Notre Dame 2024 four-star defensive end target Loghan Thomas announced he’ll make his college commitment Wednesday.

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The 6-foot-4, 210-pound weakside defensive end from Katy (Tex.) Paetow High School visited the Irish last weekend and detailed his trip with Inside ND Sports.

Thomas is scheduled to make an official visit to Notre Dame on June 9-11. He doesn't have any other visits scheduled.

He is ranked as the No. 9 weakside defensive end in the 2024 recruiting class.

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Jimmy Clausen will always be an interesting debate: Would he have had a better NFL career if he was drafted by another team?

A new feature on The Insider Lounge just dropped Sunday night: The Heat Index.

I finished it late last night before I take a week of vacation starting today.

"The Heat Index: 2024 class" is intended to track Notre Dame's standing with its top remaining targets in the 2024 class and reflect a combination of the interest being shown by the recruit and how much Notre Dame is prioritizing said recruit.

We will keep it in the pinned/sticky section and update it accordingly. When meaningful updates are made, we'll create a new normal thread to highlight the changes.

This is something I've wanted to do for a while now, and I hope you find it valuable. It should make following the rest of the recruiting cycle a lot easier for our subscribers on The Insider Lounge.

I probably won't be able to answer many questions as I unplug for a week of vacation, but I don't always do a great job of staying away on vacation haha. Feel free to ask questions, though, because @Charleston Bowles and @Eric Hansen should have insight as well. Just be nice to them.

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I caught up with Notre Dame 2025 safety target Matai Tagoa'i Monday. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound recruit plays for former UNLV head coach Mike Sanford at Las Vegas (Nev.) Faith Lutheran. He is ranked as the No. 12 safety in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 3 player in Nevada.

Notre Dame extended an offer during its annual Pot of Gold Day recruiting event in March. Tagoa'i holds 18 offers including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and UNLV. His father, Will, played at UNLV.

Tagoa'i said he grew up watching Notre Dame because of Harrison Smith and most recently, Kyle Hamilton. Tagoa'i said he doesn't have a clear leader in his recruitment at this point but said he's very interested in furthering a relationship with the Irish. He detailed what's stood out to him so far.

“The Notre Dame brand and the culture that comes with being a part of that team,” Tagoa'i told Inside ND Sports. “The family aspect. The history that’s behind them. They’re showing me love [and in] the conversations we have, I can tell it’s a genuine aspect of wanting me to be the best player that I can be. They don’t only emphasize me being the best player, but being a good person.”

As a sophomore, Tagoa'i was named first-team All-Southern Nevada and second-team All-State. He recorded 73 tackles including 47 solo and six for loss. He also had one interception. He played offense and hauled in seven receptions for 103 receiving yards at wide receiver.

Tagoa'i told me he's planning to visit Notre Dame, Tennesee and Utah this summer and may line up a few more to different schools.

“I want to hear genuine things from the coaches that talk to me,” Tagoa'i said. “I just want the truth and to see what they could bring to the table on the academic side.”

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Worst for ND. At USC, 1964.

Worst loss to ND for Other Team. Miami, 1988.

Or #20 Iowa at #1 ND in 1953. We know how long Iowa fans have remembered that one.

Of course, this all depends on the eyes and memory of the beholder. What're yours?

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By vote of the league's 14 coaches:

2023 ACC Baseball Awards & All-Conference Teams

Player of the Year – Kyle Teel, Virginia, Jr., C

Pitcher of the Year – Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest, Jr., RHP

Freshman of the Year – Cam Cannarella, Clemson, Fr., OF

Defensive Player of the Year – Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina, So., OF

