Notre Dame football offers top-50 2027 Mississippi defensive end
They already have two commits, just one being a position player, but the Irish have sent out plenty of offers to some of the best prospects in the country. One of them was offered on Saturday evening in Mississippi edge rusher Derwin Fields. The 6-foot, 5-inch and 220-pounder is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the nation's No. 45 overall prospect, just outside the 5-star range.
Notre Dame now joins teams like Alabama, Florida, LSU, Florida State and others in offering Fields, who should end up being able to play virtually anywhere he'd like. It does look like its going to be tough to pull him away from SEC-country, but the Irish have put their hat in the ring.
If Fields is able to make it up to South Bend during the season, it would be a great sign for Notre Dame to continue to be in the mix for his commitment. Time will tell if that happens, but for now, the Irish are clearly interested in him joining their 2027 class.
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 Mike on X: @MikeFChen
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'The era of Xander Zayas': Is 22-year-old star ready to become boxing's youngest active champ?
Xander Zayas isn't a normal 22-year-old. The unbeaten Puerto Rican star, based out of Florida, sits upright in a hotel room in New York City with a broad smile plastered across his face. Despite being at the start of his 22nd fight week as a professional, Zayas is absorbing the chaos with a fresh appetite and calm. After all, this fight week isn't like those 21 previous. On Saturday night inside New York City's The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) challenges Mexican Jorge Garcia Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) for the WBO's vacant world super welterweight title, attempting to become boxing's youngest active world champion. Zayas makes a quip about me donning a New York Yankees cap. A day prior, the Yankees' rivals — the New York Mets — invited Zayas and his team to their home at Citi Field, and as he posed with a Puerto Rican jersey, he looked at home being the center of attention. 'I enjoy every part of fight week,' Zayas says candidly, perhaps convincing himself as much of the answer as me. 'It's easy to stay locked in, as this is my job — it's a privilege. The last couple of pounds will fall off this week, and once the weigh-in is done, then I can really enjoy myself. I love what I do.' Zayas's positivity and upbeat nature elicits an openness to our conversation. It's a rare thing to witness on fight week. When athletes are prodded, poked and pulled in all manner of directions while simultaneously in a painful calorie deficit, conversation and manners are — understandably — two of the first things to slip through the net. But not with Zayas. He uses my name when he answers questions and speaks with the respect and maturity of a man twice his age. 'I feel at home in New York — I guess that adds to my mood during this particular fight week,' he says. 'This will be my eighth time fighting inside the Garden and everyone always shows me so much love and respect. It's a beautiful place and soon becoming my second home. 'The Puerto Rican fan base of course helps. We are a very proud nation and are always true to ourselves. I think that is why we always support each other so strongly. We are hard workers and show dedication in whatever we do.' We are speaking just 10 days after Zayas' countrywoman — and self-described hero — Amanda Serrano sold out Madison Square Garden alongside Katie Taylor. Serrano enjoyed a noisy and passionate majority of the support inside the arena during her loss to the Irish fighter, but Zayas doesn't assume that following will naturally move his way. 'I can only do what I can do in the ring,' he explained. 'I can train hard and be prepared for every fight, but I can't decide on my supporters what title I am given. But, of course, if the fans want to label me as the next Puerto Rican star to follow, then I would be honored.' Miguel Cotto, Hector Camacho, Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez and Serrano are just some of the names that Zayas is happy to label as inspirations ahead of his maiden world title challenge this Saturday night, but his grounding has ultimately come from his parents. 'I am always trying to learn — whether that's from my parents or other pro athletes that have shared experiences," he says. "But the main thing in life is having that respect for other people. If you want to be respected yourself, then you have to show respect to others, and that's something I live by. We are all human beings. I am not better or more important than anyone else, so why would I act that way?' Since turning professional in 2019, Zayas has built a perfect 21-0 record under the watchful eye of his Top Rank promoters. He was the youngest fighter to sign with Bob Arum's stable since its 1973 inception, and on Saturday night, all those in the Xander Zayas business are hopeful of finishing this first chapter of his career. 'It's been very smooth up until now,' he admits. 'We've taken all the necessary steps to earn this position and have made sure that we are ready when it arrives. And that time is now. When I win on Saturday I think it's going to take a while to sink in — right now, I am just trying to treat this like any other fight. 'But that doesn't mean I can't start thinking about what a world championship win would mean to me. It would be the start of a new chapter — the era of Xander Zayas as a world champion. But that won't stop the hunger inside of me. 'I share a saying with my Dad. He'll tell me 'the world is yours,' and I'll reply with 'the world is ours.' In this fight, it's our for the taking. Our family unit is so strong that Perez doesn't just have to beat me, he has to beat the whole team. That's what makes us so strong. Everyone in the team has a specific job and they all do it to an extremely high level. So when I step into that ring, I know that I never have to do it alone. And that's powerful.' Perez is six years the senior of Zayas and has been raised as a Mexican fighter in the traditional school of hard knocks. A career-best split-decision win over the highly-rated Charles Conwell in April delivered this opportunity for 'Chino,' and it also represents the latest chapter in the long-standing rivalry between Puerto Rican and Mexican fighters. 'It's always going to be fireworks when we [Puerto Ricans and Mexicans] fight,' Zayas says. "So don't expect this one to be any different. I am going out there to enjoy myself, but of course we have a strict game plan that we are looking to execute. 'Perez has shown himself as a good fighter, especially against Conwell. He has a good body attack, can be a dangerous pressure fighter and is lanky, but I believe that I am better than him in every aspect of the sport. 'Speed, power, combination punching, hand movement, foot movement, counter punching — I am superior in all these fields. He's a Mexican warrior so it's not going to be easy to make him quit, but I am going out there to prove why I am on a different level to everyone else at 154 pounds.' The fire alarm in Zayas' hotel room goes off as our conversation is partially interrupted, but he remains composed and unflappable. For him, the timing is perfect. An attempt to goad him into conversations about future fights in the division is muffled, and can wait, for now. Asked whether it means more if he were to become the youngest active male champion in the world at age 22, he shrugs his shoulders — it's as if he has matured so quickly that age is all but a number. 'It really doesn't matter what people think of me or say about me,' he concludes. 'I have one job to do and, so far, I am doing it perfectly. Saturday night is just another opportunity for me to do so, and if I am successful then I'll be even hungry for more.'
