Notre Dame four-star DL target Brayden Parks sets commitment date

Four-star defensive lineman Brayden Parks‘ recruitment is finally set to come to an end. The Chicago Brother Rice senior will reveal his decision Thursday, he told Rivals national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett. Parks, the No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 185 overall player nationally in the 2027 class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, will choose between Notre Dame and Oregon, the two schools he has considered the closest since the spring. Notre Dame has recruited the 6-foot-0¾, 308-pound Parks since his freshman year, formally offering him a scholarship March 17, 2025, during the program’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event. Because Parks attends a Chicago Catholic League program and is the godson of Chris Zorich and cousin of Tony Jones Jr., many pundits predicted he would pick Notre Dame early in his recruitment. But the outcome of his recruitment has been far from a foregone conclusion. Parks, the No. 10 player in Illinois, has been enamored with Oregon. He has visited the Ducks four times, including for his official visit June 19. There have been several points during his recruitment when Oregon appeared on the verge of adding his commitment. But neither program has pulled ahead enough to secure his verbal pledge. Whichever school lands Parks will be getting a major difference-maker at defensive tackle. As a junior on Illinois Class 7A state champion Brother Rice, he was a dominant one. In 14 games, he compiled 61 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 30 quarterback pressures, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has already assembled one of the top defensive line classes in the 2027 cycle. The Irish are the only program in the Rivals rankings with two five-star defensive linemen in Chicago St. Patrick defensive tackle David Folorunsho and Exton (Pa.) Downingtown East edge rusher Abraham Sesay. The class also includes five Rivals300 commits, the most of any program. Along with Folorunsho and Sesay, the No. 2 prospects at their respective positions, Notre Dame also has the Nos. 17 and 27 edge rushers in Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep’s Aidan O’Neil and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Jackson Vaughn, as well as the No. 23 defensive lineman in Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee School’s Segun Alexander. A pledge from Parks would only strengthen Partridge’s haul. Before he narrowed his recruitment to Notre Dame and Oregon, Parks reported offers from more than 40 other Power Four programs. He closely considered Ohio State, Miami, Tennessee, Michigan and Illinois during the process.