Notre Dame football’s recruiting push in Chicago continues to pay big dividends.
On Thursday, Brother Rice defensive lineman Brayden Parks announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on CBS Sports College Football’s YouTube channel.
Parks, whose godfather is former Vocational and Notre Dame star Chris Zorich, is the third top-10 player from Illinois landed by Irish coach Marcus Freeman in the 2027 recruiting cycle.
All are from the Catholic League — St. Patrick defensive lineman David Folrunsho and Mount Carmel linebacker Roman Igwebuike are the others — and all are consensus top-200 players nationally. Parks is the No. 10 player in Illinois, the No. 24 defensive lineman and the No. 199 player nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings.
The Irish have been stocking up on local defensive linemen in recent years. Already on the roster are Simeon’s Christopher Burgess Jr., IC Catholic’s Dominik Hulak and York’s Joe Reiff.
Parks, a 6-3, 305-pounder, had more than 40 offers and cut his list of potential destinations to Notre Dame and Oregon.
He talked about his recruiting on the YouTube video: “It’s a long time coming, but at the end of the day, it’s a blessing.”
His wish list?
“I was looking for a team that’s going to be in the playoffs every year, a team that has a chance of winning a national championship.”
He also was looking for a strong connection with his coaches, who will include Freeman, defensive line coach Charlie Partridge and assistant defensive line coach Nick Sebastian.
“Just talking to coach Freeman, it shows he cares [about me], not just as a football player but as a person,” Parks said. “I’ve known coach Sebastian since I started my recruiting process about four years ago and then coach [Partridge] came into it this January.”
Parks is coming off a productive season for the Class 7A champion Crusaders. He had 61 tackles, 7œ sacks, 23 tackles for loss and an interception en route to being named Defensive Player of the Year in the rugged CCL/ESCC Blue.
National recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove sees a bright future for Parks at Notre Dame.
“The kid is an absolute beast,” Cosgrove said. “The size/frame combination is very rare. It’s hard to find those big defensive tackles who can push those double-teams back and also rush the passer.
“He’s the complete package.”
And as good as Parks is now, Cosgrove said, “he’s just going to get bigger, better, stronger. . . . His best football is in front of him.”
More on 2027 prospects
With Parks picking Notre Dame, the vast majority of the state’s top prospects will be committed when high school practice starts Aug. 5. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any more recruiting news coming, though. In every cycle, some recruits flip schools, decommitting from one and picking another.
And there are still a few high-level prospects who haven’t made a decision. The state’s top-ranked uncommitted player in the rising senior class is No. 23 Lawrence Carr, a receiver from Kenwood.
The early signing period for football will be Dec. 4-6, with the traditional signing day scheduled for Feb. 5, 2027.