Irish Invasion Preview (Defense): Three Notre Dame commits and elite prospect to participate

Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington should have a good idea of his position group’s potential after Sunday. 2025 class EDGE rushers Christopher Burgess Jr. and Dominik Hualk and defensive lineman Joseph Reiff are three of about 33 defensive recruits expected to compete in this year’s Irish Invasion high school football prospect camp.

In addition to the trio of Fighting Irish commits, elite 2026 safety Bralan Womack from Brandon (Miss.) Hartfield Academy will make his way to South Bend in search of an offer. He is one of several offer candidates set to compete in South Bend.

Here is a look at those defensive recruits and others participating in the unpublicized recruiting camp. All rankings referenced are according to the On3 Industry Ranking unless otherwise noted.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Burgess, a four-star, returns to campus to work with Notre Dame’s Washington for the second straight year. The Chicago Simeon senior’s presence should come as little surprise since he has attended almost every Notre Dame football recruiting event over the last two years. After this week’s rankings updates, he is the No. 98 overall player, No. 15 EDGE nationally and No. 4 prospect in Illinois in 2025.

Last year, Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community’s Reiff earned a Notre Dame offer after performing in the program’s third evaluation camp. Now, the four-star recruit will work with Washington for the first time as a commit. Reiff ranks as the No. 323 overall player, No. 27 defensive lineman in the country and No. 7 prospect in Illinois.

When Elmurst (Ill.) IC Catholic Prep’s Hulak participated in last year’s Evaluation Camp I, the Irish coaching staff had him work out at linebacker and defensive line. As the program’s future vyper, the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder can expect to be with the D-line the entire time on Sunday. He’s the No. 51 linebacker in America and the No. 15 recruit in Illinois.

Like Hulak, Rreiff and Burgess, Brother Rice 2026 defensive lineman King Liggins also hails from Chicago and will compete. He is a hulky 6-3, 255-pounder with offers from Kansas State, Boston College and Iowa State. Liggins projects as one of the top D-linemen in his class.

Watertown (Conn.) The Taft School 2026 defensive lineman Jude Okeleke will camp at Notre Dame for the second time. On3 considers him a three-star and ranks him as the No. 43 defensive lineman nationally and the No. 1 prospect in Connecticut in his class. Duke, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have been the schools to offer him so far.

OTHER NAMES TO KNOW

Shakopee (Minn.) High DL Max Coles (2025)
Chicago St. Rita DL JP Danaher (2025)
Naperville (Ill.) Naperville Central DL Jake Stanish (2025)
Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) Grant Park DL Carson Thomas (2025)
Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy DL Carter Gooden (2026)
Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) Dakota Collegiate LB Destiny Okedara (2026)
Heber City (Utah) Wasatch DL Robby Whelan (2026)
Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More School DL Linkin Zylstra (2026)

LINEBACKER

At linebacker, West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West 2026 recruit Cam Thomas is the name to know. He returns to campus for the third time in search of a Notre Dame offer. The four-star already owns ones from Michigan, Wisconsin, Duke, Purdue, Kentucky, Illinois, Cincinnati, Louisville and Georgia Tech. He is the No. 283 overall player, No. 26 athlete nationally and No. 13 prospect in Ohio in 2026.

Arvada (Co.) Arvada West 2026 linebacker Jaxon Pyatt is another notable prospect participating in the Irish Invasion. He also attended last year’s camp. The three-star ranks as the No. 390 overall player and No. 28 linebacker in his class. Boston College, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Syracuse are all on his offer sheet.

OTHER NAMES TO KNOW

Chicago St. Rita LB Justin Buckner
Lake Mills (Wis.) High LB Max Ruedebusch (2025)
Canton (Mich.) Plymouth LB Camden Short (2025)
Maple Grove (Minn.) High LB Jacob Wrbanek (2025)
Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn LB Brady Ballart (2026)
Aliquippa (Pa.) High LB Joseph Work (2026)
Milton (Ga.) High LB Blaze Battaglia (2027)

DEFENSIVE BACK

Notre Dame offered 2025 four-star cornerback Dalen Penson after he had a terrific showing in the Georgia Under Armour Next Series Camp earlier this year. Although the Irish already have three cornerbacks and two safeties committed in the class, they still want to watch him work out in South Bend.

The 5-11, 185-pounder from Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek checks in as the No. 152 overall player, No. 18 cornerback nationally and No. 20 prospect in Georgia ahead of Sunday. Georgia Tech, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Maryland, Indiana, Louisville and West Virginia have all offered him.

Another 2025 recruit worth mentioning is three-star safety Desmond Straughton. While the Roseville (Mich.) High senior does not have a Notre Dame offer, he reports ones from Arizona State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State and Minnesota. He’s the No. 51 safety in America and the No. 12 recruit in Michigan in his class.

Womack will be on campus to camp after a Notre Dame coaching staff member stopped by the 6-0½, 200-pounder’s school earlier this spring. As the No. 28 overall player, No. 3 safety in the country and No. 1 recruit in Mississippi, Womack is on a five-star trajectory. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M are among the schools the Irish will have to battle if they enter the mix.

A similarly talented 2026 recruit is Westfield (Ind.) High safety Deacon King. According to On3, King is the No. 40 safety and No. 3 prospect in Indiana in the 2026 class. He is currently a three-star prospect with a Purdue offer.

Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Missouri, Louisville, Illinois, Purdue and Duke are among the schools that have already offered 2026 three-star defensive back Kaden Gebhardt, who will attend. He’s the No. 34 safety nationally and No. 16 prospect in Ohio in 2026.

One of the most talented defensive backs in 2027 is Larry Moon III of Aliquippa (Pa.) High. The 5-10, 170-pound cornerback has already posted offers from LSU, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Miami, UCF, Kentucky, South Carolina, Syracuse, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Michigan State.

2026 defensive back Nick McClellan, the brother of former Notre Dame 2024 wide receiver target and Oregon freshman Jeremiah McClellan, will be in attendance. The St. Louis Christian Brothers College product has offers from Kansas State and Missouri.

Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons safety Braylon Peebles is another prospect we will watch. Duke, Louisville, SMU and Virginia Tech are among his early offers.

OTHER NAMES TO KNOW

New Lenox (Ill.) Providence Catholic DB Gavin Hagan (2025)
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider DB Brandon Logan (2025)
Zeeland (Mich.) Zeeland West DB Trey Sloothaak (2025)
Cincinnati St. Xavier DB Brayden Reilly (2026)
Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal DB Darian Coates-Camero n (2027)
Jackson (Mich.) Lumen Christi DB Lundon Hampton (2027)

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