Notre Dame coaches on the road: Irish assistant heads out west to see key target

Spring practice has concluded, and the Notre Dame football coaching staff is back on the road recruiting. Seven Irish assistants and one staff member will be on the trail, stopping by high schools on Thursday.

During the spring contact period, the Irish staff can have “contact” with high school juniors. That means they can have full-on conversations rather than just a “bump” as previously allowed. But as far as 2026 prospects go, the “bump” rule remains.

The NCAA does not permit head coaches from visiting prospects during the spring contact period.

Here is where the Fighting Irish staff is expected to be on Thursday, according to Blue & Gold sources:

— Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli will be in Park Ridge, Ill., to see Maine South freshman quarterback Jameson Purcell. The 2027 class passer already has offers from Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB features former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as head coach.

— Running backs coach Deland McCullough will stop by schools in the St. Louis area. The Irish have not yet offered any recruits in The Mound City. However, St. Louis University High has a 2026 three-star running back in Jordan Taylor. It might be worth it for McCullough to check him out.

— Wide receivers coach Mike Brown heads to Nevada to see Las Vegas Bishop Gorman wide receiver Derek Meadows. The Irish battle Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and South Carolina for the top 100 prospect, who ranks as the No. 7 wide receiver nationally and No. 2 recruit in Nevada in 2025.

— Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock will be absent from the recruiting trail to attend the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit with Jayden Daniels. Denbrock coached the reigning Heisman Trophy winner last year at LSU.

— Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph will be in Indianapolis to see two 2025 OL on the program’s radar: Cameron Gorin and Cameron Herron. Hamilton Southeastern’s Gorin and Warren Central’s Herron rank as the No. 55 and 68 interior offensive linemen in the class, respectively.

Rudolph concludes his day by attending former Irish left tackle Joe Alt’s NFL Draft Day celebration.

— Defensive line coach Al Washington will also be at Warren Central to see 2026 three-star defensive lineman JJ FInch. The No. 35 defensive lineman in America and No. 2 prospect in Indiana visited Notre Dame twice in April.

Washington will head to Trotwood (Ohio) Trotwood-Madison to see 2026 EDGE Jamarcus Whyce. The 6-3, 250-pound Whyce also visited Notre Dame this spring. One primary recruiti ng media service considers him the No. 200 overall player, No. 25 EDGE nationally and No. 7 recruit in Ohio in 2026.

— Defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens head to Indianapolis Ben Davis High to see coveted top-100 cornerback recruit Mark Zackery. The Irish battle Cincinnati, Florida and Michigan for the country’s No. 10 cornerback and No. 2 Indiana recruit in 2025.

— Director of player personnel Chad Bowden will be in Orlando, Fla., for area recruiting. Irish top 150 four-star safety commit Ivan Taylor attends West Orange in nearby Winter Garden. However, Bowden’s direct whereabouts are unknown.

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