Ascending 2025 safety Ethan Long commits to Notre Dame football

Safety Ethan Long has finally made his Notre Dame football pledge public. Exactly one month after sharing a silent declaration with the Fighting Irish coaching staff, the top 400 recruit in the 2025 class announced his verbal commitment to the program on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder from Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School chose the Irish over four finalists: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Six other Power Five programs offered the standout safety from New England. But as Long discovered, Notre Dame fit him best.

“Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are great places, of course,” Long told Blue & Gold before revealing his choice Monday. “They were so good to me. But at the end of the day, it was like, ‘What is best for me with playing time and school?’

“Notre Dame’s 4-for-40 (the staff’s pitch that four years at the University sets one up 40 years of professional success) was a big thing. It’s the biggest thing. I put that in perspective and thought long and hard about it being my decision.” 

Long is the No. 395 overall, No. 32 safety nationally and No. 4 prospect in Connecticut, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. 

On3 slots him as the No. 35 player at his position ahead of this winter’s massive 2025 class prospect rankings overhaul. Long reclassified from a 2024 class recruit into 2025 after the 2021 football season with Trumbull (Conn.) St. Joseph. He had a second sophomore season with Brunswick School in 2022. 

Long’s pledge marks the second commitment in three days for the Irish. On Saturday, Notre Dame landed top 130 four-star EDGE Christopher Burgess from Chicago Simeon. The Irish 2025 class is up to 13 commits.

Ethan Long showed strong interest in Notre Dame early and often during his recruitment

Long reported his first Power Five scholarship offer from Pittsburgh on Jan. 28, 2023. Eventually, Duke and Boston College followed suit by mid-April. 

Notre Dame hosted Long and his teammate from Brunswick School — top 350 four-star offensive tackle Matty Augustine — on an unofficial visit on April 14. Irish safeties coach Chris O’Leary formally offered Long a scholarship on May 30, about two weeks after defensive coordinator Al Golden watched him perform at a Connecticut high school showcase. Augustine also earned a Notre Dame offer following his workout during the program’s “Lineman’s Challenge” on June 3. 

The On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 1 safety recruit in New England, Long, visited Notre Dame for the first time as a target on June 22. That day, he participated in the team’s Evaluation Camp II and impressed the coaching staff. A highlight from it for Long was receiving one-on-one instruction from O’Leary.

Long returned to campus for Notre Dame’s “grill & chill” recruiting event on July 30. On that trip, he previously told Blue & Gold the Irish made a major move in his recruitment. 

“It’s like it’s starting to be like a part of me,” Long said July 31. “Just by how every single time has been a different way of seeing Notre Dame. And I’m starting to think I see it. Like, I’ve basically seen all of it. Like, I know the campus. And I got to know the players and the coaches really well.”

Still, Long paid game day visits to Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. He never visited Wisconsin. Long watched the Buckeyes take down the Irish on Sept. 23 and even said he could see himself at two other programs. Ultimately, Notre Dame won out in his recruitment. His private decision came less than two weeks after his first trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. 

“I saw myself going to Penn State and Michigan,” Long told Blue & Gold ahead of Monday’s commitment. “I kept my options and could see myself at any of those schools. But there’s just so much history at Notre Dame.”

Long will return to South Bend on Jan. 20 for Notre Dame’s “junior day” event. 

The Ethan Long file

Before transferring to the Brunswick School for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Long played his first two high school football seasons at St. Joseph.

Long picked up offers from FCS programs Massachusets and Villanova in the spring of 2022. He put together a breakout season that fall, his first at Brunswick. It featured six turnovers (3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles) and no receptions allowed. 

The Northeast Prep Football Conference named him All-League First Team at defensive back in 2022. Long also garnered an honorable mention from the All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference in Class A. 

As a junior in 2023, Long had 56 total tackles, another 3 interceptions and 3 more forced fumbles in nine games. That output produced second-team All-League honors from the Northeast Prep Football Conference. 

During his first sophomore season with St. Joseph in 2021, Long had 52 tackles (27 solo), 11 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 8 interceptions. He was Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference honorable mention that year. 

Long reports a 4.60-second 40-yard dash and a 75½-inch wingspan. In addition to football, Long is also an outstanding basketball player. He is a cousin of former Irish wide receiver and captain Austin Webster.