Notre Dame looks to lean on a former star connection as it pursues 2028 WR Ryan Richmond-McDavis

Notre Dame’s pursuit of 2028 wide receiver Ryan Richmond-McDavis picked up momentum after the prospect’s weekend trip to South Bend left “buzzing” impressions, according to reports covering the recruiting trail. The visit matters because Notre Dame’s 2028 wide receiver board is starting to take shape just as programs around college football intensify early relationship-building with high-end speed threats.

Richmond-McDavis, a St. Louis native who plays high school football at Cardinal Ritter, is being evaluated heavily for explosiveness, and the recruiting attention is tied to measurable athletic production from his recent track and camp work. Fighting Irish Wire reported that at an Under Armour camp this spring, Richmond-McDavis ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and posted a 34-inch vertical leap, numbers that typically align with coaches’ priorities for separation and vertical creation in modern wide receiver roles.

The same reporting ties Richmond-McDavis to a clear recruiting tier. Per the 247Sports Composite, he is ranked No. 176 overall in the 2028 class and No. 25 among wide receivers. That kind of ranking usually means Notre Dame is competing not just for a single campus visit, but for a long list of schools that see similar traits on tape and in testing.

Notre Dame offered Richmond-McDavis in early March, joining a broader group of programs that include Nebraska, Oregon, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kentucky among others, as outlined in the campus-visit coverage. What the reports emphasize, though, is the relational element of the pitch. Richmond-McDavis referenced former Irish standout Jeremiyah Love in an interview cited by Fighting Irish Wire, describing Love as “my brother’s best friend” and saying being around him and hearing him talk about Notre Dame made him want to come check it out.

The recruitment narrative here is typical of how top receiver evaluations are handled, even when the headline is about a “former great.” Coaches and programs often try to show recruits what the receiver experience looks like inside the building, including mentorship, culture, and who players stay connected to after their college careers. For Notre Dame, Love’s name is significant not because it guarantees a commitment, but because it offers a concrete, personal bridge between the current staff’s recruiting message and the program’s recent history.

The football pitch also appears to run alongside a non-athletic one. Richmond-McDavis highlighted the school’s education emphasis in the same coverage, telling Irish Sports Daily that he likes Notre Dame’s focus on academics. Notre Dame’s academic brand is a long-standing recruiting component, and for prospects who are still sorting through offers, that can become a tie-breaker when the athletic recruiting package looks similar across contenders.

For Notre Dame, the immediate watch item is whether the positive tone from this weekend visit translates into follow-up contact and sustained momentum before the next wave of summer recruiting events. For Richmond-McDavis, the next meaningful step is how he continues to weigh Notre Dame against the other major programs already on his list. Until the Irish and Richmond-McDavis make further developments official, the best takeaway is that Notre Dame’s staff has at least planted itself firmly in the prospect’s decision process, not only through the on-field evaluation, but through a connection that feels personal.