Coach of the Year – Tom Walter, Wake Forest


All-ACC First Team

Billy Amick, Clemson, So., DH/UT

Cam Cannarella, Clemson, Fr., OF

Alex Mooney, Duke, So., SS

Stephen Reid, Georgia Tech, Jr., OF

Yohandy Morales, Miami, Jr., 3B

Andrew Walters, Miami, So., RP

Jake Gelof, Virginia, Jr., 3B

Ethan O’Donnell, Virginia, Jr., OF

Griff O’Ferrall, Virginia, So., SS

Kyle Teel, Virginia, Jr., C

Jack Hurley, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF

Josh Hartle, Wake Forest, So., SP

Justin Johnson, Wake Forest, Jr., 2B

Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest, So., 1B

Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest, Jr., SP

Sean Sullivan, Wake Forest, So., SP



All-ACC Second Team

Chris Flynn, Boston College, Gr., SP

Caden Grice, Clemson, Jr., SP

James Tallon, Duke, Fr., RP

Jack DeLeo, Georgia Tech, Jr., OF

Angelo Dispigna, Georgia Tech, Sr., OF

Jackson Finley, Georgia Tech, So., DH/UT

Carson Liggett, Louisville, So., SP

CJ Kayfus, Miami, Jr., 1B

Dominic Pitelli, Miami, Jr., SS

Gage Ziehl, Miami, So., SP

Mac Horvath, North Carolina Jr., OF

Jackson Van De Brake, North Carolina, Jr., 2B

Jacob Cozart, NC State, So., C

Aidan Tyrell, Notre Dame, Gr., SP

Tommy Hawke, Wake Forest, So., OF

Brock Wilken, Wake Forest, Jr., 3B



All-ACC Third Team

Travis Honeyman, Boston College, Jr., OF

Joe Vetrano, Boston College, Jr., 1B

Cooper Ingle, Clemson, Jr., C

Jackson Baumeister, Florida State, So., SP

Kristian Campbell, Georgia Tech, Fr., 2B

Christian Knapczyk, Louisville, Jr., SS

Blake Cyr, Miami, Fr., 2B

Zach Levenson, Miami, Jr., OF

Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina, So., OF

LuJames Groover III, NC State, Jr., 3B

Kyle Hess, Pitt, Gr., OF

Ethan Anderson, Virginia, So., 1B

Connelly Early, Virginia, Jr., SP

Brian Edgington, Virginia, Gr., SP

Carson DeMartini, Virginia Tech, So., DH/UT

Seth Keener, Wake Forest, Jr., RP

Camden Minacci, Wake Forest, Jr., RP

*17 players on the third team due to a tie in the voting



All-ACC Freshman Team

Cam Cannarella, Clemson, OF

Andrew Fischer, Duke, INF

James Tallon, Duke, RP

Cam Smith, Florida State, 3B

Kristian Campbell, Georgia Tech, 2B

Blake Cyr, Miami, 2B

Casey Cook, North Carolina, OF

Dominic Fritton, NC State, SP

Cannon Peebles, NC State, C

Eli Serrano III, NC State, 1B

Brody Donay, Virginia Tech, C

Garrett Michel, Virginia Tech, 1B

Anyone know the first day of fall practice? With a week 0 game I am assuming they start early. thanks in advance.

Notre Dame 2024 linebacker target Chris Cole was awarded a Gold Ball at the Rivals Camp Series in New Jersey Sunday.

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Cole also was named Linebacker MVP at the Under Armour Next Football Camp in Baltimore (Md.) earlier this month.

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound defender attends Salem (Va.) High and is scheduled to take his official visit to Notre Dame June 9-11.

"My Notre Dame visit was great," Cole told Inside ND Sports after his April visit. "Had the opportunity to spend time with [defensive coordinator] Coach [Al] Golden, he touched on how well I fit in Notre Dame's defense, how they can take my great talent and develop me into a phenomenal skilled player with possibilities of playing at the next level.

With the latest commitment of four-star linebacker Bodie Kahuon, Notre Dame’s 2024 recruiting class currently has two linebacker commits with Kahoun and three-star athlete Teddy Rezac. The Irish likely have one linebacker spot remaining in their class.

Cole is rated as a three-star and reports 29 total offers including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami (FL), Northwestern, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

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Since UA is not renewing, who will step in, NIKE or Adidas

Story by @Tyler James

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Notre Dame 2024 power forward target Jackson McAndrew told me he's set an official visit to Notre Dame for June 16-18.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward received an offer from the Irish on April 13 and had positive things to say about head coach Micah Shrewsberry following his offer.

