Notre Dame Just Stole a Five-Star Lineman From LSU and Texas A&M on His Own Turf

Notre Dame landed a monster commitment Friday when five-star offensive lineman Albert Simien picked the Fighting Irish over LSU, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Ole Miss. He announced live on SportsCenter, which is how you know this wasn’t some quiet decision.

Simien is from Lake Charles, Louisiana. That’s SEC country. LSU and Texas A&M both pushed hard. But Notre Dame’s pitch — academics, development, culture — won out. It wasn’t just talk either. The kid visited South Bend multiple times, including an official visit June 19-21 that flipped things. One week later, he was all Irish.

He’s 6-foot-4, listed somewhere between 280 and 295 pounds depending on who you ask, and plays at Sam Houston High School. Recruiting services are all over him. Rivals and On3 have him as the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2027 class. 247Sports Composite ranks him No. 14 overall and No. 2 among interior offensive linemen. ESPN puts him at No. 26. He’s also an Under Armour All-American and Polynesian Bowl All-American. Oh, and he plays other sports too — multi-sport athlete kind of guy.

How Notre Dame pulled it off

Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph worked this one for a while. Simien first visited last October for the Irish’s 36-7 win over NC State. Then came back in January during the contact period, again in March, and then that June official visit. That last trip sealed it. Notre Dame’s staff sold the combo of elite football and serious academics hard, and it clicked with Simien and his family.

Beating out multiple SEC schools for a Louisiana kid? That’s a statement. LSU usually locks down the state’s top talent. Not this time.

Simien becomes Notre Dame’s 21st commitment in the 2027 class and the fifth offensive lineman in the group. He joins five-star tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola, top-60 tackle James Halter, four-star interior lineman Richie Flanigan and tackle Jackson Hill. That’s a deep offensive line haul by any measure.

He also gives the Irish three five-star pledges in this class, alongside Olubobola and defensive lineman David Folorunsho. Before Simien committed, Notre Dame already had a top-tier class. After? Their 247Sports class score jumped from 261.22 to 271.30, moving them past Miami and within striking distance of Texas A&M for the No. 1 spot nationally.

Simien is Notre Dame’s first commitment from Louisiana in this cycle. If he signs, he’d be the highest-ranked offensive line pledge of Freeman’s tenure and the program’s first No. 1-ranked offensive guard addition since Rocco Spindler in 2021.