About 10 days after unofficially visiting Notre Dame for the second time, elite 2026 safety recruit Blaine Bradford has revealed where the Fighting Irish stand in his college football recruitment.
On Friday, Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic’s Bradford included Notre Dame in his Top 5 schools. Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon also made the cut.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — Bradford is the No. 10 overall player, No. 1 safety nationally and No. 3 prospect in Louisiana in the 2026 class.
In On3’s own rankings, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Bradford is the No. 10 overall player but ranked the same at his position and in the Bayou State.
According to the visit center on his On3 recruits profile, Bradford also unofficially visited Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon this summer. His last trip to nearby LSU occurred in January. Following his trip to South Bend, Bradford came away impressed by head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens .
“I think Coach Freeman is true to his heart,” Bradford told Blue & Gold on July 26 . “He really wants the best for everyone who comes on campus. Coach Mickens has a similar mindset to Coach Freeman with his own twist. They’re both good people.”
While Freeman and Mickens have important roles in Bradford’s Notre Dame recruitment, special teams coordinator Marty Biagi is the primary recruiter. Before Bradford’s sophomore season, Biagi offered him a scholarship on May 17, 2023.
Less than one month later, Bradford visited Notre Dame for the first time. He participated in the program’s Irish Invasion camp on June 4, 2023.
Freeman, Mickens and Biagi reaffirmed their interest in Bradford by connecting with him on Pot of Gold Day. The Irish shaped their 2026 recruiting board on March 17 during the St. Patrick’s Day-themed recruiting event by sending out about 85 new scholarship offers. Bradford was one of the few who already reported a Notre Dame offer.
Before narrowing down his recruitment, Bradford reported 28 scholarship offers. Among the schools that did not make the cut were Michigan, USC, Georgia, Texas, Florida State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Penn State.
Bradford’s brother, Jacob Bradford , is a four-star safety in 2025. The elder Bradford ranks as the No. 398 overall player, No. 37 safety in America and No. 11 prospect in Louisiana in the class. He is verbally committed to Houston.
The post Elite recruit includes Notre Dame football in competitive Top 5 appeared first on On3 .
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