Notre Dame and Michigan State are headed into another meeting with a clear recruiting gap staring right at them.
The Irish have owned the series overall, 49-29-1 in 79 games, and this matchup has produced its share of classics over the years. The 1966 meeting earned the label “The Game of the Century,” and the teams also delivered memorable games in 2005, 2006 and 2010. But while the rivalry once carried major weight on the recruiting trail, those battles have come less often in recent years.
That shift matters here because Marcus Freeman has built Notre Dame into one of college football’s toughest recruiting operations, while Michigan State has slipped from the level it once occupied. The Spartans have still shown a history of getting more out of their talent than the rankings suggest, and that question now falls to first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald in 2026.
On paper, Notre Dame’s roster profile is simply stronger than almost every team on its 2026 regular-season schedule, with Miami the lone exception noted. Michigan State does have some under-the-radar players who have outperformed their recruiting labels, and that makes the individual matchups worth watching.
The biggest collision point is up front. Notre Dame’s lowest-ranked recruit in the starting conversation, after Jordan Faison, is center Ashton Craig, who was No. 504 and a three-star recruit.
Michigan State counters with two of its better-rated defensive linemen in four-star tackle Ben Roberts, ranked No. 338, and four-star edge rusher Keahnist Thompson, ranked No. 383.
Roberts will see Craig often, and that matchup could shape whether the Irish can get their run game rolling Saturday night.
Notre Dame also has a major edge on the outside. Two starting wide receivers, Jaden Greathouse and Micah Gilbert, came in as four-star prospects ranked No. 158 and No.
- They’ll be facing Tre Bell and Tyran Chappell, both of whom were unranked in high school.
Michigan State’s top-rated corner, Charles Brantley, ranked No. 632, is expected to rotate in.
The same recruiting tilt shows up when Michigan State has the ball and Notre Dame is on defense. Five Spartan starters were unranked coming out of high school, though several have clearly beaten those numbers. That includes Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, who was a three-star recruit ranked No. 351, and the comparison is part of why the rankings don’t tell the whole story.
Running back Cam Edwards was also unranked as a high school prospect, but he has already shown his value in two games with Michigan State. He arrived from UNCONN after rushing for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2025.
Right guard Nick Sharpe, ranked No. 1407 and a three-star recruit, has become the Spartans’ best interior offensive lineman and arguably their best blocker overall. He was named to Irish Breakdown’s all-opponent team.
Still, Notre Dame’s defensive front has been a problem for opponents through two games, and this matchup gives it another chance to keep rolling. The Spartans will line up two unranked players and three three-star recruits, including Sharpe and right tackle Rakeem Johnson, against a defensive tackle rotation for the Irish that was made up entirely of three-star recruits out of high school. So far, those rankings have not slowed them down at all.
The recent recruiting results tell the larger story. Over the last five seasons, Notre Dame’s 247 Composite class rankings have been 5, 12, 9, 12 and 7.
Michigan State’s have been 45, 57, 42, 22 and 23. That edge belongs to Notre Dame.
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Rogers has pointed to frequent contact from Notre Dame and Utah, while assistant coaches from Hofstra and Utah have also been in steady pursuit. Notre Dame is set to attend an open gym session at Rogers' school, another sign that the Irish want to keep separating themselves in a crowded field before this recruitment gets even more competitive. [Read more 🡒]