Hello sir
The Notre Dame football recruiting machine is pretty hot right now, and it’s boiling over to the 2027 class. On Monday, 4-Star linebacker Ellis McGaskin gave his public commitment to Marcus freeman and the Notre dame Fighting Irish.
BREAKING: Four-Star LB Ellis McGaskin (2027) has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’0 215 LB from Mobile, AL chose the Fighting Irish over LSU & Ohio State
“Go Irish ☘️”https://t.co/AXbbuy1Fct pic.twitter.com/d8K6eNy2vS
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 30, 2025
The 6’0” 210 pounder from Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama, chose the Irish over a deep offer list that included the Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, and many others.
McGaskin is not someone who is likely going to have the ideal size to play the position. He will add weight, but we’ll see how much he’ll grow. His height and wingspan have been verified right around 6-0 and 76 inches earlier this spring. There have been a number of linebackers with nearly identical measurements to those who were studs in college football and I think McGaskin shares a lot of similarities to all of those who were extremely successful.
The player he reminds me of is former Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in terms of size, instincts, and the violence they play with. Trotter Jr. was an All-ACC player and an outstanding blitzer who led the Tigers in tackles in back to back season while compiling 28.5 tackles for loss in his final two years at Clemson.
McGaskin is the second commitment of the 2027 class (the first commitment was 5-Star Long Snapper Sean Kraft). Notre Dame has been dipping more and more toes into the deep south for its football recruiting effort, and the results are starting to pay off.
In 2027 the Irish could return every linebacker on its 2026 roster except for Jaylen Sneed. This could potentially mean a long line ahead of McGaskin when he arrives in South Bend — but the opportunity will still be there.
I’m not going to pretend that I have a big opinion about McGaskin as I haven’t dug into the 2027 class just yet. I will say… getting a top 100 type player out of the state of Alabama is a really big deal — so we should celebrate.
WELCOME TO ND ELLIS!