Ohio Wideout Payton Cook Builds Connection With Notre Dame During Visit

Notre Dame hosted Ohio wide receiver Payton Cook this weekend, and things went well

Notre Dame had a busy weekend, holding their jersey scrimmage, as well as hosting some big time recruits on campus. One of the more interesting visitors was 2026 Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban wide receiver Payton Cook, who is a well regarded recruit but entered the weekend without holding an offer from the Irish. 

Despite that, Cook was very excited to get to South Bend and check everything out. The Ohio native had a high opinion of the Irish program coming in, and was anxious to experience it all. 

"The overall visit was good,” Cook told Irish Breakdown. "I enjoyed learning about the history of the school and the program.”

During the visit, Notre Dame made Cook understand how interested they are in him. He is already planning a return trip in the future, with hopes of picking up the offer on his return. 

"The conversations between the coaches went very well,” Cook explained. "They were saying they were very interested right now and I’m at the top of their board and that they just want to see how I move in person, then I’d probably get the offer. So I’ll be back in the summer.” 

If the Irish do offer, they promise to be high on Cook’s list. They see a potential fit with the talented pass catcher, and Cook reciprocates that interest. 

"My opinion of Notre Dame is that it’s a very top notch school,” he said. "They have a lot of talent and very good coaches. I could definitely see myself fitting in there. The coaching staff sees me fitting in there as well. They said they like how I carry myself and that I’m a nice individual and that is what they're looking for. Their pitch is just that they’re very interested in me as a person and player.” 

Cook is well regarded from a recruiting perspective so far. He is rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals. That ranking pegs him as the No. 94 overall player and No. 15 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class. They also rank him as the No. 3 player in the state of Ohio in his class.

Several big time programs are already in the running for Cook. Some of his top offers so far include Michigan, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Purdue among others. 

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