Another one from the Tar Heel State
On Friday, 3-Star Safety Nick Reddish, gave his public commitment to Marcus Freeman and the 2026 Notre Dame Football recruiting class during a YouTube announcement ceremony.
The 5’11” 185 pound safety chose the Irish over a finalist list that included the Wisconsin Badgers, Virginia Tech Hokies, and Indiana Hoosiers. He also held offers from the Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, North Carolina Tar Heels, and many others.
-Instinctive split safety that has showcased the ability to generate takeaways.
-Assembled a breakout sophomore campaign before missing all but two games as a junior due to a lower-body injury.
-Quick to trigger and get to the football, whether that be in zone coverage or run support.
-On the smaller side, but packs a punch and will explode through contact.
-Fluid enough to hang with most slot assignments and will fight for positioning.
-Lack of speed data yields an incomplete evaluation as does the lack of overall game reps, but moves fast in pads.
-Must regain confidence, but has a chance to be a multi-year contributor at the Power Four level with his football IQ.
-Should add plenty of value on special teams with his skill set.
Reddish is the 26th commitment for Notre Dame’s 2026 class, and the 4th player from the state of North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has been quietly good to the Irish over the years, but it really feels like it has become a bigger focus under Marcus Freeman’s tenure.
Notre Dame continues to stack the numbers at defensive back with this 2026 class. Reddish’s commitment makes it a 5 DB class (3 safeties) to go with last year’s count of 6 DB’s and 4 in the 2024 class.
Don’t be too quick to judge Reddish based off of his current star ranking. A healthy and good senior season could see him make a massive jump in the rankings. Even if he doesn’t get that big bump, we all know that a 3-Star player can become an Earned 5-Star with determination and development.