Notre Dame football has developed a history of recruiting Canadian players and a willingness to accept players from different playing backgrounds.
Last recruiting cycle, the Irish identified and signed 2024 defensive tackle and Canadian-born Sean Sevillano Jr. out of Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International.
Defensive linemen Armel Mukam and Devan Houstan, two Candian-born players, signed with the Irish in the 2023 recruiting class after playing prep football in the U.S.
Notre Dame's top-ranked 2025 class already has secured a commitment from three-star offensive tackle Will Black, who plays his high school football in Connecticut after growing up with hockey as his primary sport in London, Ontario.
Football has always been Antoine Deslauriers' main sport, and the 2025 linebacker — a Canadian from Quebec — received a Notre Dame offer last week when defensive graduate assistant Max Bullough stopped by Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee School.
"I was thrilled about it. I think it comes from the fact not only that this is a big-time program, not only for football, but also for academics," Deslauriers told Inside ND Sports. "Being a Canadian football player and having the chance to be recognized by such [a] prestigious program is absolutely phenomenal. I'm honored by it."
Deslauriers, —who reports 17 total offers, including Auburn, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas A&M — said he chatted with Bullough for roughly 30-35 minutes. Deslauriers said the two connected on a personal level, and Deslauriers could tell Bullough loved football and had a passion for the sport.
Although he's currently unrated and unranked by Rivals, Deslauriers made unofficial visits to the likes of Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee and South Carolina last fall and developed relationships with defensive coaching staffs.
Deslauriers said Bullough talked with him about planning a visit to Notre Dame for spring practice before official visits start in June, where he'd meet head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Al Golden and see campus for the first time.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Deslauriers gained his first exposure to competitive football in the U.S. last season after transferring to Rabun Gap in the summer of 2023. He said Notre Dame's history of accepting Canadian players is a helpful attribute to its program in his recruitment.
"There's something that I like about it ... the fact that they already had Canadian players is just showing that they know how to deal with it maybe [the] best," Deslauriers said. "For me, it won't be such a difference, because I would have already learned how to play football in the states."
According to his Hudl profile, Deslauriers runs a 4.61 40-yard dash and has a 39-inch vertical leap. In his first season at Rabun Gap, Deslauriers registered 72 tackles including 18 for loss, four quarterback hurries, two sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Deslauriers said his physicality and sideline-to-sideline speed are his best attributes.
"I'd say the first couple games, it was really an adaptation period, where I had to figure out a way to play here," Deslauriers said. "After that, as soon as they clicked, I started really blowing up and having a good season. I had to learn a couple [of] things, but my coaches and my teammates also helped me figure out all of those things. I didn't have to learn everything on my own either."
In addition to relationships, Deslauriers said academics will be a prominent factor in his recruitment, because football doesn't last forever. Deslauriers self-reported a 4.08 GPA last semester and said he wants to have a diploma that prepares him for the real world after his football career.
Notre Dame's 2025 class consists of 14 commits, but only one linebacker, Ko'o Kia. The Irish have hosted five 2025 Rivals100 linebacker targets on campus at least once in the last year: Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Noah Mikhail, Christian Jones, Anthony Sacca and Madden Faraimo.
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