Notre Dame’s 2027 class has already produced one of the loudest commitments in the cycle, and Albert Simien doesn’t sound like a player in any hurry to reopen things.
The 5-star offensive guard told Rivals’ Mike Singer that his mind is made up, and he made the point in plain language. Simien said he plans to visit South Bend a couple of times this fall, then added, “I’m very confident in my decision,” and “If Notre Dame isn’t playing, I’m not watching. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
That kind of statement won’t stop other programs from trying, but it does make the message pretty clear. Notre Dame’s commitment from the Louisiana standout has drawn plenty of flip chatter since he pledged on June 26, yet Simien is saying there’s no real doubt about where he expects to play in 2027.
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound lineman from Sam Houston High School in Lake Charles is ranked by 247Sports Composite as the No. 14 player in the 2027 class, the No. 2 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 2 player in Louisiana. He’s also carrying a long offer sheet that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Houston, Lamar, Liberty, LSU, McNeese State, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UTEP and West Virginia, among others.
Even with LSU in the picture, Simien’s path to Notre Dame makes sense based on what he told Singer. He said he did not grow up in a pro-LSU household, and he did not grow up watching LSU football. There was no built-in loyalty to the Tigers, and that helped explain why Texas A&M drew so many of his visits - about 10 over the last couple of years - while LSU got far fewer trips despite being the home-state program just a couple of hours away.
That background is part of why Notre Dame got traction early, landed the commitment, and appears to have held onto it even as other schools kept pushing.
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For Notre Dame, the concern is less about what happened elsewhere than about how long it can stay above the fray. The Irish have long sold themselves as different, with tradition and aesthetics carrying real weight in the programs identity, yet the pressure to keep pace with the sports financial arms race only keeps building. Every new patch agreement around the country makes the same question harder to avoid: how long can Notre Dame resist before the marketplace starts asking for its own compromise? [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger significance may be what the deal is designed to support. Notre Dame says the partnership will help power its 4 For Forever program, with money aimed at scholarships, financial education and career development, a reminder that the modern college sports marketplace is now shaping everything from branding to postgraduation preparation. For a program that has always guarded its traditions closely, the next question is how far it is willing to go in adapting to this new era. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Got A Playoff Prediction That Will Fire Up Fans
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The bracket gets even more intriguing from there, with Crawford sending Notre Dame all the way to the title game against Oregon. It is the kind of early projection that stirs up Irish fans because it suggests a path back to the biggest stage, even if the forecast ultimately has Oregon finishing the job and claiming the championship in a season that figures to be wide open. [Read more 🡒]