The Notre Dame football team beat Rice badly enough on Saturday to convince pollsters that they deserved to remain in the Top 5 despite quite a bit of shuffling up and down the polls. In fact, the Irish were so impressive that On3 analyst Steve Wiltfong believes they're about to receive a commitment from one of the best offensive line prospects who is still a free agent.
On Sunday morning, Wiltfong published a recap of several visitors who were in South Bend this weekend to watch the Fighting Irish win 52-0. Among those who liked what they saw the most was Wyatt VanBoening.
VanBoening is a 4-star offensive tackle in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle plays for Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois.
The visit to Notre Dame this weekend is already the fourth time that VanBoening has seen what South Bend offers in person. His first visit was on March 25 this spring, and then he took another trip a month later. He made a return trip on June 16 and then again on Saturday. Hailing from a nearby town in Illinois has made it easier for the offensive line prospect to check things out multiple times.
6’7 270lb OT C/o 2028 Weeks 1-11 Highlights. 4.0GPA @Jmack37 @CorsairsFB @FISTFootball @CoachSaboFIST @CoachChris_Roll @EDGYTIM @PrepRedzoneIL @hddngemscouting @LemmingReport @GregSmithRivals @CoachBigPete https://t.co/2HxJJcs4Ax
— Wyatt VanBoening (@WyattVanBoening) November 14, 2025
Notre Dame football should push to lock down Wyatt VanBoening while momentum is peaking
VanBoening is ranked as the No. 80 player in the 2028 class, the No. 11 player at his offensive tackle position, and the No. 7 player in the state of Illinois, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Notre Dame has taken a big step in the right direction with the 4-star recruit, though he's still plenty popular, and it's still over a year before he can sign on the dotted line.
In addition to the Fighting Irish, VanBoening has reported scholarship offers from Auburn, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, and Wisconsin. His recruitment has continued to expand during his junior season, with Michigan becoming one of the most recent major programs to offer after VanBoening visited Ann Arbor for the Wolverines' 2026 season opener.
Of course, while that visit to see the Wolverines was plenty exciting, it's a very safe bet that his trip to see Notre Dame up close was quite a bit more impressive. Now Marcus Freeman and his staff need to keep pushing the advantage that Willtfong claims they have and get Wyatt VanBoening to commit before too many more weekends go by.
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