Notre Dame continued its summer run on elite defensive line talent on Monday with a commitment from four-star defensive end Darieon Prescott, the No. 36 recruit in the SC Next ESPN Junior 300.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defender from Bolingbrook, Illinois, is ESPN's No. 7 edge rusher in the 2028 class. Prescott, who cannot formally sign until December 2027, announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish over Oregon and Texas A&M during a live appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday following visits with all three of his finalists this spring.
"I just really wanted to set the tone for the 2028 class," Prescott told ESPN of his decision to commit ahead of his junior year. "Being a highly rated recruit, I want them to know when it's time, it's time. I don't want them to wait it out. I got the feeling that this is right and I'm making my move."
Prescott, a three-sport standout at Bolingbrook High School, was credited with 65 tackles (14 for loss), 26 pressures and five sacks in his sophomore season. He is the third prospect in coach Marcus Freeman's 2028 recruiting class, joining three-star safety Andre Jones and kicker Owen Davies.
Notre Dame was among the earliest major programs involved in Prescott's recruitment.
He was initially offered by former Irish assistant Al Washington, who left the program to become the Miami Dolphins' new linebackers coach in February. Prescott told ESPN that he established a quick connection with first-year defensive line coach Charlie Partridge this spring and solidified his comfort with Notre Dame during his most recent trip to campus in June.
"I just got to see the way that they coached, watched film and got to have a good conversation with Coach Partridge and Coach Freeman," Prescott said. "It was just a really good experience. Going on other visits, I always feel different when I came to Notre Dame, especially the environment."
Prescott lands as the latest blue-chip defensive line prospect to commit to the Irish since Partridge arrived in January. Notre Dame currently holds pledges from six defensive linemen in the 2027 class, headlined by No. 5 defensive tackle David Folorunsho (No. 65 overall), four-star defensive end Abraham Sesay (No. 89) and fellow SC Next 300 commits Jackson Vaughn (No. 165), Aidan O'Neil (No. 188) and Segun Alexander (No. 269).
"I'm most definitely excited to join that group," Prescott said. "There's a lot of good, young talent coming in. Especially young talent. They got a lot of dogs and I can't wait to be a part of that."
Anchored by one of the deepest collections of defensive line talent in the cycle, Notre Dame currently holds the No. 2 recruiting class in ESPN's latest 2027 class rankings with 17 top 300 pledges.