(Notre Dame) — Marcus Freeman made clear from the first day he took over as Notre Dame head coach that recruiting is the lifeblood of the program.

Right now, that blood is pumping.

Freeman and his staff continued a surge in recruiting Friday by getting a commitment from 5-star offensive lineman Albert Simien of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The 6-3, 295-pounder is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the country and chose the Irish over LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

With Simien on board, Notre Dame is up to 21 total commitments in 2027, with five of those being offensive linemen.

Earlier this week, the Irish added a quarterback for the recruiting class of 2028, when Trey Tagliaferri of New Jersey committed to Notre Dame. Tagliaferri, a 6-1, 195-pound star at Bergen Catholic HS, threw 29 touchdowns with just three interceptions last season.

He picked Notre Dame over schools like Indiana, Penn State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, and more.

Most recruiting rankings have the Irish at #2 for the 2027 class, behind Texas A&M.

Notre Dame has now landed commitments from four Class of 2027 New Jersey prospects – Tagliaferri, Bergen Catholic five-star defensive lineman Jackson Vaughn, St. Peter’s Prep five-star offensive lineman Olu Olubobola, and Don Bosco Prep four-star defensive lineman Aidan O’Neil.