Look: Notre Dame football recruiting commits, targets arrive for Northern Illinois game
On Saturday, 48 recruits filled the Notre Dame Stadium stands by unofficially visiting campus for the Northern Illinois game. Among them were three Fighting Irish commits and two 2026 class recruiting targets.
Four-star cornerback Khary Adams and four-star offensive lineman Ben Nichols are two of Notre Dame’s top 2026 class targets.
Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield’s Adams added an Irish offer after camping in June. He ranks as the No. 182 overall player, No. 16 cornerback nationally and No. 4 prospect in Maryland in the class. Notre Dame offered Nichols on Pot of Gold Day, the program’s March 17 St. Patrick’s Day-themed recruiting event. He’s the No. 195 overall player, No. 12 interior offensive lineman in America and No. 3 recruit in Michigan.
While only three commits made it into town, they were notable ones. Chicago Simeon EDGE Christopher Burgess, Indianapolis Ben Davis cornerback Mark Zackery and Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial offensive tackle Owen Strebig are four-star prospects who rank as the No. 104, No. 108 and 216 overall players in the 2025 cycle, respectively.
Saturday marked Burgess’ 12th Notre Dame visit and third game. Zackery has been to campus nine times total, including three games. Strebig has attended three games as well and visited 11 times in total.
Irish general manager Chad Bowden spent time separately with Zackery and Burgess during “The Victory March” player walk. Blue & Gold did not spot Strebig until he entered the stadium.
In addition to the three commits and two targets, over 40 standout high school football prospects attended the game. Here is the complete list.
What recruits visited Notre Dame for the Northern Illinois game?
Notre Dame 2025 commits
OL Owen Strebig
CB Mark Zackery
EDGE Christopher Burgess Jr.
Notre Dame 2026 recruiting targets
OL Ben Nichols
CB Khary Adams
Notre Dame 2025 prospects
DL Chase Towns
Notre Dame 2026 prospects
WR Trevy Barber
TE Dominick Barry
WR Oliver Bender
OL Jeremiah Benson
OL Eli Bickel
WR Jorian Brooks
LB Karsten Busch
LB Patrick Cheney
OL Nolan Cicero
TE Tristan Comer
OT Dalton DeBoer
OL Pete Eglitis
OL Benjamin Eziuka
QB Luke Faler
TE Sam Hamilton
TE/LB Trevor Gibbs
LB Joey Hardy
TE Maximus Jansenvanvuren
WR Braydon Johnson
WR William Jones-Terrell
WR/DB Damion King IV
S Deacon King
WR Aaron McFarland
TE PJ MacFarlane
S Traverse Moore
DE/TE Hans Pederson
WR Kareem Pruitt
OL Eli Sanchez
WR/CB Martece Smith
RB Tomarion Steward
RB Jayden Terry
ATH Donovan Triplett
RB Trenton Walker
TE Collin Walls
TE LIncoln Watkins
LB Ryland Watters
OL Owen Winder
RB Izaiah Wright
Notre Dame 2027 prospects
DT Brody Lamb
CB Marcus Powe
LB Jackson Reynolds
ATH Monshun Sales
