The Notre Dame football team has had the quarterback of their 2026 class in hand for quite a while now. That's allowed Marcus Freeman, Gino Guidugli, and company to go after 2027 prospect Teddy Jarrard that much harder.
Those efforts paid off in spades, considering that on Thursday, Rivals recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong was the first among several experts who predicted the Fighting Irish are now the odds-on favorite to secure Jarrard's commitment.
Notre Dame football recruiting: Teddy Jarrard emerges as top 2027 QB target
There have been enough predictions over the last few hours that the highly sought-after quarterback will be pulling the trigger on an announcement any day now. At the very least, the Notre Dame football team knows it's in the running and has to be considered the team to beat.
That's huge for recruits in the 2027 class, even if they can't sign on the dotted line for another 18 months. What makes the Irish being the favorite an even bigger story is the fact that Notre Dame has offered just two quarterbacks in the 2027 recruiting cycle to date: Peyton Houston of Louisiana and Jarrard of Georgia.
Jarrard, a 4-star quarterback out of North Cobb (Kennesaw, GA), has offers from Georgia, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Miami, among others.
Wiltfong was joined by analyst Mike Singer just a few hours after his initial prediction as yet another one who believes the talented gunslinger will be spending his college days in South Bend.
For now, Jarrard has a "final-five" of schools that include Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, and Georgia. That, of course, means that the fight is far from over.
Still, Notre Dame football being named the front runner by experts right after he pared down his list is a big deal for Freeman, Guidugli, and the staff. The fight for Teddy Jarrard is one to watch over the coming days and weeks.