Big boy from up north
Marcus Freeman has repeatedly said that Notre Dame is an offensive line and defensive line driven program. On Sunday, 4-Star offensive lineman, Gregory Patrick, gave his public commitment to Notre Dame and the 2026 Irish football recruiting class, making it the sixth commitment in a row from the trenches.
BREAKING: Four-Star IOL Gregory Patrick has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’5 275 IOL from Portage, MI chose the Fighting Irish over Michigan, Penn State, & Michigan State
“I’m home Go Irish ” https://t.co/MzvpD5ATz7 pic.twitter.com/L6wfZ1c3f3
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 13, 2025
Patrick chose the Irish over a long list of big-time programs including the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Penn State Nittany Lions. Alabama Crimson Tide, and many others from all over the country.
I think Patrick has the kind of traits to develop into a quality starter at Notre Dame, but there are other pieces that have sold me on him as a prospect as well. His father and his uncle (Nebraska) being FBS offensive linemen is a really good thing and Patrick is someone who already puts in work on the details of playing the position. He also is someone who has such a clear understanding of the culture of Notre Dame’s program and where the O-line fits within it.
This is Notre Dame’s 10th commitment for the 2026 recruiting class, and the second big lineman from the state of Michigan. Currently, Notre Dame’s class is ranked #6 in the country according to the 247 Team Composite Rankings.
As we said, Notre Dame is swallowing up big bodies right now. Patrick is the 4th offensive lineman in this class. While I don’t expect the Irish to add more to this class, there’s still room should Notre Dame believe that they can add more.
With offensive lineman, I think it’s important for a program like Notre Dame to continually add guys that are their top choices at the position. This is a recruit they wanted and worked very hard to get to commit. While overall rankings are important (Patrick is a top 175 overall BTW) it’s even more important to get the guys that fit the system the best. Notre Dame believes that — so I believe that.