Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman just brought in his highest ranked recruiting class in his tenure with On3/Rivals ranking this as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and No. 2 in the country in their overall composite rankings. This class is absolutely loaded with talent, and tight end is no exception. One of those players is Preston Fryzel who a very talented pass catcher that projects to have a strong career in South Bend. It's still early, and his time may come down the road, but the Ohio native will look to lay a strong foundation for his career throughout the 2026 season. 

Here is our 2026 preview and profile for Frzyel

Class/Eligibility: Freshman/Freshman
Height/Weight: 6-4, 225
Hometown/High School: Holland, Ohio/Central Catholic 

Here is the IB evaluation of Fryzel from National Signing Day: 

"I liked Fryzel when Notre Dame first landed him but his game really took off as a senior. Fryzel is often used more like a wide receiver for Toledo Central Catholic, and his pass game prowess is what makes him such an important pickup. Notre Dame likes to move its tight ends around the formation and that’s perfectly suited to Fryzel’s game. He can line up in the slot, which Notre Dame does often, but he also has the downfield speed and route running prowess to line up in the boundary and win one-on-one.

"Fryzel has legit speed that makes him a really tough matchup for linebackers. As a senior he showed off his impressive route running repertoire and he tracks the deep ball like a wide receiver. Combine that with his speed and Fryzel has an impressive ability to get separation and make big plays. What makes him a unique prospect is that Fryzel can do damage after the catch, both with his speed and ability to make defenders miss in space. Fryzel needs to fill out, get stronger and improve in the run game in order to achieve his full potential, but he’s an outstanding talent."

Fryzel is coming off of a strong spring. He greatly benefitted from being an early enrollee and will look to pick up in fall camp where he left off after spring training. It was clear, early on, that the Ohio native would have to put on good weight and get his feet under him at the collegiate level. Notre Dame brought in two tight ends in the 2026 class, Fryzel and five-star tight end Ian Premer from Kansas. Premer will likely be ready to go, barring health, early on this season where Fryzel will need some time to grow. That's where fall camp comes into play. 

He's one of the most physically gifted pass catchers in the room that's dominated by run blockers with the potential to be impacts in the pass game. Fryzel will need to continue growing physically and within the offense. He came to campus slightly over 200-pounds but got up to 225-pounds through winter workouts and spring training. If he can continue putting on good weight, grow as a run blocker and get more comfortable in the offense throughout fall camp, he'll position himself for to make a push in the rotation in 2027. 

The name of the game for Fryzel this season is to learn and grow as much as possible physically and mentally. Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock has a very deep and talented room at his disposal this season, Fryzel being one of those pieces. But I don't know if he'll be ready to play any meaningful snaps this season. He'll likely play in the waning moments of games early in the regular season or on special teams, but with more experienced and game-ready players in front of him, snaps will be hard to come by. Fryzel impressed during his senior year of high school, which made his addition to the 2027 class more impactful. He's going to be a factor in his career in South Bend. 

One where he gets his feet wet with game snaps at the end of games and potentially makes an impact on special teams between kickoff coverage, kickoff return or punt coverage. There's a host of players that will play in the tight end room this season, and Fryzel has the opportunity to be one of those players. But if he simply grows physically and mentally this season and positions himself for a potential breakout in 2027, that would be a really good season for the true freshman tight end. 

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