Five-star DL David Folorunsho commits to Notre Dame football

Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has delivered head coach Marcus Freeman arguably the biggest defensive verbal commitment of Freeman’s five years leading the program.

On Friday, Chicago St. Patrick five-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho publicized his pledge to the Fighting Irish over a finalist group that included Miami, Texas Tech, Georgia and Michigan. He announced his decision live during a ceremony on the Rivals YouTube channel.

Since On3 Recruiting — which debuted its rankings in 2021 before rebranding to Rivals last July — began ranking prospects, Folorunsho, the No. 9 recruit in the 2027 class, is just the second top-10 overall player, at the time of his commitment, to pledge to the Irish during the Freeman era.

Last year, Notre Dame landed a commitment from Rivals’ No. 7 overall player in the class at the time of his pledge, five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham. Dunham later finished as Rivals’ No. 8 overall prospect in the cycle.

But because of positional need, Folorunsho’s location and his eye-popping potential, the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder has a case to be the most significant recruiting win of Freeman’s tenure. Folorunsho is also the first top-50 recruit, according to Rivals, that Notre Dame has landed out of Chicago under Freeman.

Folorunsho’s commitment carries even more historical significance. According to longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, Folorunsho could become Notre Dame’s first five-star caliber defensive tackle to join the program since Steve Niehaus signed with the Irish in 1972. It is contingent upon Folorunsho remaining in the top 32 — the threshold for five-star status — and signing with the Irish in December.

And it all became possible because of Partridge.

“The main thing that stood out to me is that Coach Partridge is the best developer out of my top five schools,” Folorunsho told Blue & Gold before making his decision public. “So, just knowing that, in the back of my mind, I’m just like, ‘Why would I not want to get coached by the top developer in college football?’”

Partridge offered Folorunsho on Feb. 6 during a pivotal stage of his recruitment.

After a breakout junior season at St. Patrick in which he totaled 56 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks, Folorunsho reported scholarship offers from 28 Power Four programs. It solidified his emergence as one of the country’s most coveted prospects, with 39 Power Four schools ultimately extending offers before his commitment announcement.

Rivals reinforced Folorunsho’s rising reputation, elevating him to five-star status and ranking him as the No. 2 defensive lineman nationally and the No. 1 player in Illinois on April 20. Four days later, Folorunsho was back at Notre Dame for what proved to be a game-changing visit.

Why Folorunsho and his family bought into Notre Dame

On April 24, Folorunsho unofficially visited Notre Dame with his mother. It marked his second trip to campus in seven days.

Folorunsho’s first visit to South Bend after receiving his Irish offer came April 17 alongside his head coach, Tom Zbikowski, and St. Patrick president Dan Santucci. Zbikowski (2004-07) and Santucci (2003-06) both played at Notre Dame and strongly advocated for the program throughout Folorunsho’s recruitment.

Still, the Irish needed to win over Folorunsho’s mother. That’s where Freeman came through during the April 24 visit.

“Getting Coach Freeman in front of my mom and having her feel safe that I’m in good hands was a huge part,” Folorunsho said.

When Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer interviewed Folorunsho after the visit, the Chicagoland recruit said he planned to take his official visits and announce a commitment at the end of the summer. But after Folorunsho and his mother sat down to discuss the recruiting process, they decided to accelerate the timeline.

“I feel like I had all the information that I needed to make my decision,” he said. “So, my mom and I talked about it, and we decided to make it earlier and make the main thing the main thing and make a decision.”

For Folorunsho, the main thing is focusing on his senior season. Now, he enters that year with his college decision finalized and full confidence in the direction of Freeman’s program.

“I have a huge belief in what they’re doing,” he said. “Coach Freeman is a leader of men. What he’s building and the people he has surrounded himself with in the program are phenomenal.”