Notre Dame football’s massive March 21 recruiting weekend has already produced its first verbal commitment.

On Wednesday, Waco (Texas) Midway four-star running back Lathan Whisenton announced his decision to play college football for the Fighting Irish. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder becomes the eighth member of Notre Dame’s 2027 class, which ranks No. 6 nationally. He chose the Irish over offers from 25 other Power Four programs, including a group of favorites that included Texas, Texas Tech and Florida.

“The academic standpoint,” Whisenton’s father told Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, explaining what separated Notre Dame. “As parents, we want to make sure our kids, you know, get a good education when they get done. Notre Dame has one of the most prestigious programs, one of the best degrees you can have.”

The younger Whisenton is one of the country’s top running back recruits. According to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from the three primary recruiting media services, he is the No. 29 running back, No. 357 overall player nationally and No. 52 prospect in Texas.

However, in Rivals’ own rankings, Whisenton checks in as the No. 171 overall player, No. 12 running back in the country and No. 20 recruit in Texas. His rise in the rankings follows an outstanding 11-game junior season in which he rushed for 1,502 yards and 24 touchdowns on 165 carries.

Whisenton’s production came against some of the top competition in Texas and caught the attention of Irish running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. Seider offered Rivals’ No. 4 running back in Texas the week after his junior season ended and visited him at his high school in January. He has since become a major factor in the junior prospect’s recruitment.

“Coach Seider knows ball,” Whisenton told Blue & Gold on Sunday following his first trip to South Bend. “He could teach me. He showed a little bit of how they do things during the position meeting. … Coach Seider really believes in his schemes and how he develops running backs. Even before Jeremiyah Love and JD (Jadarian Price), he coached the Penn State running backs, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. He knows what he’s doing.”

Irish coach Marcus Freeman also had a major impact in Whisenton’s decision.

”He’s different,” the elder Whisenton said. “He really is. You can tell he’s a real person, you know. Everything seems authentic with him, you know? He cares about his players and he cares about the program, he really loves the program. That really drove him.

“He’s a coach that’s approachable. He’s very very approachable and Seider was the same way … down to earth, people. That really connected with me and my wife.”

Whisenton the fourth Texas running back in six years to commit to Notre Dame

Whisenton follows Denison (Texas) High’s Price as the fourth Texas running back in the past six recruiting cycles to commit to Notre Dame. Last cycle, Seider helped the Irish sign Forney (Texas) High four-star running back Javian Osborne. The program also added four-star running back Kedren Young out of Lufkin (Texas) High in the 2022 cycle.

Like Young and Osborne, Whisenton fell in love with Notre Dame following his first trip to South Bend. In June 2023, Young — Rivals’ No. 5 running back nationally and No. 16 recruit in Texas in the 2024 class — committed to the Irish at the end of his official visit. Then last March, Notre Dame surged to the top of Osborne’s recruitment. The country’s No. 9 running back and No. 17 player in Texas publicly committed to the Irish two months later, on May 3.

Whisenton’s decision comes after his first recruiting trip up north. Before visiting Notre Dame, 26 of his previous unofficial visits were to schools in the South, including 22 in-state programs. He had previously been set to take official visits to SMU, Florida, Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech. Now, the Irish are expected to be the only program he considers moving forward. Whisenton is originally from St. Louis.

The Lathan Whisenton file

Following his junior season, 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.

Whisenton is also an exceptional track athlete. Earlier this year, he clocked a personal-best 10.51 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

His older brother, Landon Whisenton, is a rising sophomore defensive back at Angelo State, a Division II program in San Angelo, Texas.