ACC rival considered frontrunner for Notre Dame football QB target

Remember back when Notre Dame football was the front-runner for 2026 quarterback Brady Hart? It would appear that the Irish are no longer in the running, though that’s hardly surprising.

After all, Marcus Freeman and company made it clear that one of the biggest factors in figuring out who would be their QB for the 2026 class was who would pull the trigger first. The man to the finish line turned out to be Noah Grubbs.

While Notre Dame football fans are understandably happy about landing Grubbs, it turns out that things could get real interesting when the 2026 signing day rolls around. It appears as though a bitter ACC rival could be the team that eventually lands Brady Hart.

Clemson set to land Notre Dame football recruiting castoff

According to On3, the Cocoa Florida quarterback prospect is now looking like he’s leaning towards the Clemson Tigers. 

That would certainly be an interesting turn of events would it not? It would certainly open up the possibility of the two gunslingers eventually facing off against each other, if the schedules and their position battles fall just the right way.

Notre Dame and Clemson aren’t a rivalry on the level of the Irish and the USC Trojans. Or even on the level of ND and Michigan, even if that series is only sporadic these days.

But when it comes to the ACC slate the Golden Domers play every year, Clemon is right up there in rivalries simply because they’ve been one of the best programs in the conference.

Of course, things are far from finished for Hart. He’s got a busy summer ahead.

The 2026 four-star has already visited Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M this month as well as the Tigers. He is visiting Michigan on June 15-16, Ohio State on June 17 and Alabama on June 23. There is a chance he works a trip to Miami in there between Columbus and Tuscaloosa too.

Still, Dabo Swinney and company are considered the team to beat at this point. Notre Dame football fans should keep an eye on this, even if they’re perfectly happy with the Irish getting Noah Grubbs.