The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one of the five finalists for interior offensive lineman Albert Simien. They're going up against the Texas A&M Aggies, Ole Miss Rebels, LSU Tigers and Nebraska Cornhuskers for his commitment.
Set to announce his decision on Friday, it's no surprise that so many teams are in the battle. At 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, he is a five-star recruit, the No. 2 interior offensive lineman and the No. 19 player in the nation, according to Rivals Industry Rankings.
The Fighting Irish have hosted the pass protector three times in South Bend. That includes an official visit on Friday. Simien later spoke to Rivals' Sam Spiegelman and recapped the experience.
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“South Bend was great," Simien said. "The Notre Dame visit was great. Getting to see the lifestyle of the student-athletes was the main thing to me.”
Since taking over as the full-time head coach in 2022, Marcus Freeman has maintained Notre Dame's strong tradition of winning. Over the past four years, he's gone 43-11 and even made a national championship appearance in 2024.
Simien went on to add that his connection with Freeman has been strong throughout the recruiting process.
"Getting to talk shop with Coach Freeman was great,” he added. “Coach Freeman and I talk shop every now and then. Mainly, just conversation to get a feel for each other as people.”
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With a commitment decision several days away, though, Notre Dame isn't the frontrunner. The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Fighting Irish the fourth-best chance (1.3%) to land Simien. They're behind Texas A&M (63.3%), LSU (29.9%) and Nebraska (2.2%).
Notre Dame will continue fighting to come out on top, though. Simien would be a major addition to its 2027 cycle, which already ranks third in the nation with 19 commitments.
