Notre Dame will not pursue players from the 2022 recruiting class who gained potential fifth-year eligibility through recent court rulings, head coach Marcus Freeman said on Friday.
The decision centers on practical and academic realities. With the fall semester beginning on Monday, Freeman cited the university’s graduate admissions process as already complete.
“For us at Notre Dame, it’s just too late [with] the graduate admissions process, and I don’t think it would put a person in a good situation this late — school starts on Monday — to have success in the classroom and on the field, so that’s been our stance on it,” Freeman told reporters. “Our admissions has already done their admissions and cycles. That’s where the university and the athletic program stands right now.”
Freeman was asked specifically about former Irish defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who started seven games across four seasons at Notre Dame. Tuihalamaka was among more than a dozen players granted a temporary restraining order in a Louisiana court earlier in the week that allowed them another season of eligibility.
He entered the transfer portal and committed to LSU shortly after Freeman’s comments.
A federal judge’s ruling had opened the door for 2022 signees who played four consecutive seasons to return, though an appeals court later granted the NCAA a stay. Separate state restraining orders still permit some athletes to compete this fall.
Freeman made clear Notre Dame would not bend its process for late arrivals, even as other programs explore options.
“You’re not going to set that person up to have success,” he said.
The No. 4 Fighting Irish open the season against Wisconsin on September 6 with a deep defensive line already in place.
