Notre Dame four-star EDGE target Aidan O'Neil sets commitment date

A second Notre Dame football recruiting target is set to come off the board Friday.

On Wednesday, Rivals national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett reported four-star edge rusher Aidan O’Neil will announce his commitment Friday. Earlier, Fawcett also reported Vero Beach (Fla.) High four-star quarterback Champ Monds will reveal his college choice Friday.

According to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Notre Dame is the team to beat for both prospects.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound O’Neil will choose between Kentucky, Notre Dame and Penn State. He unofficially visited all three programs earlier this spring. For more on Monds’ impending decision, click here.

Before O’Neil set a decision date and selected three finalists, he released his top seven schools March 27. Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas A&M did not make the final cut for the Rivals Industry Ranking’s No. 110 overall player and No. 13 EDGE in the 2027 class.

Also the No. 3 prospect in New Jersey, O’Neil held offers from over two dozen Power Four programs before he started to narrow down his recruitment this spring. Among the other schools he announced scholarships from were Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas.

Notre Dame started to gain traction for O’Neil after he unofficially visited campus for the first time on March 21. Afterward, he told Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer that he could see himself in South Bend.

“I like Notre Dame a lot and want to compare them to the other six schools I’m visiting,” he said. “I’m going to take a lot of notes and make sure what the best spot for me is. Notre Dame sits pretty high right now. I really liked the vibe I was getting from the coaches. I could definitely see myself going there.”

O’Neil also suggested he could close down his recruitment before official visits. Wednesday’s announcement backed that assertion.

If O’Neil pledges to the Irish, he could become the first pickup for new Irish defensive line coach Charlie Partridge since he joined the staff in January. Partridge offered O’Neil on Feb. 11, within a month of being on the job. The decision to make a move on the No. 1 EDGE in the Garden State also came just a few weeks after Irish assistant defensive line coach Nick Sebastian stopped by O’Neil’s high school.

O’Neil was a force for state champion runner-up Don Bosco Prep last season. During his 10-game junior campaign, he totaled 45 tackles (18 solo), 13 stops for loss and 6 sacks.

On Friday, the Irish will find out if he can make a similar impact for Marcus Freeman’s program.