Fresh off two commits to open the week, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish might also close it out with a big recruiting win. 5-star offensive lineman Albert Simien will announce his school on Friday, and while he officially has five finalists competing for his services, the main race is believed to come down to Texas A&M, LSU, and Marcus Freeman and Co.
The 2027 interior offensive lineman from Sam Houston in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is ranked as the No. 14 player nationally, No. 2 at his position, and No. 2 player in his home state. Most notably, the recruiting battle between the Aggies and the Irish has heated up significantly this month. Freeman already has one big loss to Mike Elko in 5-star linebacker Kaden Henderson.
Henderson was considered a Notre Dame lean leading up to his commitment announcement. However, things changed quickly, and he eventually picked the SEC school. Freeman would love to repay the favor, considering Simien is considered a lean toward A&M, even if no one seems to know exactly what he’s thinking. At the moment, it looks like everyone will find out where he goes on Friday afternoon at the same time. The LSU Tigers are more than a wildcard as they are considered real players for his pledge.
The only two teams that don’t appear to really have a shot in Albert Simien’s final five are Nebraska and Ole Miss. For the Huskers, even being mentioned with some of these other teams, who are among the best recruiting classes in the country, is a good time. However, people back in Lincoln would love to eventually win one of these high-profile recruiting battles rather than simply be there at the end.
— Albert S. (@Albert_Simien33) June 22, 2026
Albert Simien could give Notre Dame football revenge after Kaden Henderson miss
What could play in the Aggies' favor is Simien's relationship with his cousin, 2027 Texas A&M commit and 4-star edge Kaden McCarty, who, even before shutting down his recruitment, has attempted to recruit other players, a strategy that has consistently paid off. Having said that, there is a lot of optimism on Notre Dame’s side coming off his third trip to campus this past weekend.
Joe Rudolph has done a good job recruiting this cycle, having already landed Oluwasemilore Olubobola, James Halter, and Jackson Hill for his unit in this class. Olubobola and Halter are both 4-star prospects, but Albert Simien would very easily be the score of the year for the offensive line coach.
With a few days until the 5-star Louisiana product announces where he’s going, expect Notre Dame to keep working on him right up until the party set up to give his pledge.
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