Eight Notre Dame commits recognized as top high school football players in Great Lakes Region
MaxPreps national high school sports reporter Eric Frantz released this year’s preseason All-Great Lakes Football Teams on Wednesday. Notre Dame football’s verbal commits and recruiting targets were well represented.
Frantz recognized all eight Fighting Irish’s 2025 class pledges from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Players from Michigan, Minnesota and New York were also included.
Four Notre Dame commits earned first-team nods, giving Marcus Freeman’s program the second most commits listed. Ohio State had the most first-team commits featured with five.
Nineteen Irish recruiting targets, including Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider three-star safety Brandon Logan, Notre Dame’s last remaining publicized 2025 target in the region, were also highlighted.
Here is a complete breakdown of all Notre Dame football’s commits and targets featured on the preseason All-Great Lakes Football Teams.
First Team Offense
- Tight end James Flanigan — Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy (2025 Notre Dame commit)
- Offensive lineman Owen Strebig — Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial (2025 commit)
Second Team Offense
- All-purpose Messiah Mickens — Harrisburg (Pa.) High (2026 target; Penn State commit)
Third Team Offense
- Tight end JC Anderson — Mt. Zion (Ill.) High (2026 target)
- All-purpose Joey O’Brien — Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College (2026 defensive back target)
- Offensive lineman Gregory Patrick —Portage (Mich.) Portage Northern (2026 target)
- Offensive lineman Tyler Merrill — Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley (2026 target)
Honorable Mention Defense
- Offensive lineman Ben Nichols — Davison (Mich.) High (2026 target)
First Team Defense
- Linebacker Anthony Sacca — Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep (2025 commit)
- Cornerback Mark Zackery — Indianapolis Ben Davis (2025 commit)
Second Team Defense
- Defensive lineman Christopher Burgess Jr. — Chicago Simeon (2025 commit)
- Cornerback Elbert Hill — Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban (2026 target)
Third Team Defense
- Defensive lineman Joseph Reiff — Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community (2025 commit)
- Defensive lineman Braeden Jones — Chicago Mount Carmel (2026 target)
- Linebacker Cincere Johnson — Cleveland Glenville (2026 target)
Honorable Mention Defense
- Defensive lineman McHale Blade — Chicago Simeon (2026 target)
- Defensive lineman JJ Finch — Indianapolis Warren Central (2026 target)
- Defensive lineman Gabriel Hill — Naperville (Ill.) Naperville North (2026 target)
- Defensive lineman Gordy Sulfsted — Cincinnati St. Xavier (2025 commit)
- Defensive lineman JaMarcus Whyce — Trotwood (Ohio) Trotwood-Madison (2026 target)
- Linebacker Kobe Clapper — Cincinnati St. Xavier (2026 target)
- Linebacker Colsen Gatten — Pittsburgh Central Catholic (2026 target)
- Linebacker Dominik Hulak — Elmurst (Ill.) IC Catholic Prep (2025 EDGE commit)
- Linebacker Storm Miller — Strongsville (Ohio) High (2026 target)
- Safety Brandon Logan — Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider (2025 target)
- Athlete Joey O’Brien — Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College (2026 defensive back target)
- Athlete Jakob Weatherspoon — Avon (Ohio) High (2026 safety target)