Now, he's eager to take the next step and visit the Irish.

"I’m very excited for the Notre Dame visit," McAndrew told Inside ND Sports. "It’ll be the first time I see everything there and will allow me to spend more time with players and coaches. Also, I will be able to check out campus and facilities."

McAndrew attends Plymouth (Minn.) Wayzata and led the Trojans to the Class 4A boys basketball state title after scoring 25 points in the championship game. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team for his performance throughout the postseason.

McAndrew plays for Howard Pulley Basketball on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit and said he’s had a productive spring.

"Our team has had a solid start to the Nike sessions," McAndrew said. "Training-wise, I have been able to get a lot in. We’ve got practices for AAU [and] I’ve been lifting four times a week, doing vertical and speed agility performance training three times a week, on-court training two times a week and tournaments most weekends. "

Rivals has McAndrew rated as a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. He is not ranked at his position or in his state. He previously said academics, coaches and player development are his biggest priorities in choosing a school.

McAndrew holds eight offers from Creighton, Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame, St. Thomas and Wisconsin. He visited Creighton in February and Wisconsin last October. He also took a game day visit to Iowa in March.

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I just watch a slide show about which schools have produced the most NFL players. ND was #1. What to guess the next four?

Hall of Famers: 14
Pro Bowl selections: 191
Highest AV: Alan Page (144)
Most touchdowns: Tim Brown (105)
Most games played: John Carney (302)
Bottom line: Whether or not Notre Dame is the greatest program in NCAA history is up for debate, but there’s no denying the impact that the Fighting Irish football program has had on the NFL. Not only have they sent the most players to the league, but they also have sent the most players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (14), which is perhaps an even better measure of the talent produced by a program.

This AM on ESPNU , Coach N recounts some of his interview with Brian Kelly after his year 1 in the SEC.

BK said he went to Swarbrick and asked for improvements to the program that it needs to make in order to win now.

Swarbrick told BK those things were on his board but were years off. BK felt like he'd be nearing retirement before ND pulled off the improvements he desired to be competitive with the playoff group, so he told Swarbrick at that moment he was going to leave. I don't know if he's saving face because Swarbrick never made mention to the latter part of that other than the fact CBK wanted improvements that Swarbrick could not immediately fulfill. Who knows if the latter part is a half truth or simply a face saving remark..

It sounds like Swarbrick is on board with what needs to change but the wheels are turning a little slower.

I know this has been alluded to and mentioned but I like making the posts when credible members of the media reference/quote the issues since sources tend to be "vague".

ND can't change it's geography, but it can change it's undergrad curriculum so more players can major in eligibility and to me that seems like the biggest difference from other big boy football schools.

Aside from those, it seems that facilities and NIL hookups are really the only other critical improvements. Would love to have been a fly on the wall for Swarbrick and CBKs meeting.

The latest here:

While playing center this past season for Notre Dame, Irish women's basketball transfer Lauren Ebo was busy off the court, earning a master's of science in managament.


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Four-star DE Loghan Thomas visited Notre Dame this weekend, and I just got off the phone with him.

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Thomas spent multiple days on campus in March and did the same this weekend. He said he had a great time on campus. He spent time learning more about the connections and network that Notre Dame creates for its student-athletes.

"The people" are what have really captured Thomas' interest in Notre Dame.

The Irish are recruiting him as a vyper end, which is intriguing to him.

On his relationship with defensive line coach Al Washington: "It's great. I talk to him at least three times a week. We hop on the phone. It really feels like family up there."

Thomas is scheduled to make an official visit to Notre Dame on June 9-11. He doesn't have any other visits scheduled currently. When I asked if there were any schools he wanted to visit that he hasn't scheduled yet, he said no.

Thomas would like to make a commitment decision by the start of the senior season.

The Irish are in a great spot with Thomas, and I'm going to put in a FutureCast prediction for Notre Dame to eventually land his commitment.

