Notre Dame officially beat Michigan in the recruiting battle of four-star 2027 prospect Richie Flanigan on Thursday, as the defensive lineman announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish, according to Rivals' Hayes Fawcett.
Richie isn't the first Flanigan to attend Notre Dame. His father, Jim, played for the Fighting Irish, and his brother, Cooper, is currently a junior tight end at Notre Dame.
Jim Flanigan played at Notre Dame in the early 1990's and was drafted in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Now, his second son will play for his alma mater as well.
Richie Flanigan Commits to Notre Dame
Flanigan is a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The four-star prospect attends Notre Dame Academy, and is ranked No. 291 nationally in the 2027 recruiting class.
The Notre Dame commit is the 30th ranked defensive lineman prospect in the country and ranked No. 3 overall in Wisconsin.
Flanigan chose Notre Dame over offers from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Stanford, Northwestern and Duke.
BREAKING: Four-Star DL Richie Flanigan has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 25, 2025
The 6’3 270 DL from Green Bay, WI chose the Fighting Irish over Michigan, Illinois, Northwestern, & Wisconsin
“Philippians 3:14 ☘️”https://t.co/I8wetiM8ja pic.twitter.com/CC9HfljyVe
Although Flanigan has a deep family connection to Notre Dame, he revealed a different reason behind his commitment decision.
The four-star prospect visited South Bend for the Fighting Irish's week 2 Top 25 matchup against Texas A&M and left knowing where he wanted to play collegiately.
"After I went to the game day for Texas A&M, I was like, 'I don't want to wait any longer, I for sure know I want to go to Notre Dame,'" Flanigan said.
Flanigan becomes the fourth commit in Notre Dame's 2027 recruiting class, and the first defensive lineman.