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Notre Dame‘s been at the forefront of John Buttafuoco‘s mind for a long time.
Buttafuoco’s oldest cousin went to Notre Dame, and as a result, it was the first college campus that he ever got to see. Since then, he’d been all about the Irish. Like, all about them.
“I fell in love with the campus and everything around it, from the culture to the sports teams and everything else,” the Prime Time and Brunswick (Conn.) 2026 defenseman said. “I just fell in love with it and grew up watching Notre Dame football, and I learned to love Notre Dame lacrosse during that time, too. Guys like Matt Landis, Eddy Glazener and Garrett Epple were all players that I looked up to.”
Great Start to the Irish’s Class
Buttafuoco’s been so high on the Irish that he was willing to delay enrollment in South Bend by a year. Last year, he committed to the Irish while still a class of 2025 recruit and opted to become a 2026 in the process. Brunswick has allowed him to repeat his junior year while still at the school, so technically, he became Notre Dame’s first ’26 recruit some time ago. Buttafuoco announced his commitment on social media on Sept. 1. He’s been part of a movement that’s seen ’26 high-level defenseman fly off the board quickly this week.
He doesn’t regret the decision for a second, either.
“It’s where I want to be,” Buttafuoco said. “(ND defensive coordinator) Coach (Ryan) Wellner and (ND head coach) Coach (Kevin) Corrigan‘s defensive intellect is hard to explain. They’re so educated on it and they’ve always prided themselves on their defense. It’s definitely something that helped with my decision.”
Philly’s Top Defenseman Also Goes Irish
Dylan Novak wasn’t sure that he’d find himself in the recruiting crosshairs of a school like Notre Dame.
“I went into the summer thinking that it might be a reach, given that it’s the best team in the country. It’s hard for a lot of people to reach,” said the 6-4, 215-pound four-star defenseman from Malvern Prep (Pa.) and Big 4 HHH. “Once I found out that they were interested, though, I saw it as a great opportunity.”
It was an opportunity that Novak couldn’t turn down. He quickly jumped at the chance to join Buttafuoco as part of what should be a stacked Irish class, one that also includes NLF No. 1 ’26 and five-star midfielder Dylan Faison (Saint Andrew’s, Fla. / Team 91 Long Island Storm) and NLF No. 35 ’26 and four-star goalie Kieran Walsh (Chaminade, N.Y. / Long Island Express Channy). The Irish are in the firm lead for a pair of five-stars visiting this weekend, too, so expect more fireworks soon.
“I wanted to try to wait it out and make sure that it was the right fit, but over the past two days, I knew that I wanted to go to Notre Dame,” Novak said. “(Big 4 HHH director) Coach (Billy) McKinney told me during the summer that they really wanted me to go to a prospect day, and that’s when I realized that it was a serious option. Their team is known for their defense. The grittiness, the toughness of the team and their defense, and Coach Wellner is a great coach. That’s definitely something that I was looking for.”
Kelly Gets Duke Rolling
George Kelly knew that there was a good chance for his recruitment to not make it past the first day.
“I had a gut feeling that maybe it would,” Kelly said.
There’s been a rather extensive history of St. Sebastian’s and Laxachusetts players to pick Duke. That history wasn’t lost on Kelly as he evaluated the schools on his list prior to coaches reaching out to him. It definitely played a role in his recruitment, too. LXC and Sebs product Aidan Maguire, a starting SSDM for the Blue Devils, and freshman defenseman Brendan Fulham are the most recent ones.
“I’d been dreaming about it, and I’d heard so many good things about Duke with the Sebs pipeline there. I knew that I wanted to commit on the spot,” Kelly said.
Kelly did just that, becoming the first post-9.1 commitment in the ACC. His verbal gives the Blue Devils an exceptional cover guy, and they followed that up with a verbal from 6-5 four-star LSM Win Chandler (Seattle Prep, Wash.). Duke now has its defense set in the class with a set of defenders that serve as a terrific foundation for what should another outstanding class.
“The biggest dealbreaker for me was the high level of academics and athletics,” Kelly said. “There aren’t many schools in the country that have that. To know that I can excel on the athletic field and help us to a national championship is something that not a lot of schools can offer. At the same time, it’s the best of both worlds because I know lacrosse won’t last forever and I can set myself up for life.”
Two-Sport Division I Athlete?
The 5-10, 195-pound Kelly is also a touted running back prospect who reports a 4.4 40-yard dash time. He’s interested in potentially playing both football and lacrosse in college, especially with Duke lacrosse’s history of multi-sport athletes. Football recruiting moves a little bit slower, so the Blue Devils’ football interest remains to be seen. However, Kelly knows that it’s a possibility.
“I’m definitely interested in playing both,” Kelly said, “and I know that Duke lacrosse isn’t against it. I think it did play into the decision. It’s a power 4 ACC school with a lot of ISL connections to Duke football. That drew me in a lot. Playing both at such a high level would be a really cool accomplishment.”
Immediate In-State Get for Carolina
Carter Martin had always dreamt of playing for North Carolina.
The recent transfer to Providence Day School (N.C.) grew up in-state and rooted for the Tar Heels. Despite that, he wasn’t sure if anything would materialize itself for him once Sept. 1 finally came around.
“Growing up in the Carolinas, where it’s obviously not a hotbed with a ton of guys playing in the ACC, (playing for UNC) wasn’t something I thought would be completely possible,” the four-star defenseman and NLF No. 60 ’26 from Team 91 Charlotte said. “I had my fingers crossed that UNC would call, but I didn’t know how realistic it was. (Team 91 Charlotte director) Coach (Ryan) Flanagan told me that they probably would, but you’re never sure.”
Sure enough, the Tar Heels extended an offer on Sept. 1. It didn’t take long for Martin to commit, either. UNC defensive coordinator Dave Pietramala laid out his vision for Martin. Tar Heels head coach Joe Breschi followed it up with a home visit that night, and then Martin ended his recruitment with a commitment to the Heels.
“No Doubt in My Mind”
“I really knew that it was the place for me as soon as I talked to them,” Martin said. “There was no doubt in my mind that Chapel Hill was the place where I wanted to be. I wanted to stay home, play in the Carolinas where my whole family has grown up, and represent my state at the next level.”
There’s something to being the hometown guy playing for his local dream school, too. Martin understands that being a Tar Heel commit means that he’ll be looked at differently by some, and that’s OK with him.
“The next morning, I saw my phone going crazy with texts from people and I just thought, ‘wow, this is actually my life,'” Martin said. “I ran into some younger guys from 91 Charlotte and they’re, like, ‘wow, you’re Carter Martin and you committed to UNC.’ I see myself within them because I used to look up to guys like (Notre Dame sophomore defenseman and 91 Charlotte alum) Karter Williams and (UNC junior faceoff midfielder and 91 Charlotte alum) George Kalos and they were like legends to me.”
Now he can be a legend to many more.
