Four-star LB Amarri Irvin commits to Notre Dame football, goes in-depth on decision

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy’s Amarri Irvin has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, giving the Irish a big-time linebacker pledge in the 2027 class.

Irvin has been a key target for linebackers coach Max Bullough for the past several months, and Notre Dame landed the four-star prospect on Nov. 26. Irvin ranks as the nation’s No. 213 overall prospect and No. 12 linebacker according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

“I’ve learned how important the standard and brotherhood at Notre Dame are,” Irvin told Blue & Gold about his commitment before going public with it. “The people you’ll be around and work with are really important.

“When I went to Notre Dame and looked at the people they produce on and off the field, they’re individuals who keep the standard and work hard. That really stood out to me, and I wanted to be in that environment. I want to be pushed every day. I want to be the best I can be in academics and athletically.”

Irvin held scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and many others. He didn’t publicly narrow down his list, but his recruitment came down to Georgia, North Carolina and Notre Dame.

He becomes Notre Dame’s seventh commitment of the 2027 class and second linebacker pledge, joining Mobile (Ala.) Williamson’s Ellis McGaskin.

Irvin goes in-depth on commitment

Notre Dame offered the 6-0, 215-pounder on its Pot of Gold Day in March. While that was in Irvin’s sophomore year, the Irish were later to offer him, as his recruitment got started very early. Nebraska was offer No. 1 way back in January 2023 when he was in the eighth grade.

He had some interest in Notre Dame initially, but matters didn’t ramp up between the two parties until June when college coaches could start texting 2027 prospects, and that’s when Irvin took his first trip to South Bend.

Irvin loved that trip and knew he wanted to return to campus for a game, and his IMG Academy bye week lined up with Notre Dame’s home matchup against NC State.

“They were really on me,” Irvin added. “They helped me throughout my junior season, giving me feedback on my tape. I had two great visits there, and the coaches and recruiters are genuine people.”

Irvin became a heavy Notre Dame lean after the Oct. 11 visit.

“My mind was all on Notre Dame,” said Irvin. “I couldn’t stop thinking about going there and how great the visit was. I saw the defense ball out, and the linebackers played great. I loved to see how the team rallied around each other.

“In talking to my parents and people around me, I knew it was the school that fits me most, will push me and be the best for me.”

The Notre Dame staff was fired up when he called to commit.

“Coach [Marcus] Freeman said that he was proud of me for making the decision for the right reasons,” Irvin recalled. “That made me feel even better about my decision. Coach Bullough was excited. He said that it really made his day. He’s a great coach, and I can’t wait to be coached by him.”

There’s a year and change until National Signing Day for the 2027 class, but Irvin feels confident in his decision to commit early. He has no plans to consider other programs moving forward.

“I wanted to commit early to be a leader in this class and bring others along with me,” he said. “I’m committed to Notre Dame. I’m focused on my offseason to prepare for my senior season and then freshman spring coming in. I’m committed and will try to bring others with me.”

More from Irvin on the Irish coaching staff

There were several key Notre Dame staffers who led Irvin to his commitment, and the Irish’s linebackers coach has to be mentioned first.

“Coach Bullough — I love seeing how he goes about his work and the energy he brings,” he said. “I play with a lot of energy on the field, and I love that he values physicality. He wants to better me and coaches with enthusiasm and passion for the game.”

Irvin also credited several recruiting staffers — Carter Auman, Justice Bathas, Jourdan Blake and Tre Reader — as important in his process.

“I talked to Carter early in the process and then I met Justice and Jourdan,” Irvin said. “Carter let me know that it’s more than football with him; I can go to him with anything I need or any advice in life. That’s the case with all of them. When I felt that, I knew it was real.

“I talk to Tre every week. He’s always there to give me advice and talk football. I appreciate him a lot.”

He spent time with defensive coordinator Chris Ash during his last visit, and Irvin feels comfortable about his fit in Notre Dame’s scheme.

“It’s crazy how well the defense has been playing,” said Irvin. “I’m excited to be a part of that. I enjoyed talking to him during my visit.

“They said they’ll start me off at mike, and I play that now. That was one of my questions to Coach Bullough on my visit. I like that position, but I’ll learn both. He said that his linebackers learn all the positions so we can be versatile. I loved that; I want to show my versatility.”

The Amarri Irvin file

The last name Irvin is football royalty. Amarri’s father is a cousin of NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

His father, Sedrick Irvin Sr., was a star at Michigan State in the late 90s and played in the NFL from 1999-2003 with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. He worked at Alabama with Nick Saban from 2008-09 and spent time at Memphis and East Carolina as well. He was a head coach at three different South Florida high schools from 2011 to 2022.

Amarri’s older brother, Sedrick Jr., is a name Irish fans should be familiar with. He was committed to the Irish early in the 2023 class before the two sides parted ways. Sedrick Jr. signed with Stanford and is a junior running back for the Cardinal.

“My brother has always supported me,” the younger Irvin said. “He never had anything against Notre Dame. As his little brother, I was concerned at first, but I asked him about it, and he said that he wanted what’s best for me.”

With Sedrick Jr. at Stanford and Amarri committing to Notre Dame, this is clearly a family that values academics.

“That always comes first, no matter what,” Amarri said.

During his nine-game junior season, Irvin posted 36 stops, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, 3 interceptions and 1 pass deflection. IMG Academy went undefeated in 2025 and blew out most of its opponents.

As a sophomore, Irvin had 51 stops, 1 tackle for loss, 2 quarterback hurries, 1 pass deflection and 1 fumble recovery in eight games.

Irvin attended Atlanta Woodward Academy as a freshman in 2023 before moving back to Florida. He was teammates with Irish freshman wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr.