Illinois Tight End JC Anderson Is Heading Back To Notre Dame

2026 Illinois tight end JC Anderson plans on camping at Notre Dame this summer

Illinois tight end JC Anderson / JC Anderson

Every year, the Irish Invasion serves as a big tool for the Notre Dame staff to work out various recruits and develop a deeper feel for where their board is at. This year’s event is scheduled for June 2nd, and recruits are starting to RSVP. That includes 2026 Decatur (Ill.) Mt. Zion tight end JC Anderson, a talented player who is right in the Notre Dame backyard.

The Illinois tight end is fresh off of a visit to South Bend earlier this spring. The Notre Dame staff was also out to see him last week, continuing to grow that relationship. His father, Jeff Anderson, gave some insight to his son’s relationship with the Irish.

"Things are going very well,” Anderson told Irish Breakdown. “He talks with Coach (Mike) Denbrock weekly now. JC really likes him. We are really looking forward to seeing the Notre Dame offense this season.”

Not only is the Anderson family excited to see the Notre Dame offense this season, they are also excited to see how the tight end is implemented. It sounds like Denbrock has big plans.

"They plan on continuing to feature the tight end position in Coach Denbrock’s offense,” Anderson explained. "He has been telling JC that they want to create even more big plays from the position moving forward. He’s excited about the potential.”

As an Illinois native, Anderson fully understands just how special of a place Notre Dame is. His family wants him to take emotion out of it and find the school that fits him best. They are allowing JC to explore.

"We want JC to really focus on what is best for him,” he said. "Obviously Notre Dame is a great place, but we want it to be his decision ultimately. He’s going to be the one going there and doing all the work. It’s his decision to make.

"Notre Dame is a program that is very familiar,” Anderson continued. "They are a great school and coaching staff. Our family is very high on them. They bring everything that we could want in a school.”

Anderson is considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and On3. All platforms see Anderson similarly, currently sitting as the No. 103, No. 133 and No. 135 overall player respectively. Rivals also has him pegged as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Illinois.

When you talk about offer lists, you won’t find many better than Anderson. Some of his top offers so far include the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Penn State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas, Purdue, Cincinnati, Baylor, Rutgers and Illinois among others.

As a sophomore, Anderson assumed an important role for the talented 8-3 Mt. Zion squad. In 10 games, the 6-7, 235-pound tight end hauled in 30 receptions for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson made a long reception of 43 yards on the season.

On film, there is a lot to love about Anderson. At 6-7 and 235 pounds, Anderson brings a long and lean frame to the table. He is an overall smooth athlete, having solid straight line speed and flexibility.

His best work comes in the air. Anderson consistently extends for the football at its highest points, showcasing good ball skills and hand strength. Anderson isn’t used much in line but is a good blocker on the perimeter. Mt. Zion utilizes Anderson mostly as a pass catcher right now. 

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