Notre Dame’s been recruiting Mark Zackery since 2022.
The four-star cornerback didn’t receive an Irish offer until last May, but Notre Dame’s coaching staff and recruiting department were well aware of the two-sport standout from Indianapolis Ben Davis.
Notre Dame’s early interest and persistence paid off Saturday when Zackery announced a verbal commitment to join the top-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the country. Zackery committed to the Irish over fellow finalists Michigan, Florida and Cincinnati.
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The 6-foot, 160-pound Zackery found time to visit Notre Dame five times as a recruit around his busy schedule as a football and basketball star at Ben Davis High. His first visit came for Notre Dame’s 35-14 victory over Clemson in 2022. He visited twice last summer, returned for the Ohio State game in September and spent time on campus in January and March of this year.
Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has been consistent in his pursuit of Zackery. Mickens’ ability to develop cornerbacks has continually been on display while recruiting Zackery. The Los Angeles Chargers selected ND cornerback Cam Hart in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft. And junior-to-be Benjamin Morrison seems to be a consensus first-round pick in early mock drafts for 2025.
Zackery has shown his athletic ability as both a cornerback and wide receiver at Ben Davis. As the Giants completed a 13-1 run to the Class 6A state championship in Indiana’s highest classification, Zackery compiled 39 tackles, four interceptions, three recovered fumbles and two forced fumbles on defense — and 53 receptions for 823 yards and eight touchdowns on offense.
Rivals ranks Zackery as the No. 23 cornerback and No. 226 overall in the 2025 class.
"He’s a terrific football player," said Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith. "Zackery is also a multi-spot athlete which is just another data point to show how athletic he is.
"The Indiana native is not a super tall defensive back that we’ve seen be popular lately. However, his length and athleticism more than make up for his size. He’s shown good technical ability at cornerback which could help him see the field early in his career."
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Though Zackery is an in-state recruit, Notre Dame faced stiff competition in keeping him from leaving Indiana. Early in his recruitment, Ohio State loomed as a serious threat to land Zackery.
The Buckeyes received three cornerback commitments by February of this year, which put them out of the picture, but Ohio State recently lost one of those commitments. Then Michigan made a run at Zackery following its national championship victory. Notre Dame still won out.
Zackery joined a pair of four-star cornerbacks already committed to Notre Dame’s class. Cree Thomas, ranked by Rivals as the No. 25 cornerback and No. 232 overall, committed to Notre Dame in November out of Phoenix Brophy Prep. Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep product Dallas Golden, the No. 14 cornerback and No. 146 overall in the class, gave the Irish his pledge on April 28.
If all three remain in the Rivals250 at the end of the 2025 recruiting cycle and sign with the Irish, it will make for an unprecedented class for the Irish. Notre Dame has only once signed three four-star cornerbacks in the same recruiting class in the Rivals Era (since 2002): Troy Pride Jr., Julian Love and Donte Vaughn in 2016. But none of those three cornerbacks finished inside the Rivals250.
The most Rivals250 cornerbacks the Irish have signed in the same class is two: Darrin Walls (No. 51) and Raeshon McNeil (No. 74) in 2006, the first year of the Rivals250.
The addition of Zackery gives Notre Dame 22 verbal commitments in the 2025 class. Sixteen of them are four-star recruits. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has to like his haul so far with 10 four-star recruits and two three-star recruits on defense.
Though playing basketball at Notre Dame seems unlikely, head coach Micah Shrewsberry could probably use him. Zackery averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in a junior season that ended with a loss to Fishers in the Class 4A state championship. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, Mickens and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph sat courtside for one of Zackery’s basketball games in January.
The Irish should be done with cornerback recruiting in the 2025 class. They’ve been working to add another safety to the secondary with four-star recruits JaDon Blair and Jahmir Joseph as the top remaining priorities at the position.
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