No. 5 Recruit Eve Long Commits to Notre Dame Women's Basketball

UConn advanced to the Final Four after a win against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. (1:26)

Eve Long , the No. 5 recruit and the top forward in the 2027 SC Next Super 60 , on Wednesday committed to Notre Dame , giving coach Niele Ivey her first pledge in the class.

Long chose the Fighting Irish over UCLA , Duke , UConn and Kansas after taking official visits to each campus. She is the third 2027 five-star to come off the board after No. 3 Caroline Bradley ( LSU ) and No. 13 Ogechi Okeke ( Baylor ) committed in April.

"Notre Dame felt like home from the moment I stepped on campus," Long told ESPN. "The campus life, strong academics, faith-centered environment and genuine connections with the team made it clear this was where I'm meant to be."

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The 6-foot-3 Kansas native has had success across multiple levels, winning a gold medal with USA Basketball's 2025 U16 FIBA AmeriCup team and being named to the event's All-Star Five. Long is the reigning Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 32.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals this past season for Olathe South High School.

Long participated in the 2026 Women's Junior National Team minicamp in April, and she also recorded 52 points with her Southwest Select team on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.

Long burst onto the high school scene as a springy, energetic player who finished around the rim and has evolved into one of the most complete players in the 2027 class after adding the ability to attack off the dribble and score in a variety of ways -- particularly from beyond the arc. She also brings an elite presence defensively with an ability to guard anyone on the floor. When she becomes more proficient with her left hand, she will make a strong argument as the best player in this class.

Landing Long -- the highest-ranked recruit since Kate Koval in 2024 -- keeps Notre Dame's recruiting momentum on the upswing. The Irish ended the 2026 cycle with the fifth-ranked class, featuring five top-100 recruits, headlined by five-star wing Jacy Abii (No. 9).

Notre Dame, which reached the Elite Eight this past season and is led by star guard Hannah Hidalgo , is currently No. 16 in ESPN's Way-Too-Early top 25 rankings .

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48826796/eve-long-no-5-recruit-commits-notre-dame-women-basketball)._