WATCH: Interview with new Notre Dame commit Sullivan Garvin, NSD reflections

In a weekly YouTube live show at Blue & Gold, recruiting writers Mike Singer and Kyle Kelly give the latest on Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts.

The show begins with Singer and Kelly interviewing Allegan (Mich.) High offensive lineman Sullivan Garvin, a class of 2026 prospect who announced his commitment to Notre Dame earlier in the day. After that, the guys reflected on National Signing Day, which of course included a discussion about Madden Faraimo‘s addition to the class.

It is not a show to miss for Fighting Irish fans. It aired live on the Blue & Gold YouTube page Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Watch a replay of this week’s show in the video player below.

Also, make sure to subscribe to the Blue & Gold YouTube channel for more video coverage of Fighting Irish football and recruiting.

Southwest Michigan 2026 OL Sullivan Garvin commits to Notre Dame football

Notre Dame football’s momentum on the recruiting trail has carried over to the 2026 class. On Thursday, Allegan (Mich.) High rising three-star recruit Sullivan Garvin gave the Fighting Irish their fifth pledge in the high school junior class. He is the first offensive lineman in the upcoming recruiting cycle to select the Irish.

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Garvin is the No. 396 overall player, No. 37 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 8 prospect in Michigan in 2026. Notre Dame projects him to play guard or center in college. 

Garvin’s decision comes 18 days after he visited campus for the Virginia game and gave the Irish an indication it wouldn’t be long before they received his pledge. He privately committed to head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph on Sunday before Thursday’s announcement.

“I know in my gut, in my mind and everything, really, that Notre Dame is the place for me,”  Garvin told Blue & Gold. “So, I just see it as a ‘why wait type of thing.’ I want to be one of the leaders of this class, get it going early and get locked in. I want to focus on one program and have a fun senior year.”

Notre Dame became the second Power Four school to offer a scholarship to the 6-foot-6, 300-pounder when he unofficially visited campus for the Louisville game Sept. 28. Since then, he added Washington, Kansas, Purdue and Cincinnati offers — also visiting the latter three schools. Indiana was the first school Power Four program to offer him on July 4. He last planned to be in Bloomington last Saturday.

When Garvin visited Notre Dame for the Louisville game, he already had an idea that South Bend would be where he would play his college football. Still, he let other coaches recruit him while attending games at their respective schools throughout the season. With each opposing visit, the gap between Notre Dame and Garvin’s other top schools widened, making his decision crystal clear.

“I compared it to Notre Dame, how everything is,” he said. “Relationship with the O-line coach, how I feel in the city, how I like the campus. Kind of just comparing everything. Through every visit, Notre Dame was at the top of the list. For me, it wasn’t close. So that’s why I want to commit early.” 

Notre Dame’s Rudolph plays a key part in securing Garvin’s pledge

Though Rudolph waited five games into Garvin’s junior season to formally offer him a scholarship, On3’s No. 25 offensive lineman in the nation and No. 5 prospect in Michigan has long been on his radar. 

Notre Dame welcomed Garvin to campus for spring practice April 16 and then again for the program’s Irish Invasion high school prospect camp June 2. In between his trips to South Bend, Rudolph made it up to Allegan to evaluate Garvin. 

Those meetings helped the Irish better understand his personality and led to the decision to push for his verbal commitment. 

“Rudolph believes in me more than anyone I’ve ever met,” Garvin said. “He’s an amazing coach. … He says I have the right character and I’m coachable. So, he knows the rest of it will come. That’s what he really likes about me. He believed in me the most, and I know he sees the potential that I might not know I have.” 

And Garvin is confident that Rudolph will get the most out of him, considering his development track record.

“Notre Dame is O-line University,” Garvin said. “Being wanted that hard from that place, it was pretty clear where I wanted to go.” 

The Sullivan Garvin File

Garvin is coming off a junior season where he earned first-team Southwestern Athletic Conference honors. The year before, he captured a spot on the honorable mention list. The Allegan Tigers finished 3-6 and 5-4 the last two seasons, respectively.

In addition to his all-conference accolades, Garvin claimed a spot on the Michigan Division 5, Region 1 all-region team in 2024. He was also a team MVP, team captain and did not surrender any sacks. Michigan has not yet released its all-state selections for 2024.

After his senior season, Garvin plans to enroll at Notre Dame early in January 2026.