Notre Dame’s hold on 2028 quarterback Trey Tagliaferri barely made it through the week.
Just six days after the Bergen Catholic signal-caller committed to the Fighting Irish, he backed off that pledge Wednesday evening, creating one of the more unusual recruiting turns of the Marcus Freeman era. It may also be the fastest flip the program has seen.
Tagliaferri has not made a formal public statement himself, but he did repost Hayes Fawcett’s update on the change, which backed up the analysts’ reporting. The move leaves Notre Dame right back at square one in its search for a quarterback in the 2028 class.
And it comes at a tricky moment. A number of other quarterbacks in that class have already committed elsewhere since Tagliaferri chose Notre Dame, so Freeman and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli may now go after those same pledges. Schools sitting comfortably with their 2028 QB commitments may want to keep an eye on South Bend.
For Tagliaferri, the next stop may already be taking shape. No official prediction has been logged yet, but Rivals’ RPM has Oklahoma trending to land the 4-star prospect.
The Sooners had been in the mix for a while. Tagliaferri previously praised Brent Venables’ program, going so far as to call it “Quarterback U.” He also visited Norman the weekend before his official trip to Notre Dame, which may have been a sign that Oklahoma had made real ground in his recruitment.
That said, Tagliaferri’s Notre Dame commitment itself was never exactly a long-planned announcement. When he pledged on Father’s Day, he said he didn’t arrive in South Bend expecting to commit. He described making what felt like a sudden decision on the field, with his parents backing him up.
The decommitment stings for Notre Dame because Tagliaferri isn’t just another name in the class. He earned a pile of honors in 2025, including N.J. Football All-State third-team offense, Jersey Sports Zone’s Non-Public Offense, All-Bergen County first-team offense and Super Football All-Division first-team offense.
His sophomore numbers explain the buzz, too. In 11 games, Tagliaferri completed 131 of 211 passes for 2,215 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown.
Still, there’s at least some reason Notre Dame may not be devastated for long. Tagliaferri never quite matched the kind of quarterback profile the Irish have been targeting lately, and he doesn’t bring the mobility of CJ Carr, who is not exactly a scrambling quarterback himself.
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