Notre Dame Basketball Stays Hot on Recruiting Trail, Lands Four-Star Big Man

Following a week in which the program secured commitments from three highly rated 2025 recruits— including its highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting rankings era—Micah Shrewsberry and his coaching staff are continuing their momentum with the commitment of four-star center Tommy Ahneman from Cretin Durham Hall in Minnesota.

Notre Dame hosted two more four-star prospects from the Class of 2025, Tre Singleton and Tommy Ahneman, on official visits this past weekend. I previewed those visits early last week. Additionally, they welcomed fast-rising 2026 forward Andrew Jensen from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, for an unofficial visit.

Ahneman’s commitment adds to Notre Dame’s impressive 2025 haul, already ranked No. 1 in the country by multiple recruiting outlets, marking the fourth pledge in this class. With his addition, Notre Dame is poised to maintain one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, regardless of any further additions.

Tommy Ahneman’s Recruitment

Tommy Ahneman is newer to Notre Dame’s target board. He has been on the program’s radar for some time but only received an offer from the Irish at the beginning of July. However, recruiting can move quickly, and that was the case here, as Notre Dame secured Ahneman’s commitment during his official visit.

A native of North Dakota, Ahneman holds several high-major offers, including from DePaul, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, and Wisconsin. In addition to Notre Dame, he recently took official visits to Iowa and Nebraska. He was also scheduled to take an official visit to Minnesota this upcoming weekend.

As is often the case with recruits who visit Notre Dame, there is usually an immediate gut feeling on if its the right fit for their academic and athletic pursuits. Ahneman clearly felt that this weekend and decided to shut down his recruitment and commit to Micah Shrewsberry’s program.

Recruiting Rankings

Ahneman has emerged as a late riser after a stellar junior year while still in North Dakota, transferring to Cretin Durham Hall for his final high school season, and a dominant AAU campaign.

Both On3 and 247Sports have taken notice, ranking him as a four-star prospect. Rivals currently lists him as a three-star, while ESPN has yet to assign a ranking to the talented 6’11”, 252-pound center.

247Sports: No. 106 Nationally
On3: No. 58 Nationally
Rivals: No. 20 Center, Three-Star
ESPN: Unranked

Due to this discrepancy, Ahneman is technically a three-star on the 247Sports Composite and On3 Industry Rankings. However, I expect this to change soon as other recruiting outlets recognize his talent and adjust their rankings.

Currently, On3 is the most optimistic, ranking him as the No. 58 player nationally, which places him above both Brady Koehler and Ryder Frost—who committed to Notre Dame last week and have enjoyed higher-profile recruitments to date.

Nathan’s Scouting Report on Tommy Ahneman

Ahneman already embodies the profile of a Division I college center, standing at 6’11” and weighing 252 pounds. He is a naturally gifted scorer in the paint, showcasing a variety of moves that allow him to win easily thanks to his size and basketball IQ.

His good footwork and mobility for a player of his stature enable him to find easy baskets, and he has an innate ability to execute excellent counter moves after gauging the defender’s positioning.

Ahneman is a traditional low-post presence. While he possesses a soft touch that extends to the free-throw line, stretching his range beyond that is not his primary focus.

He also has good hands and generates offense from the post, displaying solid floor vision and routinely finding open teammates.

Few recruits in the 2025 class can dominate on the block like Ahneman, which is a quality that Notre Dame Men’s Hoops has sorely missed since Paul Atkinson’s transfer year.

When fed in the low post, you can be confident that Ahneman will convert those opportunities into points.