Notre Dame adds Wes Yerty, hiring him as director of scouting

Notre Dame football has added a new director of scouting to its front office, bringing in Wes Yerty from Ole Miss, according to a report published Tuesday by Yahoo Sports. The move places Yerty in charge of coordinating the program’s scouting efforts, a role that typically ties together film evaluation, recruiting intelligence, and cross-checking information across recruiting and roster planning.

For Notre Dame, the hire comes as the program continues building what it calls an experienced personnel operation. The report frames the addition as part of an already “impressive” group within the Irish front office, with the scouting director positioned as a key connector between talent identification and football decision-making.

Yerty’s prior work at Ole Miss provides the most clearly stated context in the report. Ole Miss competes in the Southeastern Conference, where scouting demands are shaped by constant roster churn, high-volume recruiting, and weekly evaluation at a program-appropriate scale. Bringing that background to South Bend suggests Notre Dame is leaning on experience from a Power Five environment where recruiting and talent tracking operate under intense competition.

In practical terms, a director of scouting often serves as a central organizer for how a program processes information, including what skill sets to prioritize, how targets are evaluated, and how scouts and analysts collaborate with coaches. Even when a hiring does not immediately change what happens on the field, personnel leadership can influence recruiting focus over multiple cycles and affect how quickly the staff can identify fit when new opportunities open.

Notre Dame’s scouting and recruiting are especially important because the program operates in a league structure where elite talent is not only available, but heavily pursued. In that setting, the difference between a good evaluation process and a great one can show up later in roster depth, scheme fit, and the ability to stay aligned with coaching priorities as recruiting classes develop.

The report does not provide details on Yerty’s specific responsibilities beyond the title, nor does it outline how his hire changes other roles within Notre Dame’s personnel department. It also does not state whether the change affects any existing scouting staff assignments. For now, the clearest takeaway is that Notre Dame is investing in its talent-identification infrastructure by adding an experienced scouting leader from a major SEC program.

Going forward, attention will likely turn to how quickly Notre Dame’s recruiting evaluations reflect Yerty’s influence and whether the staff’s target list shows new emphasis in certain positions. With college football recruiting and roster planning running on overlapping timelines, the earliest signs may appear in how quickly the Irish close on targets and in the consistency of player profiles across future evaluation cycles.