Breaking down the board: Who could join Notre Dame men’s basketball class of 2025?
It’s shaping up to be a massive summer and fall for Notre Dame men’s basketball. Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry wants to build his team through high school recruiting, and it could change the trajectory of the program if he hits (or misses) on several of his high-profile targets.
Here are the 2025 prospects who, as of late June, are on Notre Dame’s big board and could join the Irish.
Realistic targets for Notre Dame
The following players should be considered realistic targets for Notre Dame in the 2025 cycle, and Blue & Gold believes the class will consist of some combination of these seven.
La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere forward Jalen Haralson
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 11, No. 2 small forward
Height/weight: 6-6, 205
Top competition: Indiana, Michigan State
Haralson is a five-star talent, Notre Dame is in the thick of his recruitment. He’s been to campus before and will take an official visit in September. He’ll be in Istanbul, Turkey starting Saturday for the FIBA Men’s U17 World Cup.
Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More forward London Jemison
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 40, No. 9 power forward
Height/weight: 6-7, 195
Top competition: Syracuse, Alabama
Jemison will officially visit Notre Dame on the weekend of Sept. 27. He’s a versatile forward who can do multiple things on both ends of the court, and he shot over 42 percent from 3-point range as a junior in high school.
Irish assistant coach Mike Farrelly leads most of Notre Dame’s east coast recruiting efforts, and he appears to be doing a good job with Jemison.
Lincoln City (Ind.) Heritage Hills forward Trent Sisley
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 76, No. 16 power forward
Height/weight: 6-7, 200
Top competition: Purdue, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State
Shrewsberry has coveted Sisley since he took the Notre Dame job. His dad, Matt, has been close with Notre Dame assistant coach Ryan Owens for a long time.
Sisley will take official visits to each of his five finalists this fall. He has a strong relationship with Purdue head coach Matt Painter as well, and if there’s a leader in this recruitment, it’s probably the Boilermakers. But the Irish have a shot.
Montverde (Fla.) Academy guard Dante Allen
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 84, No. 22 shooting guard
Height/weight: 6-3, 210
Top competition: Villanova
Allen visited Villanova and Notre Dame in June, with the latter hosting him on an OV that wrapped up Thursday. He’s a marksman who will pull from anywhere on the court, and he transferred to a national powerhouse in Montverde for his senior season.
Indianapolis Lawrence North guard Azavier Robinson
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 94, No. 14 point guard
Height/weight: 6-1, 180
Top competition: Butler, Xavier, Cincinnati, DePaul
On3 is higher on Robinson than the consensus, rating him as a top-10 point guard in the nation. Notre Dame has been in on him earlier than most, and the Irish will host him for an official visit from Sept. 20-22.
Robinson’s recruitment is far from over, but there’s a strong chance he winds up in South Bend.
Indianapolis Cathedral forward Brady Koehler
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 132, No. 31 power forward
Height/weight: 6-8, 180
Top competition: Wake Forest, Butler, Northwestern
Koehler seems to be a late riser in this class, earning offers from Virginia, Rutgers, West Virginia and Iowa this spring (among others). Notre Dame offered him in January, though, and he seems to like the Irish a great deal.
Washington D.C. Gonzaga forward Christian Gurdak
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 155, No. 17 center
Height/weight: 6-9, 250
Top competition: Virginia Tech
Am I ready to put in an RPM prediction for Gurdak quite yet? No. But if I were a betting man, I’d bet on the center from our nation’s capital being Notre Dame’s first commitment in the class of 2025. Gurdak is not as athletic as some of the centers ranked above him, but he’s strong and physical, has great touch around the rim and can operate an offense from the top of the key. Those are traits the Irish covet in their big men.
Gurdak told Blue & Gold that he’d like to make a decision before the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, which begins July 13 in North Augusta, S.C. It will more than likely be Notre Dame or Virginia Tech.
Longer shots for Notre Dame
The following players have been connected to Notre Dame, but should be considered relatively long shots. Blue & Gold would be surprised if they wind up in the class.
Warrenton (Va.) Highland forward Nate Ament
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 13, No. 3 small forward
Height/weight: 6-8, 170
Top competition: Virginia, Indiana, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan
Notre Dame offered Ament on June 17, around the time Kansas State, Kentucky and Oregon joined the fray as well.
La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere guard Darius Adams
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 18, No. 6 shooting guard
Height/weight: 6-4, 165
Top competition: UConn, Michigan State, Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama, Michigan
Adams has unofficially visited Notre Dame, but the competition is fierce.
Georgetown (Ky.) Great Crossing center Malachi Moreno
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 32, No. 1 center
Height/weight: 7-0, 210
Top competition: Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State
Notre Dame is in Moreno’s top eight, which he revealed via On3’s Joe Tipton on Monday. Kentucky wants him badly, though, and it will be tough to pull him away from his home state.
Greenfield (Ind.) Central guard Braylon Mullins
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 48, No. 12 SG
Height/weight: 6-4, 180
Top competition: Indiana, UConn, North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, Kansas, Michigan State
There was a time when it looked like Notre Dame had a decent shot for Mullins. That time is gone, after his recruitment exploded in May. It will be difficult for the Irish to keep him in his home state and/or away from Bloomington, Ind.
TBD
The following players have been connected to Notre Dame, but Blue & Gold doesn’t have a great read on their recruitments yet.
Glen Head (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran guard Kayden Mingo
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 44, No. 4 combo guard
Height/weight: 6-1, 160
Top competition: Penn State, Virginia Tech, California, Wake Forest
Mingo told On3’s Jamie Shaw on June 11 that he hopes to set up a visit with Notre Dame (as well as the other schools listed above), but not much has been reported on him since then. The Nittany Lions have a date set for him, Sept. 7.
Upper Marlboro (Md.) Largo forward Cam Ward
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 49, No. 11 small forward
Height/weight: 6-6, 190
Top competition: Florida State, Marquette, Penn State
Ward has officially visited Notre Dame, which is obviously a good sign for the Irish. He won Maryland’s Gatorade Player of the Year award after averaging 26 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game as a junior.
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