Notre Dame football closing quickly on one of the most productive wide receiver recruits in the 2025 class

Notre Dame football hosted 2025 Cibolo (Texas) Steele pass catcher Jalen Cooper for the first time last weekend for their game against Stanford . Cooper is currently committed to SMU, but the Fighting Irish have certainly been trending in a great direction recently. According to multiple sources around the Notre Dame program, that visit could not have gone better.

It appears the next step for Cooper is to decide between two options, sticking with the Mustangs, or opting for the Irish. A decision is expected over the next week or so, and from the sound of it, the Notre Dame option sounds like the much more likely outcome at the moment. The allure centers around what the school can provide both on and off the field.

If Notre Dame does finish the deal, landing Cooper would be massive. He initially committed to SMU back in early July, but that hasn’t stopped schools like Notre Dame, Texas A&M , Baylor, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State to continue pursuing heavily. Getting a productive pass catcher like this out of Texas would be a tremendous accomplishment for Mike Brown, and the entire Irish staff.

Both On3 and Rivals have Cooper ranked as a four-star player. On3 is especially high on him, ranking Cooper as the No. 104 overall player and No. 16 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class. Cooper is also ranked as the No. 22 player in the state of Texas, one of the best states in terms of consistently developing high level talent.

The 6-1, 165-pound pass catcher is one of the most productive wide receivers in the entire county. As a junior, he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,661 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging a stellar 24.4 yards per catch. That production has continued through six games this season, exploding for 612 yards and five touchdowns on just 34 receptions.

If Cooper does land with the Irish, he would join Antavious Richardson, Jerome Bettis Jr., and Elijah Burress as the four-man wide receiver class. Notre Dame is also interested in potentially taking a fifth wide receiver as well, with names like Isaiah Mizell still on the board. That would be a tremendous wide receiver recovery after some preseason woe