2026 recruit Nick Reddish commits to Notre Dame over Indiana & others: "It combines elite football with a top education"

Three-star safety Nick Reddish committed to Notre Dame on Friday. The 2026 class standout from the Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina) chose Marcus Freeman's program over Indiana, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

"Notre Dame is special because it combines elite football with a top education,” Reddish told Blue & Gold following his announcement. “You get NFL development, strong academics, and lifelong support all in one place. Everything about it coming from the recruits and players made it feel like home.”

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Reddish missed most of his junior year in 2024 due to injury, but he made a big impact as a sophomore, racking up 95 tackles (including three for loss), four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect shared with Irish Sports Daily what the Irish fans can expect from him. He said:

“A dog for sure, a leader, somebody that's going to communicate, somebody that's going to work hard every day. Even if something doesn't go my way, I'm going to put a smile on my face and change it. I feel like body language is definitely my biggest aspect of my game and I'm not going to let somebody see me down.”

Nick Reddish is the No. 26 recruit in North Carolina and the No. 50 safety in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. His older brothers, Quentin and Joe, both play at Virginia Tech.

Notre Dame DB coach Mike Mickens gets credit for Nick Reddish's commitment

Mike Mickens led the recruitment effort for Nick Reddish at South Bend. The safety was among 21 recruits who made official visits to Notre Dame on June 13. Reddish joins the defensive back group in the 2026 class that already includes Joey O’Brien, Khary Adams, Ayden Pouncey and Chaston Smith.

College football analyst Tom Lemming praised Mickens, saying:

“Mike Mickens is now the premier DBs coach in the country when you combine coaching and recruiting.”

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During the second game in the 2024 season, Reddish sustained a broken fibula and was nearly ready to return late in the year, but he was advised not to rush back. Throughout that time, Mickens stayed in contact with Reddish and offered encouragement

“He’s been involved in my recruiting process forever,” Reddish told On3. “Even after I got injured, he stuck with me and told me that God has a plan for me."

With Reddish on board, Notre Dame has 26 committed players in the 2026 class, which ranks No. 4 in the nation.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Krutik Jain