Notre Dame beat Michigan to the pledge of the nation's No. 6 running back prospect when four-star recruit Javian Osborne announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on Saturday.
Osborne, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound rusher from Forney, Texas, is ESPN's No. 81 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
One of the nation's most productive high school running backs, he lands as the third-ranked pledge in coach Marcus Freeman's 2026 class following visits to Notre Dame and Michigan last month. Osborne told ESPN that this comfort with the program built across multiple trips to campus and the Fighting Irish's tradition of developing top running backs and offensive line talent were driving factors in his decision.
"They're known for running the ball and Notre Dame is O-line U," Osborne said. "They have a lot of great guys that went there and went to the NFL. What running back wouldn't want to be part of a program that breeds offensive linemen?"
Osborne, a powerful, high-volume rusher, has tallied 4,522 career rushing yards across his first three varsity seasons at Forney High School. The Texas District 7-5A D-I Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, Osborne exploded for 2,231 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns in an exceptionally productive sophomore season in 2023. He averaged more than 6.5 yards per carry during his junior campaign, finishing with 1,227 rushing yards and 25 scores last fall.
Alabama, Georgia, Miami and SMU were also among the most prominent programs involved in Osborne's recruitment. Osborne told ESPN that attending college "up north" was a priority in his process, and he narrowed his finalists to the Fighting Irish and Wolverines in late March before closing his recruitment with visits to both schools on back-to-back weekends in April ahead of his Notre Dame pledge on Saturday.
"I've heard a lot of people say it, but you have to go where your heart is," Osborne said. "At the end of the day, all this NIL stuff, that can't help you when it's fourth-and-goal and you have to score. You have to want to be there. I fell in love with the school and the program."
Osborne lands with the Fighting Irish as the program's 10th ESPN 300 pledge in the 2026 cycle and its third top-100 commit behind defensive end Rodney Dunham (No. 57 overall) and offensive Tyler Merrill (No. 67). If he ultimately signs later this year, Osborne will mark Notre Dame's highest-ranked running back addition since Chris Tyree (No. 30) in the 2020 recruiting class.
With star running back Jeremiyah Love considered among the top rushers in the 2026 NFL draft class, Osborne likely will enter the Fighting Irish's backfield depth next year behind Jadarian Price, Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young, the program's most recent ESPN 300 running back signee.
Upon Osborne's pledge, six of ESPN's top 15 running back prospects in the 2026 class are now off the board. All four of the nation's top rushers -- five-star recruit Derrek Cooper and four-star running backs Savion Hiter, Ezavier Crowell and Davian Groce -- remain uncommitted.