On the heels of Abraham Sesay’s commitment on Tuesday, can Marcus Freeman take advantage of Notre Dame’s recruiting momentum and haul in one of the best offensive linemen in the class? The Fighting Irish will at least have a shot as Albert Simien plans to take his final official visit of the cycle to South Bend this weekend.
The 2027 Louisiana offensive lineman has already taken official visits to LSU, Texas A&M, and Nebraska. At the moment, analysts believe that the Aggies are the front-runners. However, a trip this weekend to see the Fighting Irish could give them the edge they need. Simien is doing things the best way possible. He’s not canceling visits before he makes his pledge. That allows ND to have a shot, no matter how slim it might be.
This will mark Simien’s third visit to South Bend after two unofficial stops. He knows what Notre Dame has to offer, especially since he’s talked about bonding with the coaching staff. This final visit this weekend will be a way for the offensive lineman from Louisiana to take note of what’s most important and then decide if Freeman’s program can offer that better than anyone else.
"Just getting there to see the recruits and the current players at Notre Dame, kind of get a vibe for how they're feeling on the upcoming season, and just how Notre Dame is really," Simien told Irish Sports Daily about what he plans to use the weekend visit for.
Albert Simien gives Notre Dame football chance to beat Texas A&M and LSU for elite IOL
The 6-foot-4, 285-pounder doesn’t need to learn much about football or academics at Notre Dame.
"On my other visits, I kind of got a good feel of the campus and the academic side of Notre Dame,” said Simien, who has made multiple unofficial visits to South Bend. “I'm kind of good on that part. Now, it's just to get a feel for the people."
He’s started to get a feel for Freeman and his coaches when the group saw the Louisiana prospect at his Sam Houston High School, and back then, the blue-chip star made it clear what the coaches said resonated with him.
"It just spoke a lot to me and my family," Simien said earlier this spring. "How Notre Dame really wants us there and really takes my recruitment seriously. Not many head coaches will go out and see an offensive lineman. Most of the time, those guys are going to see receivers and skill dudes. It’s just something that’s not really common."
Simien is ranked No. 14 nationally, No. 2 at IOL, and No. 2 in the state of Louisiana according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s pared down his list to what seems like a final two or three after getting offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Houston, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, among others.
Notre Dame currently holds offensive line commits from Olu Olubobola, James Halter, Jackson Hill, and Richie Flanigan. If it can land Simien, it will be hard to argue that the Irish don’t have the best overall group in the 2027 recruiting class. This weekend will be extremely important in seeing just how good the Fighting Irish will wrap up this cycle.
Add us as a preferred source on Google