USA Today
5 minutes ago
- USA Today
Kaleb Johnson wows Steelers fans, media early into NFL career
Kaleb Johnson will be the first RB in a long time to get a second contract w/ the #Steelers. He's going to be a good one. Kaleb Johnson was a star last season for the Iowa football team. After a good freshman season with the Hawkeyes, Johnson saw his playing time dip as a sophomore, receiving only 117 carries in 2023 compared to 151 in 2022. He entered his junior season with a lot to prove, especially after a suspension kept him out of the first half of the season opener. What happened next was something no one expected. Johnson exploded in 2024, getting 240 carries and rushing for 1,537 yards and a school record 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He was named an All-American for his efforts and was generally regarded as the second-best running back in the entire nation behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. That season catapulted him into NFL Draft discussions, and he was eventually taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2025 draft. And it seems Johnson is already impressing his new team, media, and fans. The Steelers opened training camp on Thursday, where everyone got to see their first real glimpse of Johnson in the NFL, playing alongside Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf. And social media was absolutely buzzing about his performance on the opening day of training camp. Social media reacts to Kaleb Johnson at Steelers' training camp Huge run from rookie Kaleb Johnson #steelers #nfl I'm hesitant to call anything a big run given there's no pads, but one thing I'll say is Kaleb Johnson absolutely flies when he gets into open build up speed. I can't tell yinz how GOOD it feels having a RB that can hit the hole with a quick burst and Johnson. Kaleb Johnson's acceleration gets a 'woah' from the crowd as he bursts through the line for a long touchdown run. #Steelers It seems like Johnson is showing Steelers' fans what Hawkeye fans have known for a while: he's a big play threat with elite burst and acceleration. While he's still listed as the primary backup to Jaylen Warren, Johnson should see a lot of playing time in 2025 and will have a chance to battle for that starting spot very soon. Iowa fans will have a chance to see Johnson play as a Steeler for the first time on August 9, when Pittsburgh opens preseason play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
USA Today
5 minutes ago
- USA Today
Urban Meyer and Mack Brown predict the winner of Ohio State vs. Texas in Week 1
We're a little over a month from the college football season kicking off, and this year it opens with a bang, especially if you are an Ohio State fan, because the Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns in Week 1. It's a game everyone has been pointing to in the offseason, and for good reason. There's a great chance that it'll be a top-three matchup and a rematch of the classic College Football Playoff semifinal from last season. It's a little too early for us to dissect this thing and provide a prediction, but that has stopped others from weighing in on the game, especially as the season draws nigh. The latest to pontificate on how this one will play out are two guys with ties to each school. On a segment from the Triple Option podcast, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and former Texas head coach Mack Brown each provided a prediction for the game. To nobody's surprise, really, each went with their rooting interests and allegiances. For Meyer, it boiled down to one player that will be the best on the field. 'They have Jeremiah Smith, the best player in college football, and I don't think it's really that close,' Meyer said on the podcast. 'You can roll up on him, you can double him, and you can slow him down. But you can't stop him. … But they have other weapons. They've recruited so well at the skill positions there.' For Brown, it had more to do with the experience at quarterback and when the game is going to be played that will swing the balance. 'I didn't like that it's the opening game for either team, especially when one loses in the (College Football Playoff) semifinals and one wins the national championship and loses its quarterback,' Brown said. 'We had Louisiana-Lafayette the week before we went to Columbus and to the Shoe (in 2005), so we had a warmup and won 60-3. So we at least had the routine of getting on the bus and getting all of those new players together and Friday before the game and pregame — you're not gonna have that. You have that young quarterback at Ohio State (Julian Sayin), and this is Arch Manning's really big deal and it's gonna be in front of millions of people. 'I like Texas because they've got Arch back and Ohio State's inexperienced at quarterback. And I like the fact that it's at noon for Texas. I played at 8 o'clock at night (in 2005)." Well then, that doesn't give us much insight into this one really, does it? You'd expect both to lean towards their emotions and look for a reason the team they want to win, to do just that. Not to take away from Meyer and Brown, but we'll continue to look at those in the media that don't have some ties to each program to see how they feel. In fact, ESPN's Heather Dinich has also already weighed in with a prediction. Let the countdown continue ... Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
