Notre Dame Football Recruitment: First four-star Sam Pendleton committed to reclaiming the Irish first in the 2023 class

Sam Pendleton, who was previously one of the top non-committee attackers in the recruiting class of 2023, made his verbal pledge on Monday on CBS Sports HQ. The four-star offensive lineman from Reagan High School in Pfafftown, North Carolina, chose Notre Dame over an impressive list of finalists that included Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania State.

“He does a fantastic job developing players, not only in football but in academics as well,” Pendleton said of Irish fighting coach Marcus Freeman. “I knew [I was going to commit] About three or four days after I came back from my visit there.”

At 6 feet 4 and 305 pounds, the Pendleton has an impressive frame that stands out well to contribute to the next level. The industry-standard “Sports Composite Rankings 247” ranked Pendleton the 342nd Player of the Year and No. 12 Player of the Year in North Carolina. Pendleton is ranked as an inside streak man in the 247Sports rankings, although he mainly played the right tackle at Reagan.

Pendleton’s commitment has propelled Notre Dame to move beyond Texas tech and return to the nation’s number one employment category. Fighting Irish rounds up the elite class, including five players among the top 100 recruits in the country. Pendleton is the first commitment along the offensive line, and has been a position of strength at Notre Dame over the past decade.