The 8-2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish square off with the 3-7 Syracuse Orange this Saturday afternoon on Senior Day for the Irish. The Orange started off their season 3-1 but after an unfortunate injury to Notre Dame transfer quarterback Steve Angeli, they've lost six straight and have yet to score 20 points since their win at Clemson. Notre Dame has rattled off eight straight after starting the season 0-2. A major reason for the turnaround has been the depth of talent for the Irish and lack thereof for the Orange.
These teams rarely, if ever, meet on the recruiting trail, something that's reflective in their recruiting breakdown listed below. This will be the 12th all-time meeting between these two programs; Notre Dame has won the last five straight on top of winning this recruiting matchup. Let's take a look at how these teams compare from a recruiting perspective using the On3 Industry Rankings.
Notre Dame Offense vs Syracuse Defense
Notre Dame has eight four-star players, two three-star players and one unranked player in their projected offensive starting lineup for Saturday. Syracuse has four four-star players, five three-star players and two unranked players in their projected defensive starting lineup for Saturday's matchup.
This matchup strongly favors the Irish. Their projected starting lineup, and top reserve spots, are home to numerous former Top 300 recruits including quarterback CJ Carr (No. 68), running back Jeremiyah Love (No. 77), right guard Guerby Lambert (No. 42) and right tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 80). Running back Jadarian Price is their highest rated reserve player at No. 212 and his performance on the field backs up his ranking coming out of high school.
The Orange has two former Top 300 recruits in their projected starting lineup for Saturday and one more in their top reserve spots. Cornerbacks Chris Peal (No. 167) and Demetres Samuel Jr. (No. 248) were both ranked as four-stars coming out of high school. Interior defensive lineman Isaiah Hastings graded out as the No. 151 overall recruit in his class as well. Linebacker Gary Bryant III was an unranked recruit coming out of high school, but he currently leads the Syracuse defense in tackles in 2025.
Notre Dame Defense vs Syracuse Offense
Notre Dame has eight four-star players and three three-star players in their projected defensive starting lineup for Saturday. Syracuse has one five-star player, two four-star players, seven three-star players and one unranked player in their projected offensive starting lineup for Saturday's matchup.
Again, this matchup strongly favors the Irish. There are 12 former Top 300 recruits between their projected starting lineup and their top reserves slots. Defensive end Bryce Young (No. 56), linebackers Drayk Bowen (No. 103), Jaylen Sneed (No. 35) and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (No. 43) headline this star-studded group of defenders. Cornerback Leonard Moore is playing significantly above his initial three-star ranking coming out of high school; he's the best cover corner in the country.
Syracuse does have the lone five-star player between the two quads. Wide receiver Johntay Cook was the No. 31 ranked recruiting in his class coming out of high school. He initially committed to play at Texas before transferring to Syracuse in the spring portal. Their other highest ranked recruit on offense was also acquired through the portal. Quarterback Rickie Collins (No. 234) transferred to Syracuse in the winter portal from LSU. He was the front runner for the job until Angeli took over in fall camp. Collins has since made his way back into the starting lineup due to injury.
CLASS RANKINGS
Here are the class rankings of the two programs from the last five seasons (247 Composite Rankings)
Notre Dame
2025 – 12
2024 – 9
2023 – 12
2022 – 7
2021 – 9
Syracuse
2025 – 44
2024 – 37
2023 – 88
2022 – 68
2021 – 60
Advantage: Notre Dame
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