Coach Shrewsberry Signs Highest Rated Notre Dame Recruiting Class in Modern Era

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – When Micah Shrewsberry became the Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Head Coach he told fans to jump on now because the train was taking off. Said recruiting train built massive momentum that ultimately materialized in Notre Dame’s highest-rated recruiting class in the modern era.

Tommy Ahneman, Ryder Frost, Jalen Haralson and Brady Koehler all signed their Athletic Aid Agreement on Wednesday and officially became Irish. The class is ranked fourth in the nation by 247Sports, fifth by ESPN, fifth by Rivals and sixth by ON3. It’s also the top-rated class in the state of Indiana; second overall in the ACC.

Coach Shrewsberry on the 2025 class:

“We are very proud of the four who signed with us this morning. They are all tremendous young men and fantastic basketball players who will represent Notre Dame on and off the court at a high level.”

“When we as a staff began focusing on this class, we had a clear vision for what we wanted. We were looking to improve our skill level, size, and athleticism, and we were able to land four of our top priority recruits, in what can only be described as an elite recruiting class.”

Tommy Ahneman is the top-ranked prospect in the state of Minnesota and a consensus top-100 recruit. He transferred to Cretin-Derham over the summer. Prior to that, he was at Sheyenne High School in West Fargo, North Dakota, where he led his team to a Class 2A state title and was named Gatorade Player of the Year. Ahneman averaged 20.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.9 assists as a junior. He dominated Fargo North in the state championship game with 28 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in the 78-62 victory. Ahneman finished the spring playing in the Nike EYBL Champions 17U league where he averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in 11 games with Howard Pulley.

Coach Shrewsberry on Ahneman

“Finding true big men who can score with their back to the basket and also face the rim and make an impact is difficult, but that is exactly what Tommy can do. Tommy is a center who has skill and should immediately provide a physical presence to this program and be someone who you can throw the ball to on the post and expect a bucket with his combination of a soft touch around the rim and excellent footwork.”

Staff on Ahneman

Finding centers is never easy, as it is the position with the least amount of supply, and one of the highest demands. Because of that, it is always a focus to land a quality post player on the recruiting trail.

Tommy is someone who fits the mold of a traditional center in that he is 6-foot-10 and scores well on the low block, but he does more than that. He has a good touch out to the mid-range, and also is a willing passer who will make others better.

As he gets older and more mature, we view Tommy as someone who can make a major impact on the court and provide low post scoring along with someone who gets his teammates easy shots due to his passing ability.

Tommy chose Notre Dame over Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and others.

Brady Koehler is a consensus top-100 recruit. Coach Shrewsberry added to his in-state haul by tapping into his former high school in Cathedral. Koehler averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in his junior season. In addition, he shot 38.6 percent (32-for-83) from beyond the arc. For his stellar play, Koehler was named an Indiana Junior All-Star. Furthermore, Koehler and Haralson are no strangers to each other for they were teammates on the Indy Heat 17U EYBL squad.

Coach Shrewsberry on Koehler

“Brady is someone who I have been very familiar with for a long time. He attends Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, which is the same high school I attended. Brady is someone who we think has legitimate NBA potential. He is 6-foot-9 with over a 7-foot wingspan, and already has high level athleticism along with an ability to handle the basketball and make shots. As he gets stronger, Brady is someone who we expect to thrive and really explode onto the scene.”

Staff on Koehler

Brady is a classic late bloomer who really exploded onto the scene heading into his junior season in high school. He grew almost nine inches in high school, but he has kept his coordination and guard skills, while now having more of a forward’s body.

Knowing that we needed to continue to upgrade our athleticism and versatility at the forward position, Brady is someone who immediately popped out to us last year. He showed an ability to shoot and handle the ball, and did it all at 6-foot-9 with a tremendous wingspan.

Beyond that, this past summer, Brady proved to be someone who can be an elite rim protector on the defensive end. He uses his long arms combined with excellent athleticism and timing to block shots both from his man, and when he is on the weak side.

