Anthony Sacca is Irish.
The four-star linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class announced his commitment to Notre Dame football over finalists Alabama, Duke, Ohio State and Wisconsin on Saturday.
Sacca is ranked as the No. 7 outside linebacker and No. 57 overall player in the class. He is the fourth Rivals100 commit to join Notre Dame’s 2025 top-ranked class and second highest-ranked defensive commit behind DE Christopher Burgess Jr. (No. 39).
With only two unofficial visits to campus, including last September for the Ohio State game, Sacca built enough meaningful relationships to become sold on Notre Dame's vision for him.
Head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Al Golden and linebackers coach Max Bullough prioritized Sacca during visits at Philadelphia St. Joseph's during the contact period, where coaches are allowed to conduct in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations. Assistant athletics director/player personnel Chad Bowden and director of recruiting Dre Brown also played an integral role in Sacca's recruitment.
"I've known coach Golden for quite some time," Sacca told Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman in February. "He was one of my dad's best friends in college. They played together [and] they hung out together. Getting to know coach Bullough [on] all my visits ... I was sitting down with him for about an hour and watching film and that was kind of eye-opening to me to seeing how they actually run their defense and their scheme."
"I'm a big believer in coach Freeman and his stability out there. I think he can do a really good thing with the coaches he has on staff and with the recruits he's bringing in."
Sacca, son of former Nittany Lions quarterback Tony Sacca (1988-91), has familiy ties to Golden, because his father threw passes to Golden, a tight end for the Nittany Lions. Golden has maintained extensive recruiting ties to the Philadelphia area from his time as Temple's head coach (2006-2010).
Following his visit for the Blue-Gold Game last April, Anthony said Golden and Freeman's understanding of developing linebackers would play a crucial role in his final decision. Anthony was also receptive to Notre Dame's 4-for-40 pitch and said it hit home.
“Football stops at some point whether you want it to or not, and you need to be able to do something with yourself for the rest of your life,” Anthony said. “There [are] not many schools that are better than Notre Dame at getting you a degree to allow yourself to get a great job if football pans out or not."
As part of Friedman's East Spotlight Series last season, Anthony was selected as one of the best linebackers he saw in 2023. Anthony, who projects as an All-American Candidate according to the Rivals recruiting rankings formula due to his 5.9 rating, is expected to bring versatility to ND's defense. He can cover slot receivers, stuff the run or blitz off the edge for Bullough and Golden.
"At 6-foot-4, 225-pounds, Sacca has the physical tools to line up at multiple locations on the defense and take on a variety of responsibilities," Friedman said. "He began his high school career as a safety and grew into a linebacker but he’s retained his instincts in coverage. With abilities like those, Sacca has the type of skill set that allows defensive coordinators to keep him on the field in almost any situation."
"He is a strong tackler in the open field and takes good routes to the ball carrier. Sacca consistently fends off blockers using a combination of quickness and strong hands. He’s also an effective blitzer, showing the ability to disrupt the offensive backfield at a high rate. This past season he was credited with 67 tackles and two interceptions."
More on what this means
Anthony is the 19th verbal commitment Notre Dame has received in the 2025 class, which is eight more than the next three closest classes (in quantity): LSU (ranked No. 2), Clemson (ranked No. 4) and Penn State (ranked No. 6).
Notre Dame's class point total increased to 2,116, making the Irish the first 2025 class to surpass the 2,000 mark. Since failing to hit 2,000 points in the 2020 recruiting cycle, the Irish have averaged a point total of 2,473 in their last four recruiting classes.
While Anthony's commitment gives Bullough another linebacker commit to pair with Ko'o Kia (who committed before Bullough's promotion) out of Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou, the Irish aren't done at the position. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Madden Faraimo, Noah Mikhail and Gavin Nix highlight the top-ranked targets left on the board. Canadian-born Antoine Deslauries shouldn't be overlooked either after instantly clicking with Bullough in January.
During the Freeman era, linebacker recruiting has been at a premium for Notre Dame. The Irish have gone head-to-head and landed big fish including Jaylen Sneed, Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. They've also mixed more proven linebackers out of high school, like Jaiden Ausberry and Preston Zinter, with projects relatively new to the position in 2024 signees and June enrollees Bodie Kahoun and Teddy Rezac.
Pending Anthony's signature in December, he will be the first St. Joseph's player to sign with Notre Dame since 2005 (LB Steve Quinn). St. Joseph's is a national powerhouse that has won the Pennsylvania Class 6A state championship in eight of the last 11 years, including in 2022 and 2023. The program has produced NFL players Oladmide Zaccheaus and D'Andre Swift and expected 2024 NFL Draft picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles also graduated from the school in 1983.
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