lawrence’s recruiting rankings are reflected in the teams that are gunning for him and, because he's a 2028 target, will continue gunning for him even if he pulls the trigger on June 25 for Texas. The Florida signal caller's offer list has the Fighting Irish doing battle with the likes of, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, Texas A&M, Miami, Nebraska, Auburn, Florida State, South Carolina, TCU, Arkansas, SMU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Colorado, Pitt, Arizona State, UCF, West Virginia, Syracuse, and Purdue, among others.
As a freshman at Ransom Everglades, Lawrence lit up the scoreboard, throwing for 2,777 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just 8 interceptions. After transferring to Miami Northwestern, he passed for 1,971 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only one interception as a sophomore.
Neimann Lawrence technically has three weeks until his scheduled commitment date. If Texas is the strong frontrunner here, and the quarterback sticks to his schedule, Notre Dame has some time to drive a wedge in. Whether they'll work to do that or move on to their next target is the real question.
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