When it comes to pure physical upside and potential, there aren’t many prospects that possess more of it, and when you combine that with his work ethic that was instilled by his parents, Staci and Carl, it is easy to see why the future is so bright for Brady.

Brady chose Notre Dame over offers from Wake Forest, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Butler and others.

Jalen Haralson is the highest-rated prospect to commit to the Irish in the modern history of the program. A consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked prospect in the state of Indiana. Haralson averaged 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists as a junior in his first season at La Lumiere. His went on to represent USA Basketball at the FIBA U17 World Cup this past summer. There he averaged 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in seven games as the team ultimately won the gold medal. Haralson also averaged 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds with the Indy Heat on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring. He then followed that up with 16.6 ppg at the Nike Peach Jam in July.

Coach Shrewsberry on Haralson

“When I first got the job here, from a recruiting perspective, immediately Jalen was a top target for us. Jalen was someone who we knew was an elite player and a great kid as well. His combination of size, athleticism, passing ability, and versatility have long made him one of the top players in his class nationally, and given him the ability to represent the country with USA Basketball. We couldn’t be more excited about what Jalen is going to bring to Notre Dame.”

Staff on Haralson

As a five-star recruit and one of the truly elite players in the United States, we focused on Jalen Haralson immediately once we got to South Bend. Given the competition for a player of his caliber, we knew it wouldn’t be easy to land him, but Jalen immediately saw our vision for him as a player, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled when he announced his commitment and decided to make Notre Dame his college home.

What makes Jalen so unique is that he has no real hole in his game. Like every other player, he has room to get better, but he already possesses a college-ready game. His athleticism is top-level. He is as good as a passer as anybody his size in the class, and he’s also a gifted scorer.

Beyond that, Jalen is someone who has been coached very well. Beginning at Fishers High School and now at La Lumiere, he has been in tremendous systems where he has learned to play the game the right way, and also has continued to get better.

Playing with Indy Heat in the EYBL, Jalen proved to be one of the best, leading them in scoring, and being one of the true impact players in the entire country.

Off the court, Jalen is a good student and a great kid who comes from a great family. His two brothers have been a tremendous influence on him, and his parents, Shantel and Art, are excellent leaders who have instilled a work ethic in Jalen on and off the court that is unsurpassed.

Jalen chose Notre Dame over offers from Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Kansas, Auburn and others.

Ryder Frost is yet another consensus top-100 recruit nationally. Frost averaged 21.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his junior season, leading Phillips Exeter to a NEPSAC Class A championship. Frost made nearly 44 percent of his 201 three-point attempts. He was ultimately named the NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year. Frost also played on the Under Armour Association circuit this past summer with 17U Middlesex Magic. He shot 48.0 percent from the field (98-of-204) and 45.2 percent from three (70-of-155), averaging 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18 games. His 45 percent clip from three-point range led the Under Armour circuit.

Coach Shrewsberry on Frost

“Playing for the Middlesex Magic AAU program, Ryder is someone who we became very familiar with this summer. The Middlesex Magic program has been very kind to Notre Dame, and Ryder is the latest example. Immediately what stands out with Ryder is his ability to make shots. He is in my opinion the best outside shooter in the entire class. However, he can do more than just catch and shoot. Ryder also is a capable ball handler and an underrated athlete whose size and strength should give him positional versatility.”

Staff on Frost

We will always focus on elite floor spacers who can threaten the defense from three point range, and there might not be a better example of someone who fits that role in the class of 2025 than Ryder Frost.

Ryder shot 45 percent from three on the Under Armour Association with the Middlesex Magic, and was seen as potentially the best shot maker in the entire country.

He has good size on the wing, and is a strong kid who will also contribute in other ways beyond just shot making. Ryder is a solid rebounder and a good passer as well, but we expect his shooting to fit in perfectly with our roster and within our system, making us dynamic on the offensive end of the floor.

Ryder chose Notre Dame over Michigan, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Syracuse, BYU and others.

— ND —