OT Will Black signs with Notre Dame, giving Marcus Freeman first On3 Industry five-star
For the first time in the coach Marcus Freeman era, Notre Dame has added an On3 Industry Ranking five-star recruit. On Wednesday, the Fighting Irish announced that Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive tackle Will Black has signed his financial aid agreement.
The On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services (On3, 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN) — considers Black the No. 26 overall player, No. 6 offensive tackle nationally and No. 1 prospect in Connecticut in the 2025 class.
The 6-foot-7½, 283-pound Black is originally from London, Ontario, Canada.
In On3’s own rankings, spearheaded by director of scouting and rankings Charles Power, Black is the No. 2 overall player and No. 1 offensive tackle in the class. Since On3’s inception in 2021, Power has awarded three other Irish signees five-star prospects: linebacker Jaylen Sneed and offensive tackles Charles Jagusah and Guerby Lambert.
As the No. 35 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of Hilton Head Island (S.C.) Hilton Head High, Sneed was the closest the Irish came to signing an On3 Industry Ranking five-star before Wednesday. During each recruiting cycle, there are 32 five-star prospects, emulating 32 first-round draft picks in the NFL Draft. The 2025 class prospect rankings will be finalized in February.
On3 has high aspirations for Black’s college career. It compares him to former Irish unanimous All-America offensive tackle Joe Alt, who was drafted No. 5 overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Black’s frame, fluid movement skills and controlled coordination working at left tackle reminds us of Joe Alt,” says Black’s On3 scouting page. “Black is further along as a true offensive lineman than Alt at the same stage. Despite being newer to football, Black has primarily played as an offensive tackle while Alt played as a tight end and defensive end later in his high school career.”
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A look at Will Black Notre Dame football’s recruitment
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, Black’s primary recruiter, offered him a scholarship after participating in the program’s “Lineman’s Challenge” high school prospect camp on June 3, 2023. Although he did not return to campus again until Dec. 16, Black ended up announcing his verbal commitment to the Irish five days later.
Before pledging to Freeman’s program, most industry experts considered Black destined for Michigan after he made trips to Ann Arbor in June 2023 and November 2023. In addition to the Irish and Wolverines, he reported scholarship offers from 20 other Power Four programs.
In the late winter/early spring, Georgia made a run at Black in hopes of changing his mind. Instead, he remained steadfast in his Notre Dame commitment. During his recruitment, he also reported offers from Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
As a London, Ontario native, Black becomes the fourth Canadian on the Irish. He joins defensive linemen sophomores Devan Houstan and Armel Mukam and freshman Sean Sevillano. Irish 2025 class four-star quarterback Blake Hebert is also from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Because of Choate Rosemary Hall graduation requirements, Black will enroll at Notre Dame in June.
