St. Xavier's Brayden Reilly has Notre Dame ties and hopes to shine during Thursday's GCC Combine

When Cincinnati St. Xavier kicks off the Greater Cincinnati Catholic Combine on Thursday at 6 a.m. ET, the Bombers will feature one of the Midwest’s most underrated recruits.

Brayden Reilly is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete prospect in the 2026 class with scholarship offers from 18 schools. Power Four programs Northwestern, Wake Forest, Indiana, Missouri, Cincinnati, Minnesota and West Virginia are among them. Schools like Notre Dame, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Duke, Purdue and Virginia have also scouted him.

Reilly is the No. 34 player in Ohio, No. 47 “athlete” nationally, and No. 931 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

Most schools project him to play linebacker or safety in college, though he is one of Ohio’s top cornerbacks. As a junior last season, Reilly helped lead No. 6 seed St. Xavier to the Division I regional final. He posted 74 tackles (51 solo), 8 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries during his 14-game junior league campaign. He also blocked 3 punts, scooping and scoring for a touchdown on one of them.

The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association recognized Reilly as one of six juniors named as an all-state honorable mention. He also earned first-team All-Greater Catholic League honors, as well as a second-team spot on both the All-Southwest Ohio and All-City teams.

While Reilly’s accolades and production are the most appealing parts of his game, he also possesses competitive combine numbers that have captured the attention of college coaching staffs nationwide. Reilly reports a 4.55-second 40-yard dash and a 4.15 shuttle. His 40-yard dash would have registered sixth among 17 linebackers at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, and his shuttle time would have been first.

Reilly hopes to showcase those traits in front of college coaches Thursday.

“They all love my length and athleticism,” Reilly told Blue & Gold. “Schools like my ball awareness, my start/stop and break on the ball.”

Brayden Reilly hopes to land on the Notre Dame football program’s radar

Reilly plays on the same team as Fighting Irish 2026 class four-star linebacker commit Kobe Clapper and 2025 class defensive line signee Gordy Sulfsted. Reilly also has ties to Notre Dame because his grandparents, aunts, and uncles are all graduates.

“My mom’s side of the family loves Notre Dame,” he said.

Reilly loves Notre Dame, too. He prioritized competing in last June’s Irish Invasion camp. He was listed as a defensive back participant that day. Meanwhile, linebackers coach Max Bullough is aware of Reilly. Reilly hopes to see an Irish staffer at Thursday morning’s combine.

“I am doing the best I can,” he said. “I send my film to the coaches about every month, hoping they look at it. I’m hoping the combine will put me on some schools’ radar, like Notre Dame. So, I’m hoping they see me and how I move.”

Reilly’s high interest in the Irish extends beyond the football field. He carries a 3.88 GPA and has opportunities to play college football at Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth. Reilly covets a Notre Dame degree and a chance to play for head coach Marcus Freeman.

“It’s not only about football for me,” Reilly said. “The academic side is very important for life after football. … They’re a great football program. Coach Freeman is a very good coach. I’ve been to Notre Dame ever since I was a kid.”

Four schools sticking out to Reilly

Reilly’s recruitment is relatively open. Yet, he knows he has to consider some schools more closely than others at this point in the process. Those programs are Northwestern, Wake Forest, Missouri and Indiana.

Reilly arrives at Northwestern on Friday for a multi-day official visit. Then, he will return to Wake Forest on an OV the weekend of June 6. Both programs recruit him to play linebacker.

“Wake Forest wants me to play the Mike, which is kind of a coverage linebacker,” he said. “Northwestern is the same as well. They both want me to play at 225 pounds and keeping up with receivers.”

Indiana and Missouri project Reilly to play boundary safety or nickel. He can excel at those positions, too, as evidenced by his success in blanketing top Buckeye State wide receivers routinely on Friday nights.

“My coverage was really good,” he said. “My run fits were good as well, but I think it’s mostly coverage because of how long and tall I am. I can go up and get the ball.”

Now, Reilly hopes to showcase those talents to Notre Dame and other schools on Thursday.

“I am just trying to prove I can do the same thing the best recruits can,” Reilly said. “Ratings don’t matter. It’s just what people can produce on the field.”