Notre Dame will host four-star safety Zech Fort as the Fighting Irish attempt to lure the 2026 prospect away from Georgia.
Fort, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety who is currently at the IMG Academy, committed to the Bulldogs in January but is still being looked at by several schools. “Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida, USC, and some others are recruiting me hard right now” Fort told On3.
The safety also had offers from Alabama, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, and Ohio State, but Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman will attempt to work his magic when hosting Fort in South Bend, Indiana. Freeman may have his work cut out, as Fort told On3: “I still feel good about Georgia.”
Fort is ranked as the No. 5 safety in the 2026 cycle by ESPN, and 39th out of all high school junior prospects. Freeman is eager to keep the momentum rolling after Notre Dame reached the national championship game last season, before losing to Ohio State.
In January, Freeman hinted that he was looking for multi-sport athletes to join the Fighting Irish due to the benefits of having athleticism in other areas. This isn’t always encouraged among the elite college football programs, but Freeman is hoping that his unique approach makes Notre Dame stand out.
“What I really love about it is sometimes they’re not as good in the other sports as they are in football, and so they’re willing to put their ego aside and say, ‘I know I might lose in track, but l’m going to try to make myself better as an athlete'” Freeman said earlier this year. “That speaks volumes to me.”
Freeman has already landed a bunch of talented recruits ahead of the 2025 season, with five-star prospect Will Black one of the most exciting names in the freshman class. Black, a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle out of Choate Rosemary Hall, was the top-ranked OT in the state of Connecticut.
Joining Black on the young offensive line are Owen Strebig (Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and Matty Augustine (Brunswick School), who are both four-star recruits. Augustine’s high school teammate, Blake Herbert, will join him at Notre Dame as a freshman quarterback.
Completing the raid of Brunswick School is three-star safety Ethan Long. Offensively, Freeman has added some major weapons in tight end James Flanigan (Notre Dame Academy), and wide receivers Antavious Richardson (Greenville) and Elijah Burress (DePaul Catholic).
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Freeman has earned major respect as head coach of the Fighting Irish, and was recently named as the 10th best college football coach in 2025 by The Athletic. Freeman wasn’t ranked by the outlet ahead of the 2024 season, when he led Notre Dame to the championship game.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a 14-2 season where they went 7-1 against opponents ranked within the top 25. Overall, Freeman is 33-10 as Notre Dame head coach.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
