Marcus Freeman chose to remain committed to Notre Dame by turning down reported NFL interest. This is a major win for the Irish, as Freeman not only keeps Notre Dame in contention for the playoffs but also maintains his elite-level recruiting efforts in South Bend.
Notre Dame Cornerback Makes Marcus Freeman’s Recruiting Worries Almost Disappear
Four-star cornerback Ace Alston committed to Notre Dame in December, but opposing programs are still courting him. However, he remains firmly committed to the Irish and only has scheduled trips back to South Bend in March for junior day.
“I don’t think I need any reassurance right now,” Alston said, via Notre Dame recruiting insider Kyle Kelly. “Me going up there is just like me going back home.”
Alston attends Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to his X profile, in his junior season, he recorded 53 total tackles, 17 passes broken up, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 fumble recovery.
Alston was targeted on 12% of coverage snaps and allowed a 29% completion percentage. He earned multiple accolades, including First Team All-State, First Team All-City, First Team All-District, First Team All-Conference, and Defensive Team Most Valuable Player.
Alston still has another season of high school ball left and holds offers from almost all of the nation’s top programs, including Ohio State, Indiana, Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Michigan, and LSU.
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His latest offer came from Steve Sarkisian’s Miami in late January.
Even though offers keep coming in, Alston stays loyal to Notre Dame, which is rare in college football these days, as flipping has become the norm.
“Whether it was (Al) Golden or (Chris) Ash, all these guys did a really good job of building a relationship,” Anderson High School head coach Evan Dreyer told Irish Sports Daily. “And then you’ve got young guy Max (Bullough), the linebacker coach, you’ve got Mike Mickens. All those guys did their part to ensure Notre Dame’s relationship-building remained driven.”
“And let’s be honest, Marcus being a defensive head coach, being relatable, being from Ohio, did a really good job of just selling Notre Dame’s institution as a whole. That was probably what’s been the best is seeing the academic and athletics prowess still there at Notre Dame…”
Mickens played an influential role in Alston’s recruitment.
However, Alston did not reconsider his commitment to Notre Dame even after Mickens left the Irish to become the defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Notre Dame staff is also continuing to make sure Alston feels valued, as the Irish Director of Recruiting, Carter Auman, visited his family last month. Alston is ranked as the No. 11 cornerback in the 2027 recruiting class and the No. 2 recruit in Ohio, according to Rivals Industry Rankings.
A player of his caliber would be an excellent addition to the Notre Dame defense, which finished last season ranked No. 8 nationally with a score of 87.7 on PFSN’s College Football Defense Impact Metric.
