Notre Dame men's basketball signs three-man 2026 class with program ties

The recruiting footprint of the 2026 recruiting class for Notre Dame men’s basketball didn’t stretch very far. The Irish signed three recruits Wednesday from two high schools within a 30-mile drive of each other.

Four-star point guard Jonathan Sanderson and four-star center Gan-Erdene Solongo, who both verbally committed to the Irish in June, are teammates at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. Three-star shooting guard Nick Shrewsberry, who announced his pledge to ND last month, is finishing his high school career at South Bend (Ind.) Saint Joseph.

All three new Notre Dame signees have direct ties to Notre Dame’s program as well. Sanderson’s father, Jon Sanderson, was hired as Notre Dame’s director of men’s basketball strength and conditioning in May. Jon Sanderson is also a legal guardian of Solongo, a dual citizen of Mongolia and Ireland who has followed the Sanderson family from Ohio to Michigan to Tennessee to Indiana. Shrewsberry, of course, is the youngest son of Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry. He’ll join older brother, Braeden Shrewsberry, on Notre Dame’s roster next season.

In the eyes of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, this three-man class with program ties is Micah Shrewsberry’s worst since being hired at Notre Dame. The 2026 Irish class was ranked No. 46 in the country entering Wednesday.

The four-man class Micah Shrewsberry pulled together late in the 2023 cycle after joining the program in March —forward Carey Booth and guards Markus Burton, Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes — finished with a ranking of 38th. The three-man class in 2024 — guard Cole Certa and forwards Sir Mohammed and Garrett Sundra — was ranked 35th. The Irish took their recruiting to a higher level in the 2025 cycle with a four-man class — forwards Jalen Haralson, Brady Koehler and Ryder Frost and center Tommy Ahneman — that landed at No. 9 in the country.

Perhaps the 2026 trio can transcend their rankings and prove to be a key part of Micah Shrewsberry’s program evolution. Solongo, who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 12 center and No. 93 overall in the 2026 class, will continue to develop as a teammate of Jonathan Sanderson, who Rivals ranks as the No. 11 point guard and No. 96 overall in the class, at La Lumiere.

The 7-foot Solongo averaged 12.3 points, 10.1 rebound and 1.3 blocks per game as a junior with Jonathan Sanderson at Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth. Jonathan Sanderson was named Tennessee Gatorade Player of Year after averaging 24.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals.

The 6-5 Nick Shrewsberry averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a junior for a Saint Joseph team that won a state championship. Rivals recently ranked Shrewsberry as the No. 68 shooting guard in the 2026 class.

Notre Dame has started its 2025 season with a 3-0 record. The current 15-man roster will lose three players in the offseason to expiring eligibility: graduate senior forwards Carson Towt and Matthew MacLellan and senior forward Kebbe Njie.