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Notre Dame beats out SMU, USC for 4-star Texas DL
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Notre Dame landed a big pickup for its 2026 recruiting class on Saturday.
Tiki Hola, a blue-chip defensive lineman from Texas, announced his verbal pledge to the Irish.
Tiki Hola 6’2” 290 defensive tackle Bastrop HS, TX is a big catch for the fighting Irish. He chose Notre Dame over SMU. A 4*+ defender who I have visited with a few times in Texas has a relentless and aggressive style perfect for the position. Excellent body control and balance. pic.twitter.com/fJ3GOXby9N
— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) May 10, 2025
Out of Bastrop (Texas) High School, Hola is listed as measuring 6-2, 285 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Hola is rated 4-stars, the No. 35 defensive lineman, No. 41 player in the Lone Star State and No. 311 player overall in the Class of 2026.
Hola has highly recruited. He picked up scholarship offers from 25 programs during his recruitment, including Auburn, Baylor, Georgia, Miami, LSU, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas, Oregon and Texas A&M. For Saturday’s big decision, it came down to Notre Dame, USC and SMU.
With Hola on board, Notre Dame now has 15 verbal pledges in its 2026 recruiting class, which ranks No. 2 on the Composite. Fans can get a preview of what Hola brings to South Bend by checking out his highlights.
Junior season highlights
— Lisiate Tiki Hola (@tiki_hola) December 9, 2024
102+ tackles
10+ TFL
3 FF
2 FR
9+ QB hurries
Let’s keep it rolling #AGTG
– https://t.co/wSYjV04pc1
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
