As ND football continues stacking bodies for 2026, the Irish coaching staff has started peeking around the corner to a class that could redefine their defensive identity. And at the top of that 2027 generation board sits a freakish disruptor from Texas who’s drawn the kind of attention usually reserved for edge rushers with a future on Sundays. Marcus Freeman has a vision for what Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s defense should look like in three years—and it just might start with a Cedar Hill pass rusher who’s already knocking on the door of national stardom.
That player is Jalen Brewster, the No. 8 overall prospect and the third-best player in Texas in the 2027 cycle according to On3. Brewster has now officially entered Notre Dame’s orbit after receiving an offer earlier this week. “I am blessed to receive an offer from @NDFootball,” Brewster posted, tagging Irish defensive line coach Al Washington and his high school coach, Nick Ward. The message was brief but loud: Notre Dame is in, and so is Marcus Freeman.
Now the recruiting gunfight begins. Brewster is already being courted by college football’s top-tier predators. Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, LSU, and Indiana have all fired off offers. The defensive arms race is full throttle, and Notre Dame knows it’s walking into a heavyweight brawl. The timing of the Irish offer, just days after Brewster visited a certain SEC heavyweight, suggests Marcus Freeman is ready to punch back.
To make this work, Freeman’s going to need help from the Irish’s current defensive haul. Notre Dame’s recent work on that side of the ball hasn’t gone unnoticed. The 2026 class includes Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield CB Khary Adams, who ranks as the No. 30 overall prospect and the No. 3 corner in the nation. Adams also holds the title of top player out of Maryland, and his physicality fits the blueprint Freeman and Washington are crafting. Add another TX recruit, Bastrop (Texas) DL Tiki Hola—ranked No. 92 among DLs and No. 167 in Texas—and it’s clear: Notre Dame is looking to get meaner in the trenches.
Jalen Brewster would be a cornerstone in that plan. At 6-foot-3 with elite get-off and bend, he’s already built like the kinds of edge defenders Marcus Freeman helped coach during his defensive coordinator days. The Notre Dame pitch likely won’t revolve around hype but development, pedigree, and opportunity. Brewster would walk into a locker room that’s grown used to producing Sunday-ready defenders, with a staff that isn’t afraid to let young talent cook early.
#AGTG I am blessed to receive an offer from @NDFootball @CoachWash56 @TheCoachNWard @CoachGreedy @RecruitTheHill1 @On3sports @Rivals @247recruiting @TomLoy247 @samspiegs @MikeRoach247 @CharlesPower @TFloss32 pic.twitter.com/8lALv6OWsc
— Jalen Brewster (@j8ylen_) June 30, 2025
Still, there’s a SEC looming problem. One clad in Brewster’s visit just days ago looms over the process like a thundercloud in South Bend. Freeman knows that if he wants to pry a Texas defensive stud from SEC hands, it’s going to take relationship-building, elite development plans, and probably a little Irish magic. Over the next few months, Brewster’s name will keep ringing through the hallways of college football’s elite programs. Marcus Freeman made sure Notre Dame will be in that conversation.
As Marcus Freeman feared, Brewster’s was in Austin
If Marcus Freeman wants to land Jalen Brewster, he’ll have to pry him away from a place that’s already starting to feel like home. The five-star DL made the short trip over to Austin in June, and if his visit to the 40 Acres is any indication, the Longhorns are going to be a major player in his recruitment down the stretch.
Over the last few years, Brewster has become a one-man wrecking crew for opposing offenses—and the folks at Texas know it. That’s why the Horns have dialed in on building a ferocious 2027 front seven. Brewster would be a crown jewel alongside four-star LB Taven Epps, who’s already committed to the class. That duo would be a nightmare for any Big 12—or SEC—offense trying to establish the run or get vertical.
Scouts are drooling. “Jalen Brewster is an elite athlete at 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds,” On3’s Charles Power said in May. “He can really run. He’s had some fantastic showings on the camp circuit this spring. You can see the high-end movement skills and play-speed show up on Friday nights. His movement skills stack up really well with prior five-star defensive linemen, and you see him make plays all over the field.”
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