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I spoke with 2026 tight end prospect Jack Janda Sunday night. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound freshman attends Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's and already reports nine offers heading into the summer.

"It's Tight End U," Janda told Inside ND Sports. "That's kind of like my dream school. It's one of the places I want to go play football because I know they use their tight ends really well. That offer would mean pretty much ... it's what I've been working for. I could be their guy. I'm willing to work."

Janda said he's excited to watch Notre Dame's offense next season under offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Gerad Parker's new playcalling.

"They want to be a more versatile team," Janda said. "They're not just going to hang on the run, they can beat defenses with their pass game. I think [redshirt senior quarterback] Sam Hartman is one of the best quarterbacks in college football so I think that'll be huge for Notre Dame."

Janda had six catches, 61 receiving yards and one touchdown last season. He also had 11 tackles and one for loss at defensive end. He said his biggest strengths at tight end are blocking, getting yards after the catch and making defenders miss.

"I enjoy making those little blocks for the team that would get you an extra five to 10 yards," Janda said. "I'm getting back into the weight room trying to get stronger so I can get some more pancakes."

Rivals has not assigned any star ratings or rankings to prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.

Janda's nine offers include Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Illinois, Louisville, Ohio, Toledo and West Virginia.

"I'm looking for bigger ones," Janda said. "I'm trying to get a Notre Dame offer or a Michigan offer, those playoff team offers. I'm not trying to settle. Those MAC teams aren't bad, I'm just trying to go big."

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Was digging on Davion Dixon this week and it included some contact with him and let me just say beyond the ball (which is great obv), this kid is one who 'gets it.' One doesn't pick ND this early on without some of it, but the business-like approach DD has within his own daily regimen is impressive relative to others 16/17-year olds I've come across in this biz. Other schools are starting to catch up, as Georgia and Ohio State just offered in the last 10 days, so there is a long way to go -- but this isn't the typical flip-floppy south Florida kid. Sure it's early, but this kid has fan favorite traits about him so just wanted to pass along.

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Heck of an offseason for team Harbs.

This one looks like their O’Leary fiasco.

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How do our lacross fans see this one? JH is virtually at home.

I'll use this thread to update June official visitors that I'm adding to the running visitors list thread.

Tonight I've confirmed ...

2024 safety target Paul Mencke Jr. for June 2-4.

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Mencke also has official visits planned for Duke (16-18), Washington (20-23) and Stanford (23-25).

2024 safety target Davis Andrews for June 6-8.

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Andrews also has official visits planned for UCLA (May 26-28) and Utah (June 9-11)

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I caught up with 2025 defensive tackle target Zion Williams Friday evening. He reported an offer from Notre Dame earlier today.

He attends Lufkin (Tex.) High and is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals. He is ranked as the No. 8 player in Texas for the 2025 recruiting class.

Williams received his offer during a phone call with running backs coach Deland McCullough.

"I know it's one of the best schools in the nation," Williams told Inside ND Sports. "I knew that way beforehand. I think the fact that they are all the way in Indiana and offered me from Texas really kind of solidified in my mind that I got to keep working because they gave me a shot. I'm getting used to this feeling but I'm always going to be excited when an offer happens."

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound defender didn't play varsity until his sophomore season. He also participates in shotput and powerlifting.

"In this level, I'm like twice the size and weight of most dudes I go up against," Williams said. "Shotput and powerlifting really help with my explosiveness. I think most people aren't prepared for that. I don't want anybody to be better than me in Texas at this point."

Williams holds seven offers from Notre Dame, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UTSA. He said he's planning to major in engineering or business management.

Williams said he hasn't been to a college football game and would love to visit Notre Dame in the fall. He also highlighted an important factor in his recruitment process.

"Talking to me on a consistent level is a big thing for me," Williams said. "Communication is a really big thing for me. I feel like if you really were to want me, just talk to me. I'm a very talkative person. I love to talk to people. Texas, yes, it's an amazing place but I eventually want to get out of Texas. I don't know if I want to stay in Texas for college."

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