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Wednesday, April 22, 2026
The Observer

Sports


The Observer

Christian Gray signs, becomes highest ranked Irish cornerback recruit since 2015

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The Irish continue to add skill to the class of 2023 with the addition of cornerback Christian Gray. The St. Louis native made his verbal commitment to the Irish back in July after a longstanding interest in the school. Other programs such as LSU, Ohio State, Alabama and USC were on the radar, but cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and Marcus Freeman were able to snag the 6-foot cornerback. 


The Observer

Drayk Bowen joins loaded linebacker corps after spectacular high school career

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Notre Dame sealed the deal on one of its top prospects Wednesday morning, as linebacker Drayk Bowen inked his National Letter of Intent. Bowen, an in-state player hailing from Andrean High School in Merrillville, had verbally committed back in November 2021. He selected the Irish after receiving offers from 25 power five programs, including Michigan, Clemson, Texas and Penn State. Bowen also plans to play baseball at Notre Dame. As a shortstop, he captured the Class 3A state baseball championship last spring.


The Observer

‘A rare sort of speed’: Micah Bell signs with Notre Dame

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The Notre Dame class of 2023 added another top recruit with the signing of four-star athlete Micah Bell. Ranked No. 141 nationally, according to Rivals, Bell joins a stacked Notre Dame class that is ranked fourth just behind perennial college football powerhouses Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.


The Observer

Baton Rouge native Jaiden Ausberry signs with the Irish

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Outside linebacker Jaiden Ausberry signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday joining Notre Dame’s fourth-ranked class of 2023. A four-star prospect ranked No. 205 nationally according to Rivals, Ausberry holds a 5.8 Rivals rating and stands as the 15th-best player out of Louisiana.

The Observer

Irish defensive line signee Devan Houstan looks to make an instant impact

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Devan Houstan grew up in Ontario, Canada, before deciding to attend boarding school at St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland in order to pursue his football career. That decision paid off, as Houstan signed a National Letter of Intent with Notre Dame on Wednesday. Rivals considers Houstan a four-star prospect and ranked him as the No. 20 defensive tackle nationally as well as the No. 5 player in Maryland. Giving him a 5.8 player rating, Rivals ranks Houstan as a potential All-American and day two NFL draft selection. He verbally committed to Notre Dame in May after receiving offers from over 20 Power Five programs and will join a strong Irish defensive line group led by defensive line coach Al Washington. Houstan is the lone defensive tackle signee for the Irish. However, he joins highly touted defensive ends Brenan Vernon, Boubacar Traore and Armel Mukam.



The Observer

Boubacar Traore signs letter of intent, adds athleticism to 2023 class

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Defensive lineman Boubacar Traore officially signed with Notre Dame on National Signing Day, inking in his commitment with the Irish. Traore initially committed to Boston College in Aug. 2020, but he received an offer from Notre Dame on Oct. 2, 2021. Traore then de-committed from Boston College in March 2022 before verbally committing to the Irish on April 27, 2022. Traore also received offers from Pittsburgh and Michigan. Before his commitment to Notre Dame, many recruiting analysts thought Michigan had a great chance at landing Traore.


The Observer

Sam Pendleton locks in commitment, adds to Irish offensive line class

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A verbal commit since April, offensive lineman Sam Pendleton is officially Irish. He signed on Wednesday to lock in his commitment with Notre Dame. Pendleton is one of two recruits out of North Carolina in this year's cycle for the Irish, joining Sullivan Absher on the offensive line. The Irish won both recruitment battles over the Clemson Tigers. Early in February, a few crystal ball predictions picked Pendleton to head to Clemson, but he verbally committed to Notre Dame on April 25.




The Observer

Longtime safety commit Adon Shuler signs letter of intent with Irish

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On Wednesday morning, New Jersey and Irvington High School product Adon Shuler officially signed his National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Notre Dame. Shuler was one of Notre Dame’s longest-standing pledges, verbally committing to the university in August of 2021. He affirmed his initial pledge despite picking up offers from college football heavyweights like Alabama and Georgia over the course of the last year. According to Rivals, Shuler ranks as the 22nd-best prospect in Notre Dame’s fourth-ranked 2023 recruiting class.



The Observer

Ohio native Brenan Vernon officially signs with Irish

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Top defensive end commits from Ohio do not often leave the Buckeye State, but Notre Dame has broken the trend. Brenan Vernon of Mentor, Ohio signed his National Letter of Intent for the Irish on Wednesday morning. Vernon, who recently visited South Bend for the Clemson game, made a verbal commitment in June 2021. He opted away from 13 Power Five offers, including Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and in-state powerhouse Ohio State.


The Observer

Sullivan Absher signs, adds to Irish offensive line class

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Offensive lineman Sullivan Absher officially committed to Notre Dame on National Signing Day. The second highest ranked offensive lineman in Notre Dame’s recruiting class, Rivals gave Sullivan Absher a ranking of 5.8. This means he could be drafted in the early rounds of the NFL draft and is a possible All-American candidate. The Belmont, North Carolina native ranks as the 22nd-best offensive lineman and 7th-best recruit coming out of North Carolina for the Class of 2023. 



The Observer

Men’s Basketball ships Terriers back up to Boston

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The fourth ever meeting between the Irish and the Terriers came on the heels of Notre Dame’s close loss to Syracuse last Sunday. The Irish, 6-2 coming into the match-up, looked to build on their successes seen on defense and from the line, ending the game with a close 81-75 victory. Notre Dame is currently sixth in the country on free throw percentage. All of the starters (graduate guard Dane Goodwin, Trey Wertz, freshman guard J.J. Starling, graduate guard Cormac Ryan and graduate forward Nate Laszewski) all have been averaging more than 10 points a game.


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No. 19 ND welcomes No. 5 PSU in must-win series

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Last week, Notre Dame fell to No. 20 on both the USCHO and USA Today polls. After a weekend of inaction, the Irish rose to No. 19, thanks to a team ahead of it falling out of the rankings. This weekend, the Irish will take on No. 5 Penn State at home at Compton Family Ice Arena.


The Observer

First-ever ZeLO 64-team CFP

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Have you ever looked at the College Football Playoff and thought, “I would love an expanded tournament”? Well, I have good news, this year, it was announced that the CFP would expand to 12 teams, making the CFP much more accessible to more teams.



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Full-strength Irish prepare for midweek matchup against Boston University

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Following their first loss of the season at the hands of St. Bonaventure, Notre Dame men’s basketball responded by defeating No. 20 Michigan State by nearly 20 points. After narrowly falling against Syracuse on Saturday, 62-61, the Irish will hope to bounce back in a similar way as they host Boston University on Wednesday night.