There was a time when Notre Dame looked like the team that would win the battle for 5-star defensive line Marcus Fakatou. However, over the last few months, the Irish have lost a step here and there and slowly fallen behind a couple of other Power 4 programs. On Friday, it appears that the Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon edge officially cut Marcus Freeman and his squad out of the running.
According to Rivals' Mike Singer, Fakatou was expected at least to take an official visit to the Oregon Ducks before he officially cut down his list of teams he's considering. However, Singer also reported that the Big Ten squad was in the same boat as the Irish and is no longer in contention for Fakatou's services.
Now that Notre Dame and Oregon are officially out, Marcus Fakatou is down to three teams still contending for his services on signing day in December. One of those teams, Ohio State, has been steadily gaining ground, and they have to be considered the favorites for his services at this point.
Georgia and Texas are the other teams that are still in the fight. What makes the fact that ND is out of the running is that it's the second player in the last few days to cut the Irish from their final teams. This period is generally when this happens, as players start to commit or at least pare down the schools they're considering. Still, the rapid-fire pace with which Freeman's staff has been left in the lurch is always tough to take.
Adam Gorney reported that Marcus Fakatou might cancel his remaining official visits, but the expectation remained that the five-star DL would still take the Notre Dame trip.
— Mike Singer (@MikeTSinger) June 12, 2026
But now, the Irish are out of it. UGA, OSU and UT are left.https://t.co/Hupy2zQTf2 pic.twitter.com/VzipabmJJb
Marcus Fakatou decision leaves Notre Dame football chasing other defensive line wins
Fakatou is rated as the No. 24 and No. 2 DL in the 2027 class, per the 247Sports Composite, and at one point, it looked like the Irish and the Ducks might have been the teams that would eventually butt heads for his signature. That's one big reason why Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman are on the outside looking in. However, things have changed as of late, and with his high school teammate Kassi Currie committing to Texas on Thursday, and also canceling his weekend OV to Oregon, Fakatou followed suit.
This also appears to be a situation where Notre Dame needed to find a way to get Fakatou to South Bend earlier in the cycle. The Buckeyes hosted the 5-star defensive lineman for an official visit to start June, and it was noted to have gone very well. Fakatou visited Texas last weekend after visiting Georgia, and now those three are the final schools he's considering.
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson is reportedly leading the charge to get Fakatou to become a Buckeye. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound lineman clearly likes what he saw in how Johnson not only recruits but also coaches his position group.
“His track record speaks for itself,” Fakatou reportedly told Rivals. “I really like him and his coaching style. He’s unique, he’s not a big yeller or screamer, he’s a very devout guy, reads bible verses with the players, and is more of the cerebral kind of coach. When he gets mad, and I’ve seen that side, he instructs you without cussing or swearing, but will correct you and explain what you did wrong. You actually feel disappointed that you let him down.”
With a massive weekend for Notre Dame now on deck, the Fighting Irish might be sad to be out of the running for Marcus Fakatou, but they're certainly not in trouble when it comes to locking up one of the top classes in the country for the 2027 cycle.
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