4-star LB Madden Faraimo commits to Notre Dame: ‘Notre Dame is a historic program’ 

San Diego (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo was one of the top uncommitted prospects in the country heading into the Early Signing Period. Notre Dame, USC and Washington remained in contention for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect at the end of his recruitment. 

Faraimo watched the Fighting Irish defeat the Trojans 49-35 last weekend during his official visit to USC. Notre Dame ended up winning out for Faraimo, as he has announced his commitment to head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff. 

“Notre Dame is a faith-based school,” Faraimo told On3. “Faith is so important to me. That makes Notre Dame different from other schools. Then, Notre Dame has a proven track record of sending linebackers to the NFL. They have a great staff and I really enjoy being around their coaches. They are great people. I feel strongly about my relationships with Marcus Freeman and all of the coaches that recruited me. Notre Dame is a historic program and it offers a historic education.” 

Faraimo took an official visit to Notre Dame from June 7-9, one of his five visits to South Bend. The No. 6 player in California also took two game visits to Notre Dame Stadium this fall for the Fighting Irish’s contests against Louisville on Sept. 28 and Florida State on Nov. 9. 

“When I was at Notre Dame, I got a great sense of the history there,” said Faraimo, the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 4 linebacker in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. “It is prestigious. There are great people all over the campus that are involved there. The people make up that community.” 

Choosing Notre Dame was an ‘extremely tough’ decision for Faraimo

With his commitment, Faraimo becomes one of the top prospects in Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class. He is excited to have finally found his college destination. 

“This journey has been harder than I thought,” Faraimo said. “Starting off, people would tell me to wait until the end and how it gets difficult. I didn’t believe them until the past couple of weeks. A lot goes into the decision. These coaches have put a lot of effort and time into considering me, so I have to consider that. This decision has been extremely tough.”

Faraimo was “close” to making an early commitment multiple times before deciding to push back his announcement. The four-star is “thankful” that he delayed his decision, as he previously thought about committing during his junior year, in the summer before his senior season and during his senior year. That is because “every visit, phone call and talk with my family” was important in him eventually choosing Notre Dame.  

“I have had to really learn about myself,” Faraimo said. “I had to learn exactly how much to give up or sacrifice in this decision. I am obsessed with achieving my goals. It came down to who put me in the best position to achieve those goals. My No. 1 goal is to fulfill my purpose for my Lord and Savior and No. 2, I want to have a long career in the NFL. Other things mattered to me, but that is what I focused on the most when making this decision.”