Get to know the class of 2027 prospects committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in this feature from Blue & Gold.
See below for background on each of the commits (listed in chronological order from newest to oldest).
Height: 5-11
Weight: 195
Commitment date: March 25, 2026
Rivals Ranking: No. 171 overall, No. 12 RB and No. 20 player in Texas
Notre Dame offered Whisenton at the end of November 2025, and he visited for the first time the following March for the staff’s junior day recruiting event. All it took was one visit for Whisenton; he committed to the Irish a few days after the trip. Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas and Texas Tech were among the other schools that offered him.
Whisenton had a strong 11-game junior season in which he rushed for 1,502 yards and 24 touchdowns on 165 carries. The Texas Sports Writers Association named Whisenton a Class 6A honorable mention. District 12-6A also recognized him as its most valuable player. Whisenton was a first-team All-District 12-6A selection after his 11-game sophomore campaign, during which he totaled 1,289 yards and 18 touchdowns on 204 carries. He earned district offensive newcomer of the year honors as a freshman in 2023 after recording 456 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.
Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons CB Xavier Hasan
Height: 5-11
Weight: 190
Commitment date: Dec. 15, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 33 overall, No. 6 CB and No. 3 player in North Carolina
Notre Dame showed that it can continue to recruit at a high level at the cornerback position and in the great state of North Carolina when it landed a commitment from Hasan, who also considered the likes of Ohio State, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida State, his other five finalists.
The Fighting Irish offered Hasan as part of its Pot of Gold day back in March 2025. Hasan’s first visit to campus was for the staff’s Irish Invasion camp a few months later, and he returned to South Bend for the Texas A&M game in September and the Navy contest in November.
Hasan didn’t get many targets thrown his way as a junior, limiting his statistical production. He posted 17 tackles (1 for loss), 3 interceptions and 1 pass breakup. He totaled four special teams return touchdowns. In March 2026, Hasan posted a personal record of 10.79 in the 100-meter race.
Cincinnati Anderson CB Ace Alston
Height: 5-11
Weight: 175
Commitment date: Dec. 9, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 72 overall, No. 10 CB and No. 3 player in Ohio
Notre Dame beat out the likes of Oregon, Ohio State, LSU and USC for the impressive four-star cornerback from Marcus Freeman’s and Mike Mickens’ stomping grounds of the Cincinnati/Dayton area. Alston visited Notre Dame five times prior to his commitment, including twice in the fall of 2025.
During his junior season, Alston allowed just 1.5 yards per coverage snap and 5 yards per completion while breaking up 16 passes and intercepting 2 others. He had 53 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss, an assisted sack and 1 fumble recovery in those 14 games.
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy LB Amarri Irvin
Height: 5-11
Weight: 215
Commitment date: Nov. 26, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 53 LB and No. 61 player in Florida
Irvin didn’t publicly narrow down his list, but his recruitment came down to Georgia, North Carolina and Notre Dame. And the Fighting Irish landed the talented linebacker prospect, who also held offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and many others. Irvin visited campus for the first time as a recruit in the summer going into his junior year and returned for the NC State game on Oct. 11, 2025. The Irish jumped out to a big lead for him at that point.
The last name Irvin is football royalty. Amarri’s father is a cousin of NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. His father, Sedrick Irvin Sr., was a star at Michigan State in the late 90s and played in the NFL from 1999-2003 with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Amarri’s older brother, Sedrick Jr., is a name Irish fans should be familiar with. He was committed to the Irish early in the 2023 class before the two sides parted ways. Sedrick Jr. signed with Stanford and is a junior running back for the Cardinal.
Height: 5-11
Weight: 180
Commitment date: Nov. 12, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 158 overall, No. 15 S and No. 11 player in California
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Notre Dame got a nice surprise the weekend it knocked off Navy (Nov. 8, 2025), as Terry committed to the Irish immediately following his second South Bend trip. His first visit to campus was for the 2025 Blue-Gold Game while he was still committed to Michigan State. He backed off that pledge a couple of months later. Experts had him pegged to USC, but the Columbus, Ohio native had other plans. He committed to the Irish over the Trojans and also held offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Miami, Penn State, Oregon, and LSU.
Terry’s junior season was exceptional. In 11 games (9-2 record), he recorded 62 stops, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, 16 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble. He’s been a varsity starter since his freshman year and has impressive career numbers: 179 stops, 10 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 quarterback hurries, 9 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 29 pass breakups, and 3 forced fumbles across three seasons. Terry was a first-team All-Orange County selection by OC Varsity and member of the Prep Redzone All-Southern California Sophomore Team for his efforts as a sophomore.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic OL James Halter
Height: 6-5
Weight: 268
Commitment date: Oct. 22, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 127 overall, No. 7 IOL and No. 5 player in Pennsylvania
The four-star prospect earned an offer from Notre Dame the weekend of his visit for the Texas A&M vs. Irish game in Sept. 2025, and it was clear that ND would be hard to beat in his recruitment. He’s the son of former Notre Dame offensive lineman Jordan Halter (1989-93), who played under legendary O-line coach Joe Moore. While in South Bend to see Notre Dame knock off USC, Halter informed the Irish staff of his commitment and announced it a few days later.
Halter chose Notre Dame over 18 other Power Four scholarship offers, including Ohio State, Penn State and North Carolina.
Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame De La Baie Academy DL Richie Flanigan
Height: 6-3
Weight: 280
Commitment date: Sept. 25, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 42 DL and No. 5 player in Wisconsin
As the younger brother of current Fighting Irish tight end James Flanigan and son of former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jim Flanigan, it was always expected that Richie would continue the family tradition. Blue & Gold predicted him to pick Notre Dame six months before he eventually chose the Irish over Michigan, Wisconsin and others. But the Irish staff put in the work to land Flanigan, and he knew he wanted to call South Bend home after visiting for the Texas A&M game on Sept. 13, 2025. Flanigan committed to the Irish as a defensive lineman, but the expectation moving forward is that he’ll play on the offensive line for the Irish.
During his state championship-winning season in 2024, Flanigan primarily played defensive tackle and right guard. Defensively, he recorded 35 tackles (14 solo), including 2 stops for loss and a sack. He was the only sophomore to earn a spot on the all-conference second team.
Asheville (N.C.) Christian Academy LS Sean Kraft
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215
Commitment date: June 24, 2025
Rivals Ranking: No. 1 long snapper and No. 38 player from North Carolina
Notre Dame takes a specialist on scholarship during most recruiting cycles, and Kraft became the first commit for the Irish in the 2027 class. Notre Dame started expressing interest in Kraft early in 2025, and special teams assistant Jesse Schmitt invited him to camp that June. Kraft worked out for Notre Dame on June 16, leading to his scholarship offer. He committed to the staff shortly thereafter. Kraft ranks as the No. 1 long snapper in the 2027 class according to Rubio Long Snapping.