San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo’s unofficial visit to Southern Cal was not last weekend’s only notable opposing trip. Like Faraimo, a Notre Dame 2025 class recruiting target, 36 2026 targets visited elsewhere during the NCAA recruiting quiet period.
Here are the five most notable ones that occurred. Most prospects chose to stay regional the weekend of July 27.
Chicago Simeon four-star DL McHale Blade (Miami)
Top 100 recruit McHale Blade took his first trip outside the Midwest. The No. 9 defensive lineman in the nation attended the Hurricanes’ recruiting cookout after visiting Notre Dame for the fourth time Thursday.
“They were the first school to offer me, and I feel like that really separated them,” Blade told CaneSport , On3’s Miami Fan Site. “That really meant a lot. They were the first school to ever offer me, so of course, I had to come back and show love.”
Blade skipped an extended family reunion to make it to Coral Gables with his immediate family. Still, the Irish remain the team with the most buzz for the No. 1 recruit in Illinois. He has been to South Bend four times since March and is a teammate of Notre Dame commit Christopher Burgess Jr.
RELATED: Notre Dame prioritizing elite Chicago DL McHale Blade after successful Grill and Chill visit
Chicago Mount Carmel four-star DL Braeden Jones (Wisconsin)
Braeden Jones is Notre Dame’s other priority defensive line target from Chicago in the 2026 cycle. The Irish initially expected the No. 184 overall player and No. 14 EDGE in the class to be in town for the Grill and Chill, but that visit ended up coming off the books.
The 6-5, 235-pound Jones told Blue & Gold that Notre Dame was “definitely No. 1” back in May. Then, his dream school, Ohio State, offered him in June. Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss are also involved.
Jones’ first trip to Madison, Wisc., was curious since the Irish had to beat out the Badgers for Matty Augustine , James Flanigan , Dominik Hulak , Anthony Sacca and Owen Strebig in the 2025 cycle.
Davison (Mich.) High four-star OL Ben Nichols (Wisconsin)
Like Jones, Ben Nichols was initially expected to be in town for the Irish’s Grill and Chill. However, the No. 187 overall player and No. 12 offensive lineman in the class became an early-week scratch, pushing his return visit to the season. Still, Wisconsin was able to get the 6-5, 315-pounder on campus for the first time.
Although Nichols wanted to see Wisconsin last weekend, Notre Dame is still trending well in this recruitment. The No. 3 recruit in Michigan has visited campus four times and constantly communicates with offensive line coach Joe Rudolph .
“I get to talk to them a lot,” Nichols told Blue & Gold last Wednesday . “They’re always telling me how great of a player I am, how well I’ll fit in at the program and what they like about me. They talk to me about themselves, too.”
Portage (Mich.) Portage Northern four-star OL Gregory Patrick (Michigan)
Gregory Patrick , the No. 118 overall player and No. 7 offensive lineman in the class, reported his fifth trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday. The Wolverines tied Notre Dame for a fifth visit after he made it to campus.
“I’m definitely starting to feel really comfortable there,” Patrick told The Wolverine . “It’s definitely a place I’ve obviously been to a decent amount of times now, so it’s become a pretty cool place to be. …
“It’s definitely become a really familiar place so far. My family has really enjoyed what Michigan has to offer. Really good education, and the university just speaks for itself alone. Obviously, the football is just the cherry on top of what Michigan has to offer.”
Patrick’s recruitment has all the makings to resemble Clarkston (Mich.) High product Rocco Spindler’s process. Spindler, the No. 4 offensive lineman in the 2021 class and No. 3 recruit in Michigan, stunned the in-state school by signing with the Irish. The outcome of Patrick’s recruitment is still to be determined.
Purcellville (Va.) Woodgrove four-star WR Connor Salmin (Penn State)
Penn State hosted Connor Salmin for the third time on Friday for the program’s Lasch Bash. The No. 319 overall player and No. 48 wide receiver in the class also participated in a workout while on campus and impressed.
“Salmin absolutely crushed testing and played well in the team portion,” Blue White Illustrated’s Sean Fitz said . “He’s 6-1, 195 and dipped into the 4.4s in the 40 on Friday. He also put up great, elite numbers everywhere else.”
Salmin also made it to North Carolina and West Virginia last week. The No. 9 junior in Virginia visited Notre Dame for the first time on June 10 and remains a top-of-the-board target in the 2026 cycle.
Where did Notre Dame recruits visit the weekend of July 27, 2024?
Here is where Notre Dame football’s other recruiting targets ended up at the start of the July quiet period, which concludes Thursday.
- Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield four-star CB Khary Adams — Penn State
- Mt. Zion (Ill.) High four-star TE JC Anderson — Florida, Penn State
- La Mesa (Calif.) Mount Miguel four-star ATH Brandon Arrington — Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alabama
- Harrisburg (Pa.) High four-star OL Kevin Brown — Penn State (committed during visit)
- Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School four-star LB Simeon Caldwell — Miami
- Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe four-star S J’Zavien Currence — Florida State, South Carolina
- Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park four-star EDGE Rodney Dunham — Duke, Tennessee
- Indianapolis Warren Central four-star DL JJ Finch — Tennessee
- Aledo (Texas) High four-star RB Raycine Guillory — Arkansas
- Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban four-star CB Elbert Hill IV — Ohio State, Oregon
- Bastrop (Texas) High four-star DL Tiki Hola — Texas
- Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal four-star LB Anthony Jones — Alabama, Auburn
- San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star EDGE Simote Katoanga — Oregon
- Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial four-star LB Tank King — Tennessee
- Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic four-star DL Jermaine Kinsler — Texas, Miami
- Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie four-star S Xavier Lherisse — Oklahoma
- Lucas (Texas) Panther Creek four-star WR Jalen Lott — Baylor, Texas A&M
- Boca Raton (Fla.) West Boca Raton four-star RB Javian Mallory — Miami
- Huntersville (N.C.) William Amos Hough four-star CB Samari Matthews — South Carolina, Florida State
- Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley four-star OL Tyler Merrill — Michigan
- Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High four-star DB Joey O’Brien — Michigan
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