Notre Dame recruiting class ranks highly in the eyes of this network
Notre Dame's 2026 recruiting class is now ranked No. 2 by ESPN. The Fighting Irish were previously No. 3.
That's because the Fighting Irish secured the services of running back Jonaz Walton after getting Javian Osborne. So the four-letter network gave Notre Dame a boost since the Irish have two of ESPN's top 300 running backs.
Advertisement
ESPN updates its rankings of the Top 25 every so often -- the last update was May 14 -- and in addition to the Irish moving up, the Illinois Fighting Illini are the big surprise, as they jump 10 spots to No. 10. Texas jumps into the ranking and Ole Miss falls out.
The Irish sit behind long-time rival USC in the rankings, and the top five is rounded out by Ohio State, Penn State and Clemson.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame recruiting class gets major props from ESPN.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Court McGee aims to put pressure, finish fellow 'TUF' winner Michael Chiesa at UFC Atlanta
Court McGee aims to put pressure, finish fellow 'TUF' winner Michael Chiesa at UFC Atlanta ATLANTA – Court McGee is confident he can play spoiler at UFC on ESPN 69. McGee (22-13 MMA, 11-12 UFC) is a big underdog heading into Saturday's prelim welterweight matchup (ESPN, ESPN+) against Michael Chiesa (18-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. In a battle of "Ultimate Fighter" winners, McGee thinks facing a fellow submission specialist makes for a fun stylistic affair. "I'm excited for the matchup," McGee told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday's media day. "I think it's a great matchup with Chiesa being an 'Ultimate Fighter' winner, I think it's cool being a heavy grappler. I think it makes for a really good matchup." McGee is coming off a first-round neck crank of Tim Means at UFC 307. All 12 of Chiesa's finishes have come by submission, but McGee has never been submitted. "Like every other fight, I come out and find a way to win," McGee said. "So, I'm going to put the pressure on him right off the bat, come out fast. It should be a great fight, and where he's heavy grappling – that's the other thing. I've grappled for years and years, and I'm going to be looking for a finish. I think I can do it, so we'll see."


USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
4-star Alabama football commit officially shuts down recruitment
4-star Alabama football commit officially shuts down recruitment According to a post on social media this past Tuesday night, a current Alabama Crimson Tide football commitment has officially shut down his recruitment. That commit is in-state prospect Kamhariyan Johnson, who announced Tuesday that he would be shutting down his recruitment following conversations that included Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach. One-of-six current commitments in Alabama's 2026 recruiting class, Johnson ranks as the nation's No. 356 overall player in the cycle per the 247Sports Composite rankings, as well as the No. 33 edge rusher. A four-star prospect, Johnson is also considered as the No. 16 overall player in the state of Alabama where he attends Muscle Shoals High School. Johnson has been committed to the Crimson Tide since April of 2025. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Michael Chiesa chasing Demian Maia's record at UFC Atlanta
Michael Chiesa chasing Demian Maia's record at UFC Atlanta ATLANTA – Michael Chiesa hopes to secure another rear-naked choke submission at UFC on ESPN 69. Chiesa (18-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) meets fellow "Ultimate Fighter" winner Court McGee (22-13 MMA, 11-12 UFC) on Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 (ESPN, ESPN+) prelims at State Farm Arena. Chiesa is a big favorite over McGee but thinks the odds aren't an accurate reflection of the matchup. "I welcomed the matchup. I think it's more challenging of a matchup than the oddsmakers have it pegged as," Chiesa told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday's media day. "I think Court is going to challenge me in the wrestling and the grappling and bring that type of pressure. I'm very well prepared for a 15-minute fight, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to look for my opportunities to pursue a finish. "His body of work is impressive. He's been around for a very, very long time. I've got a tremendous amount of respect for the guy. Obviously him winning 'The Ultimate Fighter' is a part of that and everything he's overcame in his life, and it's nice laying it all on the line against guys that you have a lot of respect for. So, I'm excited for the matchup and look to just keep the ball rolling and stay more active, and it all starts with Saturday night." Chiesa has seven rear-naked choke submissions in the UFC, tied for second with Kenny Florian. He plans on someday surpassing Demian Maia's record of nine, but it won't be easy considering McGee has never been submitted. The 37-year-old is coming off back-to-back rear-naked choke finishes of Tony Ferguson, and most recently Max Griffin at UFC 310. "I'd like to beat Demian Maia's rear-naked choke record," Chiesa said. "I didn't even know that was a thing until the Max Griffin fight. I had no idea I was up in the mix. I just assumed Charles Oliveira takes the cake for everything in terms of submissions, but after the Max Griffin fight, they said you're tied for second with Kenny Florian, with Demian Maia at the top. "It's small things like that. If I didn't believe I'm still one of the best guys in the world, I believe I could beat anybody at 170 pounds on any given day, that title aspiration is always going to be in the back of my mind – especially when I've been performing the way that I have been, especially in the gym."