WATCH: The moment four-star cornerback Mark Zackery announced his commitment to Notre Dame
Indianapolis Ben Davis cornerback Mark Zackery had been privately committed to the Notre Dame staff for a few weeks, but he had yet to make things public regarding the future of his status as a student-athlete. On Saturday, May 25, he changed that.
Zackery, who ranks as the No. 89 overall player and No. 10 cornerback nationally according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, made an appearance on the On3 Recruits YouTube channel to declare his intentions to play for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish in 2025.
Watch the moment that Zackery announced his decision publicly in the video player above.
And after Zackery’s told the country his big news, Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer joined the stream to discuss the impact of the four-star cornerback’s commitment to the Irish.
Zackery also spoke with On3’s Steve Wiltfong before Saturday to give the lowdown on his decision.
“The coaches — Coach Mickens and Coach Freeman and just the class in general,” Zackery said about picking the Irish. “I feel they’re a great group of guys and I feel like we can have a chance to win the National Championship.
“I just feel like it was a great fit for me. Just me going up there plenty of times with my family, just me going up there multiple times and them showing me love and showing me where I would fit in their program.”
Per Wiltfong’s article, Zackery originally planned to take an official visit to each of his finalists — Cincinnati, Florida, Michigan and Notre Dame — this summer but after returning to South Bend in the spring, he shut it all down. He committed to Mickens and defensive coordinator Al Golden when they came by the school in April and spoke to Freeman right after.
Zackery will arrive in South Bend next year after putting together one of the most decorated careers in Ben Davis High history.
Last season, he led the Giants to a football championship in the state’s highest classification as a two-way player. On defense, he had 39 tackles (37 solo), 8 pass breakups, 4 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 forced fumbles in 14 games. On offense, he caught 53 passes for 823 yards and 8 touchdowns.
The Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) named him to their Top 50 All-State team for his efforts.
Zackery is also a standout basketball player. This past season, he averaged 11 points, 4.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. On March 30, they fell in the state final, 65-56. As a sophomore in 2022-23, he helped his high school hoops team win the home a state title last year by 6.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.
