Texas linebacker Brayden Bonik, a lifelong Notre Dame fan, earned an offer from the Irish. His dominant sophomore season fuels his recruitment.
Linebacker recruiting is important for Notre Dame in the 2027 and 2028 classes as the Irish staff needs to reload at the position. That means the staff is already making moves on 2028 players, and one of the latest offers was to Missouri City, Texas/Ridge Point standout linebacker Brayden Bonik.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect earned Texas District 21-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year honors as a sophomore and the Irish have taken strong notice of his talents, and the feeling is mutual. As a lifelong fan of all things Notre Dame, Bonik has obviously always taken a strong liking to the Fighting Irish program. That made his March offer quite meaningful.
Bonik is coming off a strong sophomore season which saw him rack up 62 total tackles and 9.5 sacks, playing a huge role on a team that finished with an 11-1 record and locked down opponents all season. Ridge Point held teams to less than 10 points in seven of their wins.
Small wonder Notre Dame has taken such a strong liking to Bonik and what he brings to the table.
"I learned about it from a recruiting coordinator reaching out to my coach letting them know that they were interested, then having a talk with the linebackers coach," Bonik said of his initial conversations with Notre Dame. "It was a surreal feeling with my father and I always being Notre Dame fans respecting the culture."
A visit to the campus isn’t in the works quite yet for the Lone Star State prospect, as he is laser-focused on improving his craft ahead of his all-important junior season. He added that he is maintaining a steady relationship with linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, wide receivers coach Mike Brown and recruiting assistant Justice Bathas.
"They have all been great and make me feel like Notre Dame will be a great place for me to go to," Bonik said. "When I think of Notre Dame I think of the great tradition and culture they have of winning and putting people to the league for decades, always being a contender and being a humble school who does stuff the right way."
Bonik is still very early in his recruiting process, with plenty of visits between now and when he makes his final decision. But Bonik does have an idea of when he'll ultimately wrap things up.
"I see myself making my decision next summer after all of my official visits before my senior year," he said.
Bonik is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 108 overall player in the country according to On3. He has an impressive early offer list that includes the Irish, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Penn State, SMU, Nebraska, TCU, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Duke, Oklahoma State, Houston, Kansas State and Arizona State among many others.
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