Notre Dame has its quarterback commit in the 2026 class. Lake Mary (Fla.) High’s Noah Grubbsannounced his pledge to the Fighting Irish June 1.
The 6-4.5, 195-pounder earned an offer from the Notre Dame staff last June during a prospect camp in South Bend, returned to see the Irish’s battle against Ohio State and made trip No. 3 to campus back in March. Grubbs took over 20 unofficial visits during his recruiting process, and after his spring trips, he knew which college he wanted to call home in a couple of years.
“I went to all of my top schools throughout the spring, and Notre Dame was the place that was most special in my heart,” said Grubbs, who informed the Irish staff of his commitment a couple of weeks ago. “I was thinking to myself that nothing new could pop up that’s going to make it so that I like another place more. I’ve already been to the schools I wanted to see. I wanted to make the decision now to recruit the class.”
Grubbs, who ranks as the nation’s No. 106 overall player and No. 9 quarterback per the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking, picked Notre Dame over Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State and a handful of others.
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“Notre Dame has always been a frontrunner in my recruitment, but the last time I visited, I could really see myself there when I went through the campus and facilities,” continued Grubbs. “I can get to the next level with the coaches they have. It’s a very unique coaching staff; they’re different from others. It seems to be a stable staff, too.
“Notre Dame always had a special place in my heart, and sometimes you have to go with what your heart leads. Notre Dame is definitely the place for me.”
It was a special moment for Grubbs when he called up Irish head coach Marcus Freeman about the big news.
“I asked Coach Freeman to take my commitment after I told him how special Notre Dame is to me and how I can see myself leading my class,” said Grubbs. “He said it’d be an honor to take my commitment.”
Grubbs thinks the world of Irish quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli, who led Notre Dame’s pursuit of the highly coveted gunslinger.
“We don’t only talk about football; our conversations are about life,” said Grubbs. “Anything that’s on our mind, we can talk about it. That’s how comfortable we are with each other, and that’s important to have with your position coach. I know his family and background; that was big in my recruitment.”
Typically, there’s a reason a prospect picks a specific date to announce his decision. Oftentimes, it’s sentimental. But for Grubbs, it was all about business. He wanted to commit before Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion camp on June 2, which he’ll participate in.
“I wanted to do it before the camp so that when I’m there, I can help recruit in my class,” Grubbs stated. “I want it to be known that I’m committed. I want to get this class of ‘26 going.”
Notre Dame offered several quarterbacks in the 2026 class, but it was well known that two signal-callers were most likely to join the class: Grubbs and Cocoa (Fla.) High’s Brady Hart.
Both quarterbacks visited in the spring, and Grubbs got the first look at campus in 2024 between the two. Grubbs loved his visit but wasn’t ready to commit at that point. He thought that there was a good chance that Hart would choose the Irish, but waiting a bit was a risk that Grubbs took. It worked out in the end.
“I was thinking that if it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be,” Grubbs explained. “And he didn’t [commit]. You have to take it all into consideration because quarterbacks commit so early these days. It’s a domino effect.”
Grubbs still has two years of high school, but he plans to enroll early at Notre Dame and will be solid in his commitment.
“There’s nothing about other colleges. It’s me and Notre Dame,” he said. “I don’t plan on decommitting. That’s not in my head whatsoever.”
Grubbs is Notre Dame’s second commitment of the 2026 class, joining Boca Raton (Fla.) Saint Andrew’s School wide receiver Dylan Faison.
The Noah Grubbs file
During his sophomore season in which he helped Lake Mary to a 10-2 record in 2023, Grubbs completed 208 passes on 354 attempts for 3,670 yards with 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added four rushing scores as well.
The Orlando Touchdown Club and the Orlando Sentinel named him its 2023 Offensive Player of the Year.
Grubbs set the following Lake Mary school records in 2023: single-game passing touchdowns (8), single-game passing yardage (528), single-season passing touchdowns (49), single-season passing yards (3,677), most passes completed in a single game (31), single-season completions (207) and attempts (356) and is the school’s all-time leader in average yards per game (306.4).
Grubbs played a good bit as a freshman, throwing for 1,593 yards with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
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