SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Eight thoughts on Notre Dame’s 25-man 2025 recruiting class, which got a big boost as the early signing period began Wednesday.

1. And all of a sudden, the perception of Notre Dame’s recruiting class changed.

Notre Dame signed four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo on Wednesday, beating perceived favorite USC and former finalist Texas. Marcus Freeman brought his own news and casually mentioned the addition to open his press conference.

This was the type of recruiting Notre Dame needed to win, for a linebacking corps that has become one of the best in the country and to reinforce the notion that recruiting has progressed. Faraimo is a top-100 prospect from Oceanside, California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. There was no organic connection to Notre Dame, only the one the program could make. The signing of Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa last year helped. The exchange with alumni – football and regular players – helped. A team that included Freeman, Al Golden and Max Bullough helped.

But Faraimo had to say yes, something he wasn’t ready to do on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Freeman urged Faraimo to “choose hard,” which can be a losing proposition given the wrong outlook. When Faraimo made his decision, he told Freeman that he “chose God,” underscoring the suitability and need to land him.

The best in California choose Notre Dame@MaddenFaraimo has officially signed #2TheeIri5h#GoIrish☘️ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/D8RN2L7qIV

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 4, 2024

In other words, USC and Texas didn’t have to sign Faraimo. At the top of the recruiting food chain, they had other options. Notre Dame had no other options, unless you count Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, who dropped out of consideration late and committed to Michigan. However, the need to sign Faraimo doesn’t make the deal any easier to complete. It makes it all the more worthwhile for Notre Dame to get his signature.

“Yes, there is some truth to the recruiting rankings, but I think more importantly, we still have to trust our judgment and our eyes when it comes to attracting the right people to this program,” Freeman said. “Obviously you’ve heard me say this before. We can’t recruit everyone. We have to recruit the people who fit this place, but we want to get the best players in the country who fit in.”

2. In the 247Sports Composite, Faraimo is the No. 2 player in Notre Dame’s class, behind offensive tackle Will Black. This makes him the highest-ranked defensive player in a line that has been outstanding on the defensive line. The Irish couldn’t have done better at defensive back than the six new signings, which included Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery IV.

Linebacker production on the field morphed into linebacker production in recruiting, and the same happened at defensive back. There are no better recruiting billboards than the seasons of Xavier Watts, Christian Gray and Leonard Moore, with freshman cornerback being the most compelling pitch.

Not every newcomer will play right away. That’s okay. But by showing prospects that the staff isn’t afraid to go young, the recruiting office at least has some leeway.

3. Offensive recruiting has been so strong at Notre Dame over the last decade that it hardly makes a difference if the Irish have three four-star prospects and a single three-star prospect who is 6-foot-10, 287 pounds oblige. And Matt Augustine is the smallest of the three offensive tackle candidates signed by Notre Dame, along with Black (6-7, 292) and Owen Strebig (6-7, 292). The Irish also brought in center Cam Herron from Indianapolis.

The best thing about the class for Notre Dame is that the Irish probably won’t need them to contribute for years. This is how healthy offensive spaces are created: two years in the weight room and on the practice field before going into the lineup. Notre Dame couldn’t afford to play this waiting game with Anthonie Knapp, and the offense suffered because of it. With successive strong classes at the top, the Irish shouldn’t have to go down this route again.

4. Freeman reiterated what he said a year ago when asked about plans to sign a transfer quarterback this winter. After choosing Riley Leonard, Notre Dame didn’t want to spend money again in this market. Freeman confirmed that the Irish would not do this. Given the costs associated with defensive tackles and the needs of the wide receiver, this is a smart business move. It’s also good news for Notre Dame because it means CJ Carr remains on track to compete for the job this spring.

5. Freeman keeps talking about how he wants to “major in high school recruiting” and just “minor” in the transfer portal. I understand it. Notre Dame doesn’t work when it builds its roster like Colorado. Different approaches for different programs and different universities.

But why can’t Irish be a double major?

Notre Dame has had a higher hit rate in transfer recruiting than secondary school recruiting over the last two cycles, which makes sense given the amount of film available. Yes, it is more complicated and expensive to deal intensively with the portal. It’s probably not sustainable. But the Irish didn’t give themselves much of a choice between wide receiver or defensive line with this recruiting class. And the maturity of a college graduate may play a bigger role at Notre Dame than that of a high school prospect anyway.

6. When asked about wide receiver recruiting on Wednesday, Freeman seemed taken aback by the implication that Notre Dame hasn’t nailed the position and doesn’t have a good product to sell.

It’s worth remembering that the Irish have had a 100-yard performance by a wide receiver over the past three seasons combined. The leading receiver on this year’s team is Beaux Collins (34 catches, 427 yards, two touchdowns). Irish wideouts have totaled nine receiving touchdowns this year. Kris Mitchell had six last season at FIU alone.

“We are looking for speed, but also really good football players. That’s what we’ve accomplished with this class of wideouts,” Freeman said. “We are very excited about this and will continue to recruit wideouts at a high level.”

Perhaps Elijah Burress, Scrap Richardson and Jerome Bettis Jr. — all outside the top 250 in the country, with Bettis being the lowest-rated position player in the class at No. 853 overall and No. 125 at receiver — will exceed expectations. But while Notre Dame has earned an advantage in terms of development at defensive back, the opposite is true at receiver. How Notre Dame handles the portal at wideout will say a lot about how the staff views the spoils.

7. The biggest sleeper in this class might be running back Nolan James Jr.

The running back from DePaul Catholic in New Jersey was a long-time commitment to Boston College before the Irish decided to upgrade their running back class when Justin Thurman (Kansas) and Daniel Anderson (Northwestern) moved on. James is stronger than both and is the kind of all-purpose defender who weighs more than 5-9,200 pounds. He’s not Jeremiyah Love or Jadarian Price, but he’ll fit into Notre Dame’s running back room better than any of the previous players.

8. Notre Dame’s class was ranked 12th in the 247Sports Composite as of Wednesday night, with three top-100 signees and 14 four-star players. Overall, Notre Dame’s class has enough talent to settle the debate (if there still is one) that the program recruits more under Freeman than it did under Brian Kelly. This is another byproduct of Faraimo landing at the end.

Now that we have the final numbers of Notre Dame’s recruiting classes following the Madden Faraimo commitment, here are ND’s final 16 classes

It’s certainly a step down from the 2022-24 classes, but the average player rating is still higher than all but two Kelly classes pic.twitter.com/WC6ZYMaFoY

– Notre Dame Football Stats and Analysis (@ND_FB_Analytics) December 4, 2024

Are the Irish closing the gap on Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama? It’s hard to argue that with conviction. But Notre Dame is still improving in the recruiting department compared to most of the last decade.

(Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)