Overview
- Albert Simien publicly announced his commitment to Notre Dame on June 26, 2026 during a SportsCenter appearance and picked the Irish over finalists that included Texas A&M, LSU, and Nebraska.
- Recruiting services rank Simien among the nation’s top prospects and project him as an elite interior offensive lineman with notable length, mobility, power, and the versatility to also play tackle.
- Simien visited South Bend multiple times and took an official visit the weekend of June 19–21, 2026, and he credited conversations with head coach Marcus Freeman and seeing student-athlete life as decisive factors in his choice.
- His pledge is the 21st for Notre Dame’s 2027 class and gives the program three five-star commits while raising the class score and moving the Irish closer to the top national ranking per 247Sports.
- The addition underscores Notre Dame’s trench-focused recruiting strategy and signals the program’s increased ability to compete with regional SEC powers for elite Louisiana talent, a shift that could accelerate early playing-time opportunity and NFL development for high-end linemen.