VERO BEACH — Notre Dame extended a scholarship offer to Wonderful “Champ” Monds IV, a top quarterback prospect from Vero Beach High School, marking the program’s first such move for a signal-caller in the class of 2027.
The offer came on Monday after Irish coaches visited Monds at Vero Beach High School. Monds, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore who reclassified from the 2028 cycle, announced the news on social media, saying he was “blessed and honored” to receive the invitation from the storied program.
Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock were tagged in Monds’ post, featuring their involvement in the recruitment. The Fighting Irish had previously targeted Teddy Jarrard as a 2027 quarterback, but Jarrard reclassified to 2026, opening the door for Monds as the new priority.
Monds, 15, holds a 3.6 GPA and is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals, where he ranks as the No. 11 quarterback in his class. He also carries a three-star designation from 247Sports. His offer list includes powerhouses such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Tennessee, among more than two dozen others.
The Fighting Indian’s standout comes from a football family. His father, Wonderful Monds III, played defensive back at Nebraska in the late 1990s, and his grandfather, Wonderful Monds Jr., had a brief stint in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in 1978.