Notre Dame's coaching staff is hitting the road this week to visit commits and targets. In their 2024 recruiting class, the Irish have two commits that were once regarded as potential Division I basketball recruits: four-star wide receiver Micah Gilbert and four-star safety Brauntae Johnson.
The 2026 class is in its early stages but one prospect already on Notre Dame's radar is wide receiver Stephen Brown. Similar to Gilbert and Johnson, Brown is also a basketball recruit with an offer from Western Illinois and interest from Marquette.
The 6-foot-7, 175-pound wide receiver has made waves this fall as the No. 1 target for Chicago (Ill.) Marist with 17 receptions, 308 yards and one touchdown. He visited Notre Dame in September and is a candidate to pick up interest from the Irish or even an offer next year. He is connected with recruiting associate Carter Auman and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli on X/Twitter.
Inside ND Sports spoke with Brown early this week to get a gauge of his interest in the Irish for football, how his visit went and more.
On his September visit (his only football visit he took this season):
"The visit went amazing," Brown said. "I loved the environment. The best parts to me was meeting the staff and coaches and also being close to the players and seeing the college atmosphere. I met [wide receivers] coach [Chansi] Stuckey and [head] coach [Marcus] Freeman. It was great meeting them they made me feel very welcomed."
On how he plays the position:
"I’m a fast receiver who can beat my defender off the line with pure speed. My play style, I would say, is jumps balls because I’m taller than everyone and I can get to the ball before anyone else."
On what an offer from Notre Dame would mean:
"It would mean a lot to me to get an offer here. It would let me know that the work has been paying off."
Rivals has not currently assigned a rating or ranking to Brown in either sport. He has not yet received interest from Notre Dame men's basketball.
Basketball profile:
Link to full story:
InsideNDSports - 2026 two-sport recruit Stephen Brown on early radar for Notre Dame football
2026 two-sport recruit Stephen Brown is an intriguing prospect for Notre Dame football and basketball.
notredame.rivals.com
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