Breaking News: Ex-Notre Dame Coach Lands Top Tennessee Recruit Over the Irish
Being a Notre Dame defensive coordinator in recent years has led to some major coaching successes. Marcus Freeman’s rise from coordinator to Fighting Irish head coach resulted in Notre Dame reaching the national championship last season, but its more than just that.
Two defensive coordinators ago was Mike Elko, who guided the Fighting Irish defense in 2017 before departing for Texas A&M. He took over the head coach position at Duke before taking the Aggies head job last season.
Then there is Clark Lea, who left Notre Dame following the 2020 season, to take the head coaching position at Vanderbilt. Lea struggled mightily his first three seasons in Nashville before not just upsetting then-No. 1 Alabama last year, but also guiding the Commodores to a rare bowl appearance. Now Lea is looking to build on that success in the recruiting world.
On Tuesday, one of the nation’s top cornerbacks made a college commitment to Clark Lea and Vanderbilt. Caden Harris of Brownsville (Haywood), Tenn. chose the Commodores out of a final list that included Notre Dame, Missouri, Auburn, and Georgia.
Harris is seen as one of the nation’s best as he ranks as the 82nd overall player in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The same outlet also ranks Harris as a top-three player from Tennessee this cycle.
Notre Dame’s 2026 Recruiting Class Update:
Notre Dame currently has one of the nation’s top ranked recruiting classes for 2026, ranking third nationally according to 247Sports. The Fighting Irish class currently has 12 commitments, the most recent coming from star safety prospect Ayden Pouncey of Florida.
Notre Dame still has plenty of work to do at the cornerback position though as of the 12 commitments, only Chaston Smith of Chattanooga plays corner.
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