Go back to Week 1, and put yourself in the shoes of Notre Dame. You’re one of the top programs, and you lose against Northern Illinois? That 14-16 loss almost meant an end to any post-season hopes for the Fighting Irish. But, much has changed since then. 9-1, and the team is comfortably placed in the top 12 teams. However, two tough games await Marcus Freeman and his boys against Army and USC. While that concerns this season, Freeman has his eye set on recruiting for the future. Is there news in that regard? Well, let’s get into it.

On November 20, Mike Singer, the Notre Dame recruiting insider for On3, discussed Notre Dame’s latest recruiting. While talking about Madded Faraimo, he said, “For the linebacker, who’s an uncommitted top 100 overall player, it really seems like it’s between Notre Dame and USC; he’s expected to be at that game in the Coliseum at the end of the month.”

Faraimo is a popular recruit; he has been recruited by almost every school, including Trojans, Washington and Notre Dame. He is ranked as the No. 3 player in California. According to 247, he is the No. 62 prospect in the nation. Although there is tough competition between Lincoln Riley and Marcus Freeman, the insiders strongly feel that he is leaving towards the latter.

“I think he’s leaning Irish, but he’s been a hard recruit to, kind of, read for quite a while, but again, I still believe it’s going to be Notre Dame.” But wait, the recruit plays for J. Seera Catholic High School, which can be an advantage for the Trojans. So far, he has visited all three schools, but he has not made any official statements.

“There is no wrong choice. I am just trying to find the best one for me.” The player said this a few months ago, but it is high time now and he will have to make a decision very soon. He has seen USC play their season opener, and he is going to be back at the university for their final game of the year, which is against Notre Dame on November 30. Although the insider has revealed some hints, Notre Dame is still in danger. Let’s see why.

USC Trojans are a tough competitor for Notre Dame

As of now, Washington is completely out of the story because they didn’t even get to host Faraimo for the second time. Now, their chances of recruiting the four-star player have declined, but is USC really giving Notre Dame a tough fight?

Sports Illustrated reported his statements when he clearly mentioned what he was waiting for and said, “I want to find the school for me, and I don’t have any intentions to flip or anything like that. So I’m taking my time and I want to make sure that I get the clarity that I need.” Soon after that statement, he also added, “Honestly, right now, I’ll be comfortable going to any of my top four schools.”

But on November 2nd, the media house reported his latest statement, “USC is unique in that they are close to home. I have cousins who played there; my brother went there, and my family is down the street, so USC is different. The staff stands out, too.” Ahhh.. this is confusing, isn’t it? Let us repeat: he has not made any official statement as of now, and he is an uncommitted recruit. till now, all of us know how the recruiting process works. Hence, it will be interesting to see where he lands. Notre Dame or USC?