Irish Meltdown: Notre Dame Fans React After Losing Top Recruit To Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines flipped Notre Dame's top recruit on Monday, leading to an expected response among the Irish fan base.

Chris Breiler | Jul 9, 2024

Oct 26, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Mike Sainristil (19) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Jalen Elliott (21) in the second half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

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Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines picked up two huge wins on the recruiting trail on Monday, landing a pair of four-star prospects in the 2025 class. One of those commitments came from Ivan Taylor, one of the top safeties in the country who was Notre Dame's highest rated commitment up until Monday. By landing Taylor, Michigan now has two top 10 safeties in its 2025 class - setting the Wolverines up quite nicely in the secondary for the future.

BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Ivan Taylor has Flipped his Commitment from Notre Dame to Michigan, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’0 180 S from Winter Garden, FL had been Committed to the Fighting Irish since December

Is the son of former NFL CB & 2x Super Bowl Champion Ike… pic.twitter.com/Kz8VH3u6pt
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 8, 2024

Losing a highly rated recruit is never easy, but it becomes even more difficult to accept when that highly rated recruit flips to a rival program. For Notre Dame fans, losing Taylor to Michigan was so painful that they had to resort to a coping method that we see far too often among fans these days.

"If Taylor thinks he will have more advantages at Michigan - especially with life after football - he wasn't smart enough to attend Notre Dame anyway," one fan wrote.

"Go get someone that isn't scared to compete," wrote another fan.

#NotreDame lost a recruit to #Michigan. Poor kid must be scared to compete. pic.twitter.com/Nt1jFC5ZFG
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) July 9, 2024

Look, I get it. It's never fun losing a commit to a rival program - particularly when it's your top commitment. But the idea that Taylor, one of the top safeties in the country, is scared to compete? That's just a wild assertion by Notre Dame fans. It's almost as if they are completely unaware that the Michigan Wolverines have been one of the most dominant programs in the country over the last three seasons, leading to three consecutive Big Ten Championships and a National Championship in 2023. That success is due in large part to one of the most dominant defensive units in all of college football, something that would definitely appeal to a young (and extremely talented) defensive recruit.

I suppose the good news for Irish fans is that Notre Dame still boasts the No. 4 overall recruiting class in 2025, according to 247 Sports. Michigan, who was sitting outside of the top 50 a little over a month ago, is now knocking on the door of being within the top 10 - currently at No. 11 nationally.

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