The Notre Dame football team picked up a big win on the recruiting trail on Thursday as they landed a commitment from four-star offensive lineman Tyler Merrill. Merrill is a member of the 2026 recruiting class. Merrill is a top-100 recruit and he holds offers from numerous power four schools. He chose the Fighting Irish over premier programs like Alabama and Penn State, which is right in Merrill's backyard.

“BREAKING: Four-Star IOL Tyler Merrill has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Hayes Fawcett said in a post. “The 6’5 320 IOL from Mechanicsburg, PA chose the Fighting Irish over Alabama, Clemson, & Penn State.”

Merrill has a short and sweet message for Notre Dame fans now that he is committed.

“Go Irish,” Merrill said.

Tyler Merrill is a four-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He is the #61 player in the 2026 recruiting class, the #5 IOL and the #2 player in the state of Pennsylvania. Merrill currently attends Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

After losing in the national championship game last week, this recruiting win has to feel good for the Notre Dame football team. It is especially nice that Merrill is from Pennsylvania and picked the Fighting Irish over Penn State, one of the teams that Notre Dame beat during their College Football Playoff run.

It's way too early to get caught up in 2026 recruiting rankings as the 2025 cycle hasn't even wrapped up, but let's take a peek at Notre Dame's ranking just for fun. So far, the Fighting Irish are off to a red-hot start as they already have seven commitments in their 2026 class and it is ranked #5 in the country. Notre Dame has landed five four-stars and two three-stars. It's too early to get excited, but this is a great start for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame is currently in the midst of wrapping up a successful 2025 recruiting class. The Fighting Irish have the #2 class in the nation as they have landed commitments from zero five-stars, 14 four-stars and 10 three-stars. There are still some players in the 2025 class that haven't announced their college decision, but Notre Dame's ranking shouldn't change much regardless of what happens.