Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame hit the road to recruit third EDGE prospect in the Class of 2026

Four-star edge rusher McHale Blade is one of the top targets for Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington and defensive line assistant coach Nick Sebastian in the 2026 class. The Simeon High School (Illinois) standout has already made multiple trips to South Bend throughout his recruitment journey.

On Monday, Washington doubled down on his interest in Blade by visiting Simeon to check in on him.

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In March, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound prospect told Irish Sports Daily that he is not rushing to commit and would only do so when the timing feels right. However, he revealed what he would be looking for in a program.

“Definitely the relationships for sure," Blade said. "The relationship that I have with the coaching staff and the people at the school.”

Blade is the No. 21 edge rusher in the 2026 class and the No. 4 recruit in Illinois, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Notre Dame continues to treat McHale Blade a priority

Notre Dame's 2026 class secured the commitment of five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham on April 10. Five days before Dunham's announcement, Marcus Freeman's program secured four-star edge rusher Ebenezer Ewetade in the same cycle.

Despite already having two elite edge rushers in the 2026 class, Fighting Irish defensive line coach AI Washington's visit to see McHale Blade on Monday proves the program's strong feeling towards him.

“Just that I'm a priority, how much they need guys like me and how I would fit well into their system,” Blade said in March, via the Irish Sports Daily. "That's definitely huge for me. I do have a lot of blessings, but to be able to feel that, that's something else.”

Following his sixth trip to South Bend in April, Blade revealed the Notre Dame staff's push for his commitment.

"They gave me the sense that they kind of need me to be a part of their D-line class," Blade said, via On3.

The Irish have 14 committed players in the 2026 class, ranking 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 Victor Ramon Galvez