Notre Dame has never treated Indiana like a gold mine, and for good reason. The state doesn’t usually churn out a flood of Power 4 prospects. But every so often, there’s a player in the Hoosier state who should be in the Irish pipeline - and when those guys slip away, the regret lingers.
The misses aren’t endless, but the ones that got away hit hard.
Pete Werner is a perfect example. The Mount Vernon linebacker was a 4-star prospect in the 2017 class and committed to Notre Dame in the spring of 2016, giving the Irish what looked like the No. 2 player in the state.
Then came the 4-8 season, and Werner backed off Brian Kelly and the unsettled staff in South Bend. A few weeks later, he landed at Ohio State instead.
That decision worked out just fine for Werner. He put together a strong run with the Buckeyes, finishing with 185 tackles, 4 sacks and 11 passes defended, then moved on to the NFL and has been a steady piece for the New Orleans Saints for the last five years. For Notre Dame, though, he’s the kind of linebacker who would have fit neatly into Brian Kelly’s early years.
Jeff George belongs on any Indiana recruiting regret list. The Indianapolis quarterback first chose Purdue, then Illinois, over Notre Dame and went on to have a major college career before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick.
George’s numbers tell the story: 6,212 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He also delivered an MVP performance against the Virginia Cavaliers in the 1990 Florida Citrus Growers Association Florida Citrus Bowl. In 1989, his final college season, he threw for 2,738 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Rondale Moore is a little different on paper, since he wasn’t technically an in-state recruit when he committed to Purdue after spending his final high school year in Louisville. Still, he had clear Indiana ties, including a year in New Albany, and he remained connected enough to the state to count in this conversation.
Moore became a star at Purdue and then reached the NFL, but his story carries a heavy note. The former All-World wide receiver died in February 2026. His college career, though, was as electric as advertised.
Then there’s George Karlaftis, the kind of player Notre Dame is supposed to land. The 5-star edge rusher played at West Lafayette and stayed home with Purdue. Even without much team success, he was one of the sport’s best at his position.
From 2019 to 2021, Karlaftis piled up 97 tackles, including 29 for loss, along with 14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, an interception and 1 touchdown. He later became a first-round pick and a Super Bowl contributor with the Kansas City Chiefs. A dominant Indiana defensive lineman ending up at Purdue is exactly the sort of recruiting miss that stings Notre Dame the most.
In Other News...
ACC Finally Changed The Rule Notre Dame Fans Hated Last Year
The ACC has finally moved to clean up a championship tiebreaker system that left plenty of room for frustration last season, and that matters in South Bend because Notre Dame has a front-row seat to how the league handles its title race. Head-to-head matchups still sit at the top of the chain, but the conference has also added Team Success Ranking by Sport Source Analytics as a later tiebreaker, a sign the league is trying to make the process feel more modern and more in line with how the College Football Playoff evaluates teams.
There is also a practical wrinkle built into the new setup with the conferences shifting schedule model, as the ACC will account for how many league games a team played so nobody is helped or hurt simply for landing on an eight-game or nine-game slate. The change comes after last years messy, multi-layered tiebreaker debate, and it should at least reduce the odds of another postseason argument that drags on longer than the season itself. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame May Be Losing A Chicago Battle It Should Win
Brayden Parks gives Notre Dame a familiar recruiting puzzle in its own backyard. The four-star defensive lineman from Chicago is still weighing the Irish along with Oregon and other schools, and the appeal of staying close to home has kept Notre Dame in the conversation as it tries to land one of the areas top prospects.
The challenge is that the race does not appear to be moving in Notre Dames direction right now, even with that local connection working in its favor. Parks seems to be sorting through more than just geography, with the decision likely to come down to whether he wants the comfort of a nearby option or a chance to strike out on a different path. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Gave Notre Dame A Massive Portal Boost
Marcus Freeman has spent this offseason giving Notre Dame a much-needed roster jolt, and the latest wave of transfer portal additions points directly at the kind of depth the Irish need to keep climbing. Four players are set to help fill immediate needs on both sides of the ball, with defensive tackles Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, wide receiver Quincy Porter and defensive end Keon Keeley all bringing the size, strength and experience that can matter quickly in a championship chase.
The appeal here is obvious: Notre Dame is not just adding bodies, it is targeting players who can change the feel of the roster right away. Gray and Brewu should help fortify the interior, Porter gives the offense another intriguing option, and Keeley adds another piece to the edge rotation, leaving the bigger question of how fast all four can translate that upside into production once they get to South Bend. [Read more 🡒]