Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic TE Preston Fryzel commits to Notre Dame football

The Notre Dame football program has returned to Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic, this time to land its first tight end pledge of the 2026 cycle.

On Monday, class of 2026 tight end recruit Preston Fryzel announced his verbal commitment to Marcus Freeman’s program. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder chose Notre Dame over Iowa and Miami, also holding scholarship offers from 18 other Power Four programs. Fryzel attends the same high school that produced former Notre Dame starting quarterback DeShone Kizer.

Fryzel announced his decision about a week after concluding his official visit to South Bend, a trip that proved pivotal in his recruitment.

“Honestly, it just felt like home,” Fryzel told Blue & Gold before publicizing his commitment. “It was different from every other visit I’ve been on. Every other visit I’ve been on, there was always that, ‘They were good, but.’ There was no but for Notre Dame. It just felt right for me. It’s different.”

Notre Dame was a late offer for Fryzel, a three-star prospect ranked as the No. 19 player in Ohio and the No. 17 tight end nationally in the 2026 class. He received his scholarship offer on May 21 after general manager Mike Martin visited one of Fryzel’s baseball practices.

Ultimately, the timing of the offer did not matter. Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, assistant tight ends coach Harris Bivin and other key staff members recruited him harder than any other program over the last five weeks.

“The relationship with the coaches was a big thing for me,” Fryzel said. “From the first time I talked to Coach Denbrock, we just clicked. Honestly, the recruiting staff, Coach Freeman, everybody — they’re all great guys.”

Fryzel is drawing comparisons to Tyler Eifert

When Notre Dame started recruiting Fryzel, his father, Chris Fryzel, saw similarities between his son and Tyler Eifert. Chris, a Michigan fan, remembers watching Eifert and Notre Dame play the Wolverines from 2010-12.

“My dad was like, ‘You have to check out this Tyler Eifert guy,’” Fryzel recalled. “I checked it out, and I was like, ‘Man, he’s a receiving threat. That’s what I want to be.’”

Eifert arrived at Notre Dame out of Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Dwenger in 2009 as the No. 10 player in Indiana and No. 27 tight end nationally. As a high school junior, Eifert caught 33 passes for 586 yards (17.8 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns. Fryzel, who also played wide receiver, surpassed Eifert’s production, recording 43 receptions for 807 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns during his 16-game junior season. Like Eifert, Fryzel earned all-state honorable mention.

Denbrock, who coached Eifert during his collegiate sophomore and junior seasons, also sees similarities between Fryzel and the former All-America tight end.

“When we got into our meetings with Coach Denbrock, we were watching my tape and [Eifert’s] tape,” Fryzel said. “Coach Denbrock pulled up a clip of Tyler Eifert and was like, ‘This is who you remind me of.’”

There are some differences: Fryzel is about an inch-and-a-half shorter than Eifert, who measured 6-5½, 250 pounds at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. Fryzel said he checked in at 6-4, 218 pounds during his Notre Dame official visit.

Though Fryzel is currently 30 pounds lighter than Eifert was at the end of his collegiate career, he trusts Notre Dame strength coach Loren Landow and Company’s plan to develop him into a dominant tight end.

“I feel confident in their strength staff,” Fryzel said. “I’m a little undersized right now, but I’m confident that Notre Dame will develop me to be a true mismatch and a matchup problem.”

Fryzel has confidence in the future of Notre Dame football

Fryzel also appreciates that under Denbrock’s guidance, he could have the opportunity to play professionally. Denbrock has developed multiple NFL tight ends, including Eifert, who was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

“He doesn’t brag about his accolades,” Fryzel said. “He’s here at Notre Dame now. It’s his third time back, and he’s put 15 tight ends in the league, so that’s pretty big.”

In addition to his faith in the coaching and training staff to develop him, Fryzel believes in Freeman’s program as a consistent national championship contender. The recruits joining him on the commit list reinforce that trust.

“We got to watch the team run, and nobody was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be here,’” Fryzel said. “Everybody wanted to be there. With our 2026 class, it’s a super tight class, super tight group. We just need a couple more guys, and we could be a top class in 2026.”

Notre Dame’s class currently ranks within the top five in the 2026 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. It features one five-star recruit in Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park EDGE Rodney Dunham and 16 four-star prospects. Fryzel hopes to help the Irish add to that list.

“I want to see Evan (Jacobson), obviously,” Fryzel said, referencing the four-star tight end from Waukee (Iowa) High. “Me and him got really close on the official visit. Hopefully, we get everybody on that official visit. That’s the goal. It was a great time spending those three days with them.”