247 sports
Sam Pendleton, previously one of the top untied offensive linemen in the 2023 recruit class, made his verbal acceptance on Monday at CBS Sports HQ. The four-star offensive lineman from Reagan High School in Pfafftown, North Carolina, selected Notre Dame from an impressive list of finalists including Michigan, North Carolina State and Penn State.
“He’s doing a great job of developing guys, not just in football but in science as well,” said Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman’s Pendleton. “I would know [I was going to commit] about three or four days after I got back from my visit there.”
At 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, Pendleton has an impressive physique well suited to contributing to the next level. Industry standard 247Sports Composite Ratings ranks Pendleton #342 in overall recruitment and #12 in the state of North Carolina. Pendleton is classified as an interior lineman in the 247Sports ratings, although he played mostly right tackle at Reagan.
Pendleton’s engagement puts Notre Dame past Texas Tech and back into the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. The Fighting Irish assemble an elite class including five players ranked among the nation’s top 100 recruits. Pendleton is the first signing down the offensive line, a position of strength at Notre Dame over the past decade.