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Notre Dame reclaims nation's No. 2 class with elite tight end Ian Premer

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•6 hours ago•

bykeeganpope

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(via Ian Premer/Instagram)

Great Bend (Kan.) four-star tight end Ian Premer committed to Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon, giving Marcus Freeman and his staff another huge piece in their 2026 recruiting class.

He chose the Fighting Irish over more than 20 other offers, including finalists Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas. His addition also bumps ND up from No. 3 back to No. 2 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, jumping over Texas A&M in the process.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder took official visits with all four programs over the past month, but Freeman and Co. ultimately won out as they add to one of the nation’s best recruiting classes. Premer is the No. 42 overall prospect and No. 4 tight end nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3, however, is even higher on him. In the most recent On300 rankings, he was tabbed as the nation’s No. 24 overall prospect, which would put him as a five-star in the final rankings that come out in January if his spot holds.

Production, winning culture paid off for Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish were a little later to his recruitment than some of the other programs, but they quickly made up ground with a visit this spring and his official visit earlier this month.

“My first visit there was earlier this spring and I really enjoyed that,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons in April. “They have a great history with tight ends. I think they have the most tight ends ever drafted into the NFL. They played for the national championship season too, so if you go to Notre Dame, you have a chances to win it all. I like how Coach Denbrock coaches tight ends and is the offensive coordinator too. I think there are some unique advantages to that.”

He becomes the 22nd commitment for Freeman and the Irish and their fourth top-100 overall pledge, joining five-star EDGE Rodney Dunham, four-star safety Joey O’Brien and four-star cornerback Khary Adams. In total, Notre Dame holds 18 blue-chip pledges, giving them the fourth-highest ratio of any program.