Coveted four-star CB recruit, Notre Dame target Mark Zackery sets commitment date
One of Notre Dame football’s top remaining targets in the 2025 recruiting class is set to come off the board. On Monday, On3 VP of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong reported that four-star cornerback Mark Zackery plans to reveal his college commitment on May 25.
Indianapolis Ben Davis High’s Zackery will choose between Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Florida and Michigan. The Fighting Irish are the heavy favorite to land his pledge, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — Zackery is the No. 94 overall player, No. 10 cornerback nationally and No. 2 prospect in Indiana in 2025.
In total, 32 schools have offered him. In addition to his finalists, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern California and Texas A&M recruited the No. 1 cornerback in the Midwest.
Irish defensive backs coach Mike Mickens offered Zackery last May. He has unofficially visited Notre Dame five times since then. His most recent trip to South Bend occurred the weekend of March 23. The Irish secured a spot among his finalists following that trip.
“They have a winning culture,” Zackery told On3. “It means more than football there with the degree, the coaches, the players, small campus and the prestige that they have there.”
Mark Zackery could give Notre Dame an outstanding 2025 defensive back class
If Zackery were to commit to the Irish, he would join a defensive backfield that features four-star recruits Dallas Golden, Ivan Taylor and Cree Thomas.
Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange’s Taylor and Tampa (Fla.) Berekely Prep’s Golden are the No. 6 and 12 safeties in the 2025 cycle, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Thomas, a Phoenix Brophy College Prep product, is the No. 31 cornerback in the class. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens projects Golden to also play cornerback.
Although Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School safety and Irish commit Ethan Long is a three-star, nine power conference programs, including Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, offered him a scholarship. He is the No. 35 safety in the class.
Zackery would also bring a championship pedigree with him to South Bend.
The rising senior led the Giants to a football state championship in the state’s highest classification as a two-way player. On defense, he had 39 tackles (37 solo), 8 pass breakups, 4 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 forced fumbles in 14 games. On offense, he caught 53 passes for 823 yards and 8 touchdowns.
