Albert Simien Commits to Notre Dame Football

Moss Bluff, Louisiana - One of the biggest recruiting stories, not only in Southwest Louisiana but in America, is now official. Sam Houston High School's Albert Simien has committed to Notre Dame.

In a community celebration on Friday inside the Sam Houston basketball gym, Simien announced to the National TV world that he will be heading to South Bend, Indiana.

When it came down to making his final decision, Simien said Notre Dame stood out because of the way the program treated him and his family throughout the process.

“Just how they treated me and my family throughout the whole recruitment process,” Simien said. “The tradition, religious base — it was just a perfect fit for me.”

Simien is one of the top players in Louisiana’s 2027 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound interior offensive lineman is ranked as one of the best players in the country at his position. He is considered a five-star prospect and has received offers from some of the biggest names in college football. Simien picked the Fighting Irish over Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and LSU.

Simien said the journey from start to finish was unlike anything he expected.

“It’s kind of like a crazy journey,” Simien said. “We kind of underplayed it at the start. Then the middle of it was kind of, ‘Oh, we’re a bit over our heads now.“And then at the end, it was kind of just the downslope of the roller coaster.”

For Sam Houston head coach Chad Davis, watching Albert’s journey from a freshman prospect to a nationally recognized recruit has been a special experience.

Davis said the moment was years in the making, with countless hours of work behind the scenes.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Davis said. “Just having a kid like Albert and being able to be a part and be blessed to be around him, it’s been a lot of work. He gave me an image and a thought of what he wanted to do, and we made it come to life.”

Now, Simien will take his talents to Notre Dame, where he will continue his football career with one of the most historic programs in college football.

Sam Houston's head man, Chad Davis, knew early on that they had something special with Simien, “We knew coming in that we had somebody special whenever he came in as a freshman,” Davis said. “We put it to the test the very first day in pads. We put him one-on-one with somebody else, blew the whistle, and he did his job.”

Simien admitted he always believed he had potential, but never imagined it reaching the level it did. “On this scale? No,” Simien said. “But knew of sorts, yes.”