Notre Dame football recruiting class built with NFL legacies; Larry Fitzgerald's son is latest
Fitzgerald becomes the third recruit of the class of a former NFL player. He joins Kaydon Finley, son of Super Bowl-winning tight end Jermichael Finley, and Thomas Davis Jr., son of three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. And that's not all. The Fighting Irish have several other players who are NFL legacies.
Elijah Burriss, son of Super Bowl-winning receiver Plaxico Burress, is a 6-foot, 184-pound freshman on Marcus Freeman's 2025 roster. Classmate Jerome Bettis Jr., yes, son of Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis Sr., is also a receiver at 6-1, 208. Sophomore defensive lineman Bryce Young, who is 6-7, 273 pounds, is the son of Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bryant Young.
Aside from Young and Davis, a four-star linebacker recruit, the other legacies will all be under the tutelage of wide receivers coach Mike Young. The future of Notre Dame's passing game is bright with CJ Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, just a freshman.
Fitzgerald is a 6-2, 185-pounder out of Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, where his father played his entire 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald was rated a three-star recruit, No. 524 nationally and the No. 82 wide receiver by On3's industry rankings.
He caught 52 passes for 720 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 13.8 yards per catch as a junior, per MaxPreps. The season before, Fitzgerald caught 15 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitzgerald chose Notre Dame over Clemson, Stanford and UCLA.
Finley's commitment brings a little more of a big-play ability to the class. He's listed at 6-0.5, 200 pounds and as a junior caught 81 passes for 1,432 yards, a whopping 17.7 yards per catch, and 21 touchdowns, per MaxPreps.
Finley was rated a four-star recruit, No. 124 nationally and the No. 18 wide receiver per On3's industry rankings. He chose the Fighting Irish over Texas, his father's alma mater.
Notre Dame has 24 commitments in its 2026 recruiting class, which ranks fourth nationally per On3's industry rankings.
The highest-rated recruit is edge rusher Rodney Durham, a five-star and No. 14 nationally, from Charlotte Myers Park. He's the lone five-star, and there are 18 four-star recruits in the class. It includes four recruits in the top 61 and 13 recruits in the top 184.
Depth chart: What does the Notre Dame two-deep look like heading toward 2025 preseason camp?
Aug. 31, at Miami, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Sept. 13, vs. Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Sept. 20, vs. Purdue, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
Sept. 27, at Arkansas, noon (ABC)
Oct. 4, vs. Boise State, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
Oct. 11, vs. NC State, 3:30 p.m. (Peacock)
Oct. 18, vs. USC, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Nov. 1, at Boston College, TBA
Nov. 8, vs. Navy, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Nov. 15, at Pittsburgh, TBA
Nov. 22, vs. Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
Nov. 29, at Stanford, TBA
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