
Notre Dame football ends its commitment drought, 2026 edge verbals to the Irish
Notre Dame football ends its commitment drought, 2026 edge verbals to the Irish
The last Notre Dame football 2026 commitment came in at the end of January when offensive lineman Tyler Merrill made his verbal pledge, but the drought is finally over.
North Carolina edge Ebenezer Ewetade is the one who ended the streak, and it was well worth the wait. The 6-foot, 4-inch and 221-pounder is ranked as the nation's No. 152 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
This is an impressive recruiting win for the Irish, as they beat out schools like Alabama, Georgia, Florida State and others. Ewetade had a huge junior season, as he racked up 10 sacks and four forced fumbles according to MaxPreps.
Notre Dame now has eight total commits for the 2026 cycle, a class that is ranked as the No. 11 overall group according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. Every other team ranked ahead of the Irish have more commitments than they do with the exception of Oregon. It is looking like Marcus Freeman is putting together another impressive group.
Report: Notre Dame has good chance of landing four-star running back
Notre Dame misses out on Florida safety Simeon Caldwell who commits to Ohio State
Notre Dame football makes the cut with 2026 Texas athlete Legend Bey
Hashtags

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


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame pledge Mason Barth wins state baseball title
Notre Dame baseball commit Mason Barth is once again a state champion. The Andrean (Merrillville, IN) right-handed pitcher/shortstop struck out Jasper's A.J. Huelsman with the bases loaded for the final out Friday night to help his team capture the IHSAA Class 3A State Championship in Indianapolis. No. 1 Andrean scored two runs in the 6th inning and two more in the 7th before holding off Jasper in a 4-3 win at Victory Field in Indy. It is the ninth state title in program history for the 59ers. The powerhouse is 9-2 all-time in state championship games, with all nine titles coming within the last 20 years. The nine championships put the program in a tie with Lafayette Central Catholic for most all time. Andrean finished with a 31-3 record. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Barth committed to Notre Dame in October 2022. Andrean head coach Dave Pishkur stated a few years back that Barth was the second-best freshman he's ever coached. 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 Dave on X: Miller_Dave


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
How many wins will Auburn earn in 2025? ESPN's Greg McElroy weighs in
An upgraded roster should propel Auburn to a winning season says the former Alabama quarterback. Auburn football finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record, but was a few plays away from having a completely different season. Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has worked this offseason to upgrade his roster, enhancing several areas, including wide receiver, offensive line, defensive back, and quarterback. Will those upgrades push Auburn into a winning season? One ESPN analyst thinks so. During a recent episode of his Always College Football show, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy weighed in on Auburn's projected win total, saying that he "loves" the idea of Auburn turning in a winning product in 2024, starting with Jackson Arnold as a replacement for Payton Thorne at quarterback. McElroy looks for Arnold to overwrite issues that plagued Thorne last season. 'I mean, flat out, there's no denying it, if (Thorne) doesn't turn the ball over against Cal, if the turnovers don't happen against Oklahoma, if they don't start the backup (Hank Brown) against Arkansas, I think it's a very different season for the Auburn Tigers (in 2024),' McElroy said. Outside of roster improvements, McElroy believes that a hot start is vital for the Tigers. A strong win over Baylor to open the season and road wins over Texas A&M and/or Oklahoma will put Auburn at four or five wins before hosting Georgia to begin the October slate, which will carry momentum into the rest of the season. So, what is McElroy's prediction for Auburn's 2025 win total? 'So yes, I think, Auburn absolutely will have a winning season this year. I'd be surprised if it's not eight or nine wins,' McElroy said. Auburn begins the season on Friday, Aug. 29, at Baylor. The Tigers also have a favorable schedule that features home games against Georgia and Alabama, and an SEC slate with five teams that won eight or fewer games last season. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Two UNC quarterbacks earn prestigious offseason camp invites
UNC's two starting quarterback candidates will spend their summers at a exclusive academy. The North Carolina Tar Heels enter their 2025 football season with plenty of hype, but also without a clear-cut answer at starting quarterback. UNC began 2024 with Max Johnson, but he broke his leg in the opener at Minnesota. North Carolina then started Conner Harrell for a few games, but Jacolby Criswell quickly took over after proving to be more effective. The Tar Heels were extremely active in the transfer portal, adding talented South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez. There's no telling yet whether Johnson or Lopez earns the starting nod, but a quarterback competition is certainly brewing in Chapel Hill. As Johnson and Lopez continue competing for North Carolina's QB1 spot, they recently received some exciting news, with both earning invites to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy from June 26-29. If the name doesn't give it away, the Manning Passing Academy is run by – you guessed it – Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning. Peyton is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Eli won two Super Bowls against Tom Brady and Archie is their dad. Johnson brought four seasons of experience as an SEC starting quarterback into Chapel Hill, so he gives UNC the more experienced option. Lopez thrived during 2024, his first year as South Alabama's starter: 2,559 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 465 rushing yards and seven additional scores on the ground. It's a pretty big deal for quarterbacks to receive Manning Passing Academy invites. North Carolina is in big need of consistent quarterback production this coming fall – are Johnson and Lopez ready to step up? Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.